MONTREAL, April 6, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – Lion Electric (Lion), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, announced today that François Duquette has been named Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, effective April 12, 2021. In this newly created role, Mr. Duquette will oversee all aspects of legal and regulatory affairs, as well as provide strategic counsel to the senior management team and board of directors. He will report to Marc Bédard, Founder and CEO.
“It is my pleasure to welcome François to our executive management team,” said Marc Bédard. “With over 20 years of international business experience, François’ expertise will be important in providing ongoing strategic advice and legal counsel to our team, as we are about to start a new chapter of our history as a public company. I look forward to his valuable contribution and insight as we continue to execute our plan of long-term, sustainable growth,” said Marc Bédard.
Mr. Duquette was most recently Managing Director, Global Private Equity at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”), which he joined in 2015 as Vice-President, Legal Affairs, Investment. In his recent role, he co-led CDPQ’s private equity direct investment strategy outside of Quebec, primarily in Europe and Asia Pacific. Mr. Duquette also co-chaired CDPQ’s International Private Equity and Technology Investment Committees. Before joining CDPQ, he was a Partner at Allen & Overy LLP, an international law firm, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions. During his years with the firm, he worked in their Toronto, Abu Dhabi and Casablanca offices. Prior to Allen & Overy, Mr Duquette practiced in Paris and Abu Dhabi with international law firm Simmons & Simmons LLP.
Mr. Duquette holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and a Juris Doctor (JD) from McGill University. He is a member of the Barreau du Québec and a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.
About Lion Electric
Lion Electric is an innovative manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles. The company creates, designs and manufactures all-electric class 5 to class 8 commercial urban trucks and all-electric buses and minibuses for the school, paratransit and mass transit segments. Lion is a North American leader in electric transportation and designs, builds and assembles all its vehicles’ components, including chassis, battery packs, truck cabins and bus bodies.
Always actively seeking new and reliable technologies, Lion vehicles have unique features that are specifically adapted to its users and their everyday needs. Lion believes that transitioning to all-electric vehicles will lead to major improvements in our society, environment and overall quality of life.
Transaction with Northern Genesis
On November 30, 2020, Lion announced that it had entered into a business combination agreement and plan of reorganization pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lion will merge with Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: NGA), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company focused on a commitment to sustainability and strong alignment with environmental, social and governance principles. Upon completion of the transaction, Lion is expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the new ticker symbol “LEV”.
Lion Electric, The Bright Move