Meet the
Strigo team

Since the foundation of the company in 2008, André has acted as Executive Chairman of the Board of TerreStar Solutions Inc. Until April 2020, André also held the title of CEO. He has more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, most notably in the conception, financing and management of several leading companies. For almost 10 years, André served as President and CEO of Microcell Telecommunications (Fido™), a wireless network and service provider that he led from inception through its complete evolution. During that time, he also provided early-stage financing, strategic counsel, and direction for a number of successful start-up tech firms. In 2005, he was appointed by Canada’s Industry Minister as member of the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel to make recommendations on how to modernize Canada’s telecommunication policies and regulatory framework.

André holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and in Accounting from Université Laval, a Master’s degree in Taxation from the Université de Sherbrooke, and is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

René began his extensive career at Price Waterhouse in strategic management and market research. As an expert in consumer behavior and retailing, he was co-author of Price Waterhouse’s annual Canadian Retail Outlook publication. Over the years, René has held various top executive positions at Microcell Telecommunications Inc., most notably as VP Finance and VP Marketing, for which he was awarded Marketing Man of the Year in 2004 by the Montreal Marketing Association. Subsequent to the acquisition of Microcell by Rogers, René was appointed Executive VP at Rogers Wireless and President of Fido Inc. In 2006, he joined Trio Capital Inc., a private investment firm, as a Partner, alongside Jacques Leduc and André Tremblay. In 2009, he joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. as Chief Commercial Officer. In April 2020, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer.

René holds an M.Sc. from the Université de Sherbrooke and a Corporate Directors certificate from the Institute of Corporate Directors and McGill University.

In April 2020, Jacques was appointed President and CEO of TerreStar Solutions Inc. Prior to that, he acted as CFO and Treasurer, roles he held since the founding of the company in 2008. From 1995 to 2004, he served as CFO of Microcell Telecommunications (Fido™), VP of Finance and Director of Corporate Planning. In 2005, Jacques was one of the founders of Trio Capital, an investment firm in the Canadian telecommunication sector and abroad. Over his lengthy career, Jacques has held a number of senior management positions in finance and taxation for influential Canadian and International firms. He has also sat on numerous Boards of publicly held companies in the U.S and Canada, in addition to serving as Chairman of several audit committees. He has a consistent track record of increasing productivity by streamlining operations and making innovative use of technology. Results-driven, innovative and a diplomatic executive, Jacques is a seasoned negotiator, able to effectively provide options and flexibility, while reducing and containing costs.

Jacques holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the École des hautes études commerciales of Montréal and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

The Telecommunications industry is in Nathalie’s blood, having served as an Administrative Assistant at Teleglobe Canada from 1989 to 1996, and as an Executive Assistant at Fido from 1996 to 2005. Nathalie has been working with André Tremblay since 2001, when André was initially acting President and CEO for Microcell. In 2006, Nathalie joined André again at Trio Capital as Executive Assistant, and also combined the role at TerreStar in 2008. Nathalie has been an engaged member of the TerreStar team since the beginning. In November, she was appointed Executive Coordinator.

Since 2008, Jan has been providing central telecommunications regulatory advice to TerreStar Solutions. As Executive Counsel Regulatory Affairs, he is responsible for government relations strategy and has been instrumental in developing a collaborative relationship with government decision-makers. In addition, Jan has largely contributed to the development of regulatory knowledge and expertise within TerreStar and is now focused on advising TerreStar’s management on key strategic regulatory matters.

Jan has 33 years of public service experience with the Department of Communications, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Industry Canada. As Director General at Industry Canada for 15 years, Jan was accountable for regulatory matters related to Canada's spectrum management program, the formulation of regulatory policies, the development of licensing and auction strategies, spectrum licensing, the coordination of regional delivery of the spectrum program, and the national and international frequency coordination of terrestrial and space systems.

Jan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Carleton University.

Throughout his successful career, André has held a number of senior financial management positions within leading telecommunications companies. Prior to joining TerreStar, he worked for nearly a decade at Microcell Telecommunications (Fido™), specifically as Senior Director of the Corporate Finance and Treasury departments. During his tenure, he executed several successful financing projects and oversaw the company’s financial planning and budget processes. Prior to that, André was a cost and financial analysis specialist at Unitel Communications.

In 2006, André joined Trio Capital, executing major investments in North America and Europe. In early 2010, he joined TerreStar as Vice President of Finance, a key role supporting Jacques Leduc, the CFO and Treasurer of the company. In March 2020, following Jacques’ nomination as CEO, André was appointed Treasurer of the company.

André holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal and has completed Québec’s professional CMA program.

David joined TerreStar Solutions in 2015 as a strategic adviser for the MSS satellite service deployment, where he brought his four decades of experience bringing big-city/urban-class telecom services to Canada’s rural and under-served markets using satellite and fixed-wireless technologies. In his career, he was instrumental in co-founding and deploying evolutionary telecom services with Telesat, Shaw Direct, LinCsat and Xplornet, and helped bring satellite facilities competition to Canada with Ciel Satellite as founding President and CEO.  From 2007 to 2018, David chaired the Canadian Satellite and Space Industry Forum (CSSIF), where he advocated regulatory and spectrum policy on behalf of the satellite industry with ISED, and was a member of the ITU WRC Preparatory Committee. 

In August 2019, David was appointed TerreStar’s VP Satellite Services, and later became VP Satellite Network & Corporate Development, leading the Strigo network operations and leading TerreStar’s partner relationships and strategy with Hughes, Telesat, SSL/Maxar, and EchoStar. He combines these responsibilities with a corporate development role, focused on regulatory affairs and strategy. 

David holds a Telecom Engineering Technology diploma from Conestoga Polytechnic.

Sylvain joined Terrestar in 2015 and has been instrumental in the roll-out of Terrestar’s new Mobile Satellite Service (MSS), Strigo. His role at Terrestar encompasses network engineering and strategy for mobile satellite services and Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC). His scope of responsibilities includes coverage definition, RF design, site build, core network, as well as continuous coordination activities between MSS and terrestrial services (ATC).

Sylvain also oversees long-term planning activities, including technological vision, strategic options definition, rollout strategies, technology watch and roadmap, technology standard and spectrum bands evolution, follow-up of outcomes from diverse standard bodies across the world, ISED standard releases and consultation, and spectrum auctions.

Sylvain holds a B.Sc. in Physics Engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal and an MBA from the École des Hautes Études Commerciales. He is also a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec.

In October 2020, Jason was appointed Vice President of Business Development at TerreStar Solutions Inc. Today, he heads up Strigo’s mobile satellite marketing, sales, customer experience, product, and service development team.

Jason’s career began at Xplornet, where he advanced within the sales organization.  As District Manager, he built the top territory in Canada and was honored by the CEO prior to taking on a National Sales Management role, where he managed key partnerships with Shaw and SaskTel.  After co-founding a small firm in the US, working closely with key partners including DIRECTV, he pivoted into a senior role at DHL, where he was responsible for the commercial performance of Eastern Canada. Among his team’s most noteworthy achievements was acquiring the most new clients and generating the highest number of internal promotions. From there, he went on to join TELUS Business Solutions, where he managed a large sales team in the B2B mid-market segment.

Jason holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Carleton University.

Alain joined TerreStar Solutions Inc., in spring 2020, and today, he leads the company’s finance and information technology functions.

During his 25+ years of financial management experience in multiple companies and projects around the world, Alain has overseen many successes in start-up development, mergers and acquisitions, and operational integrations. Throughout his career, he has held various finance and IT leadership and consulting roles, particularly in real estate, telecommunications, banking, and security services for companies like Ivanhoe, Microcell and Banque Nationale, to name but a few.

In 2010, Alain joined the international division of Garda World, as VP Finance and Administration. Based in Dubai, he headed the finance team responsible for international operations and contributed significantly to the global growth of the company, leading multiple successful acquisitions in Africa and Europe.

Alain is a chartered accountant (CPA CA) with a Master’s (M.Sc.) in Management Information Systems.

Tara brought her talents to Strigo in October 2020 as Manager, Financial Planning and Analysis.

Prior to joining the team, Tara gained 16 years of invaluable experience in finance and accounting, holding a number of financial planning, analysis and management roles for large organizations including Standard Life, Rolls Royce, CAE, and Metro Richelieu. During her tenure, she led and oversaw various budget processes, contributed to many operational initiatives, and participated and led several successful projects for multiple companies, including the implementation of risk oversight and analysis, divisional acquisitions, department restructuring, and the implementation of several revenue Initiatives. Tara began her career at CIBC Wood Gundy as an investment advisor assistant for a high-net-worth team, where she developed deep knowledge of financial markets and evolved her relational and teamwork skills working with a large number of private investors. While there, she implemented several processes and analyses to create efficiencies in the day-to-day operations.

Tara is a Certified Management Accountant (CPA, CMA). She graduated from Concordia’s John Molson School of business with a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy with a minor in management.

Scott joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. in 2020, and today, he acts as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary with Strigo and TerreStar, collaborating closely with our commercial partners, shareholders, and regulators to help deliver the Strigo vision to Canadians.

Scott brings more than 25 years of legal and regulatory experience in the Canadian and international satellite telecommunications and broadcast sectors. During his wide-ranging career, he has held senior executive positions with SES S.A., one of the largest global satellite operators, as well as with Star Choice, Cancom, YTV and the CTV Television Network. Scott was also one of the co-founders of Ciel Satellite, which became Canada’s first competitive satellite operator when it successfully built and launched the Ciel-2 satellite in 2008. He takes a strategic and entrepreneurial approach to his work and thrives in start-up, public company and turnaround environments.

Scott holds an LL.B from the University of Manitoba.

Nathalie joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. as Senior Director in fall 2019. As a unique branding expert, she is responsible for the development and deployment of the Strigo brand, as well as for all marketing communications, branding and digital marketing strategies and operations.

Nathalie has more than 30 years of experience in brand strategy and marketing communications management. Nathalie also has a proven track record in the telecom industry. For nearly 10 years at Fido, she helped deliver the brand promise in an ever-evolving and highly energetic competitive landscape and was a key member of the change-management team during the acquisition of Fido by Rogers. More recently, she played a key role on a variety of major accounts including McDonald’s, GM, Sports Experts, Fido, Chartwell, Newad, Old Port of Montreal, Loblaws, and SAIL.

Nathalie is a graduate of the HEC Montréal Business School and the Université de Montréal in marketing and advertising.

Benoit joined the Strigo team in September 2020. With over 30 years of experience in finance, he brings tremendous depth in the Company’s finance team. Following five years at Teleglobe Canada, where he developed his keen, analytical mind, he moved to Microcell Telecommunications (Fido™), overseeing advanced financial analysis processes, implementing financial reporting and developing specific performance indicators that were essential to decision-making by senior management. He also helped ensure the complete financial transition involved in the acquisition of Microcell by Rogers communications. From there, Benoit moved on to Cossette Communication as Controller General and then, Astral Media, as Financial Information Director, responsible for the complete review of the financial reporting process. Following the sale of Astral Media to BCE, Benoit pursued his career as Vice President of Finance at Groupe Laperrière Verreault and Financial Information Manager at Bombardier Recreational Products.

Benoit is a member of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Quebec (CPA CA) and holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting from the Université du Québec à Montréal in addition to a BA in recreation from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

Isabelle joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. early in 2020 as Senior Director. As the head of Project Office, she leads implementation of best management and operational practices as well as core multidisciplinary projects. A recognised expert in customer service, Isabelle also supervises the establishment of a customer-centric corporate culture.

With over 30 years of experience in the wireless industry, she has held various managerial positions in Marketing, Customer Experience and Customer Relations. A pioneer in the industry, Isabelle started her career at Cantel (Rogers) in 1989 before moving on to Fido in 1994, where she helped deliver key strategic and operational milestones. During her 12 years at Fido, she touched on several aspects of Marketing and led the creation of the Customer Experience team. In the past 15 years, she has worked on large scale transformational projects in organizations such as Rogers, Cogeco, Domtar and WSP.

Isabelle holds a B.Comm. from McGill University.

In November 2020, Félix joined the team as a Business Development Manager. He is responsible for Strigo’s sales development and strategic planning as he works to build and maintain relationships with commercial partners. He also oversees driving direct sales to end users across all industries.

Before joining Strigo, Félix started his career as a Field Engineer at Schlumberger. He worked on oil and gas drilling projects in Texas, the Middle East, Western Canada and offshore Newfoundland. Félix's passion for Canadian industry brought him back to Quebec, where he qualified as a certified lumberjack while furthering his academic accreditations in business development.

Félix holds an MBA from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business and a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Technological Entrepreneurship from McGill University.

Don joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. early in 2020, overseeing day-to-day Network Operations of the Allan Park Gateway, while supporting engineering during network upgrades, changes, and improvements.

Don has nearly four decades’ experience operating and maintaining satellite earth stations and gateways. He is familiar with all of the technical and operational aspects of satellite communications, having started his career at Telesat, where he rose to become Manager of the Toronto Teleport (Telesat’s largest gateway, operating dozens of critical uplink services across multiple satellite payloads).  At Telesat, Don was also responsible for a Hughes VSAT hub and critical facilities such as UPS/generators, and RF transmitters.  Later, while at Star Choice/Shaw Direct, Don managed over a dozen remote gateway/uplinks across Canada and was responsible for satellite service engineering, and service migrations across new satellites and new products/technologies as Shaw’s Principal Satellite Architect. 

Phil has had a wide-ranging career, with 35 years of global, strategic, and operational business experience with many great Canadian companies, like CAE Electronics, Bell Northern Research, Nortel, CIBC, Corel and DST Consulting Engineers. Over the years, Phil has held various executive positions, most notably as Corporate SVP Human Resources at CIBC, as well as head of HR & Corporate Services in other corporations. Over the years, Phil's contributions to his field have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards, including the 2005 Human Resource Professional Leadership Award; the 2015 Canadian HR Queens University Award for Lifetime Achievement in HR; and the Honorary Life Award from the HRPA in 2018. Phil is heading Talent Management and Development at TerreStar in line with the organization’s vision and culture. His main role is to foster people’s growth and development, a critical element in propelling the Company’s performance and sustainability.

Phil holds a degree in Industrial Relations and a minor in Economics from McGill University, and he recently earned an ICD.D, CHRE Degree in the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Ala joined TerreStar Solutions Inc. in March of 2021 as Accounting Analyst, bringing with her both a curiosity and a passion for numbers and information technologies. Ala’s true commitment for improved business processes, optimized and automated recurring activities, data transformed into insightful financial information is a real asset for the organization. Over the years, Ala has gained strong understanding of and experience in the full cycle of accounting in the telecommunications, distribution, advertising and manufacturing industries.

Born in Moldova, Ala moved to Canada in 2014, where she can now fulfill her love for exploration, trying new things and helping people. Following her studies, she began her career in Finance & Accounting. As an out-of-the-box thinker, she got involved in different areas other than finance like operations, marketing, and customer care where she could develop broader knowledge and successfully tackle rewarding challenges. Ala ran an ad agency for four wonderful years achieving both the agency and the customers’ goals, strengthening customer relationships and diversifying the portfolio.

Ala holds a D.E.S.S. in Management with a major in Accounting & Finance from HEC Montreal, and a B.A. in International Economic Relations from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova. She is fluent in French, English, Russian and Romanian.

After an impressive path that brought him from France to Quebec, Damien joined Terrestar in March 2021 to head the operations pertaining to the Strigo mobile satellite products and services.

Damien began his career in 2008 at Thales Avionics, where he worked on satellite positioning systems and led the development of innovative products. In 2011, he joined the Volvo Group and designed the information and entertainment system for the next generation of Volvo and Renault trucks. Damien continued his career at Alstom Transport, where he was promoted to manager of the Train Control and Monitoring System product line, which is installed on all of the company’s trams and trains. His team made a name for itself through its innovations enhancing the competitiveness of that essential platform in a number of large-scale international projects. After a stint at HEC Montréal in 2017, Damien joined the Bombardier Business Aircraft team as product manager for the Challenger 350/3500, overseeing the many changes to the integrated systems in the world’s best-selling business jet.

Damien has degree in electronics, telecommunications and computer engineering from the CPE Lyon school of engineering (France) with a specialization in systems engineering. He also completed an MBA specializing in strategy and entrepreneurship at HEC Montréal, where he earned a number of distinctions and a scholarship in entrepreneurship.

Enrique joined TerreStar Solutions Inc, in August 2021 as Market Intelligence Manager. He is responsible of collecting and analyzing customer, competitor, and industry information to guide our competitive strategy and drive better strategic thinking and decision making.

Before joining Strigo, Enrique spent almost 10 years in the aerospace industry fulfilling a key function in diverse operational and strategic roles where he led several business transformation initiatives.

In his previous role at Bombardier Business Aircraft, Enrique was responsible for developing and maintaining the strategic product roadmap in addition to act as the principal lead for the Go-to-market efforts for the company’s latest product launch. As part of his professional background, Enrique is particularly interested in advanced data analysis and machine learning models.

Enrique holds a B.Sc. in Mechatronics Engineering, a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Linköping University and MBA from McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management.