CAE: A Unique Case or a Typical Example?
Heck yeah, let's dive into this juicy topic!
So, here's the deal: Quebec's top corps, like CAE, Air Canada, and the like, have been known to recruit presidents from abroad. And guess what? Most of these foreign cats have promised to learn French as a sign of respect for Quebecois culture. But, you know how it goes: talk is cheap, right?
Well, it seems like Francois Dauphin, director of the Institute on Governance of Public and Private Organizations (IGOPP), ain't buying it, saying it's high time we question whether we've got the resources to breed homegrown talent instead.
Now, you might be wondering: why is this happening? Well, let's unpack it. These companies bring in anglophone presidents for their global expertise, especially if they're aiming for international expansion. However, once they land in Quebec, these newbies gotta learn the language and adapt to the cultural norms to succeed here.
And they ain't finding it easy peasy. You see, Quebec's all about the French language, and the Charte de la langue française (Bill 101) ensures it stays that way. The result? Many of these foreign catches are struggling to learn French.
Yep, you heard that right. According to Willie Gagnon, coordinator of the Shareholder Education and Defense Movement, promises made by these unilingual anglophone presidents to learn French are often on the back burner or left unfulfilled. This trend goes against the wishes of Quebec's Premier, François Legault, who expressed his intent to get English-speaking business leaders on board the French-learning train.
Now, here's where it gets interesting: we recently got wind that CAE, a Quebec specialist in simulators and training, has brought in Matthew Bromberg, a 55-year-old American, to replace Marc Parent, who's retiring after a 20-year career. Bromberg, a former military man, graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and spent two decades at Pratt & Whitney, where he ran the military engines division.
Despite his impressive resume, Bromberg's recruitment breaks a 20-year trend at CAE. You may have guessed it: he ain't fluent in French, which is usually a prerequisite for the CEO position. But don't worry, Bromberg's packing his bags and promising to learn French in "intensive courses." We'll see if he's the exception or the rule.
To be fair, hiring a CEO from abroad doesn't necessarily mean turning away from internal French-speaking candidates. It's not an irreversible trend, but examples are few and far between. Last October, for instance, CGI, another Quebec giant in IT consulting services, appointed François Boulanger, a French-speaking Canadian, as president and CEO to replace George Schindler, an American.
So, there you have it! CAE's hired an American CEO, who promises to learn French. But don't hold your breath, homie. History shows us that anglo presidents ain't exactly known for their French-learning skills. Only time will tell if Matthew Bromberg will buck the trend or make French learners out of us all!
The French industry seems to be welcoming foreign talents, such as Matthew Bromberg, the new CEO of CAE, who has promisingly agreed to learn French. However, historical evidence suggests that anglophone business leaders might struggle with French language acquisition.
