Eric Desmarais, Ing.

President | CEO | Executive | Operation | Business Development | Manufacturing | Energy | Supply Chain | Logistics | Transportation

Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

About

Bilingual senior executive with 25+ years of leadership in operations, transformation, and business development across transportation, energy, services, and manufacturing. With an engineering foundation, I bring a disciplined, data-driven approach to operational excellence and structured problem-solving—paired with a pragmatic, people-first leadership style. I lead multi-site organizations through complex change, translating strategy into execution that improves safety, service reliability, and financial performance. My focus is delivering measurable impact: lowering total operating costs, improving asset utilization, reducing energy consumption, and enabling scalable growth through technology and infrastructure deployment. I also bring Board experience and strong comfort with governance, partnerships, and strategic transactions—supporting disciplined decision-making and sustainable value creation. I’m passionate about coaching leaders and building high-performing teams rooted in accountability and trust.

Experience

  • President & CEO at Transport Scolaire Sogesco inc.
    Sep 2024 - Present · 1 yr 10 mos

    President and Chief Executive Officer of Transport Sogesco, the head office of a group of 32 companies specializing in school, charter, extracurricular, paratransit, and urban transportation. Leads an organization of nearly 2,000 employees operating a fleet of 1,800 vehicles across Quebec and Ontario. Spearheads the organization’s decarbonization strategy and large-scale electrification program, with more than 365 electric buses deployed and charging infrastructure implemented across 15+ sites—positioning Transport Sogesco as a Canadian leader in the transition to zero-emission transportation.

  • Board Member at UgoWork
    May 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 2 mos

    Board Member at UgoWork, a Québec-engineered provider of smart lithium-ion battery and charging solutions for electric forklift fleets, combining hardware with cloud insights to boost uptime and reduce operating costs. I contribute to governance, strategic planning, and performance oversight, supporting the team as the company scales.

  • Vice President - Material Resources at Groupe Robert
    Oct 2022 - Aug 2024 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • General Manager at FedEx Supply Chain
    Mar 2018 - Jul 2022 · 4 yrs 5 mos

    Manages and controls all the activities of Eastern Canada with approximately 1000 employees including 75 staffs. Responsible for all the activities of the largest distribution center in Canada with 1.5 million square feet.

  • Énergir (5 yrs 6 mos)
    • General Manager
      Jul 2013 - Dec 2017 · 4 yrs 6 mos

      Under the supervision of the Vice-President for Business Development and of the Executive Committee, directed, organized and monitored the activities of Gaz Métro Transport Solution GMTS in order to increase natural gas sales in the road and maritime transportation sectors, and to meet the company’s strategic goals within the set budget and deadlines. Also oversaw the deployment and maintenance of compressed natural gas (CGN) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) distribution stations in Quebec and Ontario in compliance with the highest safety standards.

    • Director of LNG Operations and Logistics
      Jul 2015 - Nov 2017 · 2 yrs 5 mos

      Under the supervision of the Vice-President of Business Development, managed 24/7 operations and the logistics for the liquefying plants in Montréal, the compression station in Sainte-Sophie and the Gaz Métro LNG and GMTS subsidiaries. Oversaw operations and maintenance of assets in order to guarantee the highest quality service to all Gaz Métro customers. Developed and managed the overall logistical solutions for LNG distribution to the industrial, and maritime and road transportation sectors for northeastern North America. Was responsible for the emergency measures plan for LNG transportation.

    • Fuel Market Director
      May 2014 - Jul 2015 · 1 yr 3 mos

      Under the supervision of the Vice-President for Sales, led the development and emergence of natural gas as a fuel of the future in transportation. Planned, organized, led, coordinated, and monitored the activities to meet the company’s strategic objectives. Worked in close collaboration with the other corporate operating segments, including public relations, marketing, legal affairs, engineering and regulation. Participated in numerous activities aimed at promoting the development of this energy-efficient fuel.