STM taps veteran manager as new CEO as transit agency looks to 'reinvent itself'

Marie-Claude Leonard with Eric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM Board of Directors. Leonard was appointed as the STM's new chief executive officer on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Source: STM)

Montreal's transit agency announced Friday that its new CEO is Marie-Claude Léonard, a 30-year veteran employee who started working there as an STM cashier when she was a student.

Léonard was chosen as the STM's top executive after a months-long selection process and has signed on for a five-year term.

Éric Alan Caldwell, Chair of the STM Board of Directors and of the Selection Committee, said in a statement that she was the best person for the job after reviewing candidates inside and outside the STM.

"A standout for her acute understanding of customer needs and operational realities, Ms. Léonard also demonstrated an ability to take a fresh look at things and make the necessary decisions to achieve our objectives," Caldwell said.

"Amid the pandemic and various financial issues, the STM now needs to reinvent itself. Our new CEO’s leadership, nerve and ability to rally our organization’s greatest strengths will allow us to transform our processes and continue providing Montrealers with access to an efficient, appealing, high-performance public transit network for years to come."

Léonard holds a bachelor's degree in medical biology and a graduate diploma in management from HEC Montreal. She was named interim CEO in September 2021 and has 20 years' experience as a manager at the agency.

She said in a statement that she was "honoured" by the appointment. "I aim to bring out the full potential of our employees, who will help bring our organization into the future and make it even more efficient, so that we can meet the expectations of our customers and of future generations as a leader in sustainable mobility and in the fight against climate change," Léonard said.

A news release from the STM said she is also a member of the executive committee and serves on the policy board of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).

Her appointment comes on the heels of an annual report released last spring that showed that the STM struggled to regain commuters over the last year due to the pandemic.

With fewer riders taking public transit, comments and complaints received by the STM were also down by 6 per cent, for a total of 27,000.

The 2021 annual report also showed that the satisfaction rate went up by 5 per cent to 75 per cent and the reliability of the bus fleet was up, with fewer buses out of service for maintenance.