After a nearly two-decade run in which she helped build Calian Group into one of the capital’s largest public companies, Jacqueline Gauthier will step down as the Kanata firm’s chief financial officer in the new year.
Calian (TSX:CGY) announced the move Tuesday morning. Gauthier, who started at the company in 2000 and has spent more than half her professional career with the Kanata firm, will retire as CFO effective March 1.
In a statement, the longtime exec said she has “mixed feelings” about her decision to vacate the post she’s held for 18 years.
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“I now want to turn my attention to other areas of interest and have more time to give back to the community in areas I am passionate about,” Gauthier said. “I’ve worked under three different CEOs and have navigated through various stages in the evolution of Calian into a very successful diversified company and I’m proud of the legacy I’m leaving behind.”
The Université du Québec en Gatineau alumna isn’t walking away from Calian’s new office on Palladium Drive completely, however. She will remain with the firm on a part-time basis as senior vice-president of corporate development, assisting CEO Kevin Ford and his team with mergers and acquisitions and other special projects.
Ford praised Gauthier for her “significant contribution” to the growth of Calian, which has recorded a string of 68 consecutive profitable quarters dating back more than 15 years.
“I have enjoyed working with Jacqueline and I am pleased that I will be able to continue to work with her in her new role focused on further enabling Calian to stay on course with its growth objectives,” he said in a statement.
Calian also announced Patrick Houston will join the firm in January and move into the CFO’s chair upon Gauthier’s retirement.
The University of Ottawa graduate started his career at Deloitte in 2003 before serving as a senior finance executive at various local tech firms, including DragonWave, CanvasPop and most recently Corsa Technology, which he joined as chief financial officer earlier this year.
“With (Patrick’s) extensive experience and a good transition period in place, I am confident that Calian will not miss a beat and continue driving growth throughout the organization,” Ford said.
Last month, Calian said it posted record revenues of $305 million for fiscal 2018. The company has made three major acquisitions in the past 12 months and recently announced it has extended a contract to deliver training services to the Department of National Defence that could be worth up to $170 million over the next decade.
