INGOT - Key Persons
Alain Guilbert has been with Rio Tinto for 30 years and has dedicated his career to Vaudreuil Works as a process engineer. He has worked in all areas of the plant and is currently Manager, Technical Services for the Vaudreuil Refinery and its chemical plants. His knowledge and experience are invaluable and make him a mentor to his teammates. After all these years of service, Mr. Guilbert continues to distinguish himself in his work by participating in the continuous improvement of the process. He jokes that, "The Vaudreuil Works process runs through my veins."
When people ask Ariane Aubin what she does for a living, they're often surprised by the answer. She's a conductor for the Roberval-Saguenay railway, a rather unusual occupation.
Originally from La Baie, Aubin had just completed her studies in communications at the University of Ottawa when she applied to Rio Tinto in summer 2022. It was suggested that she apply for a job as a conductor, an occupation that she knew nothing about. Seeing the opportunity as an additional experience to add to her career path, she went through the interview process open to all possibilities.
"I didn't really know what the job entailed, but I told myself that, if I liked it, so much the better, and if I didn't, as least I'd tried."
Shortly after getting the job as a conductor, she discovered that the occupation was a good fit for her on several levels. Previously a university hockey player, she quickly came across values among her peers that she espoused, such as mutual support and collaboration.
Ariane Aubin was a university hockey player. In her current job, she comes across some of the values she has always espoused, such as mutual support and collaboration.
Job Titles:
- Water Management Consultant, Operational Excellence & Integrated Operations
Denis, like his son Mathieu, also followed in his father's footsteps by first working as an operator at the Port Alfred plant. A significant event occurred in 1992 when he suffered an accident at work. This event sharpened Denis' awareness of his work environment and his growing interest in health and safety. In addition to being involved in various departmental committees at the plant, he obtained a health and safety certificate. In December 2000, he became a potline operator at Alma Works. Still involved in various committees, Denis, in collaboration with colleagues, set up a mutual watchkeeping program. This program was well received by management, and Denis was offered a position as a health and safety technician. Having already worked directly on the floor, he knew the operations and functioning of the equipment. His work as an operator had taught him how to analyse, understand, and detect risk factors. After 17 years at Alma Works, he now works for the P155 group at Grande-Baie Works, where he continues to promote and implement a safety-oriented corporate culture.
Job Titles:
- Business Partner for Rio Tinto
Évelyne Bouchard, Gérard Dufour and Johann Ellefsen worked for Rio Tinto and formerly Alcan for over 35 years each. In 2015, they founded the 3S&E Network, which now comprises 32 members, who devote their expertise, skills and time to helping national and international organisations better integrate and manage HSE dimensions within their operations.
The three founders had rewarding careers at Rio Tinto during which they crossed paths at various points. "Our employer invested a lot in developing people's skills," said Gérard Dufour, President of the 3S&E Network, and Évelyne Bouchard, Director of Communications & Media of the 3S&E Network. "Through our assignments, we had many opportunities to gain experience and knowledge. We now wish to share what we've learned."
Johann Ellefsen and Évelyne Bouchard met at the Isle Maligne plant in the early 1980s. Ms. Bouchard started out in human resources and had the opportunity to work in various capacities at different facilities and on multiple projects. Toward the end of her career, she transitioned to a leadership development position at head office.
Mr. Ellefsen, for his part, started his career in public affairs before joining the Isle Maligne plant, where he developed an interest for the environment and eventually took on the role of Health, Safety and Environment Auditor. His work brought him to foreign countries such as South Africa.
Gérard Dufour worked in operations in Shawinigan and at Arvida Works, the Isle Maligne plant, Vaudreuil Works and Laterrière Works before taking up a position in safety (AS&C). He moved up the ranks to eventually become Vice President, Health Safety and Environment at Rio Tinto. Toward the end of his career, he established a program with Ms. Bouchard that helped Rio Tinto plant managers worldwide develop their health and safety leadership skills.
Job Titles:
- Chef De Service À L'Électrolyse À L'Usine AP40 ( Alma )
- Manager of Smelting Operations at the AP40
With a background in mechanical engineering, Karyne Fortier developed a real penchant for the industrial sector, which she was first exposed to during an internship at Rio Tinto in the early 2000s. As a native of Les Bergeronnes and having completed her studies in Quebec City, she wanted to settle in the region at the time to pursue her career. Today, she is tremendously grateful for the professional opportunities that enriched her career path.
"I consider myself very fortunate. I enjoyed every job I had. Every time I asked for a new challenge, I felt supported and listened to. An organisation like Rio Tinto is a wonderful environment in which to grow," says Fortier.
Since June 2020, Fortier has been the manager of smelting operations at the AP40 plant in Alma, where she arrived seven years ago. Having previously occupied various positions in different areas of Vaudreuil Works, including maintenance engineer, maintenance coordinator, black belt and superintendent, she never imagined working at a smelter and enjoying it so much.
After graduating from university, Fortier had in mind to work as a project manager or in consulting engineering, mainly because that's what she was taught. Her first experience working in a plant was quite eye opening and paved the way for her next career steps. "I spent a few months in maintenance, where I got hooked on working in a plant and operational dynamics [. . .]. Things really move! No two days are alike. Everyone has their role to play at different levels, with their talents and strengths, but works toward a common goal. We're like a small community."
Fortier's day-to-day is stimulating. Working for a company as prolific as Rio Tinto allows her to continuously cultivate her interest in her career, and in the industry. There's no shortage of challenges across the facilities.
"I work with a lot of people in all trades who have different skills and personalities. Being in contact and collaborating with them exposes me to a wide diversity, whether in terms of the tasks you have to learn when you're starting in a new area or from a human standpoint," she says.
Since the very beginning, Fortier has worked with mostly male co-workers, but she says that it has never been a problem. "Although that difference exists and was already present when I was completing my bachelor's degree, I have never felt any pressure as a minority, even though I was clearly outnumbered. I never found it difficult working mainly with men. I interact with everyone the same way, and I never felt that my skills were being called into question because I'm a woman," she says.
Job Titles:
- Electrical Engineer
- Engineer, Autonomous Systems, Industry 4.0 Team
Marc-Antoine is an electrical engineer and has been working as part of the Integrated Productivity programme's Industry 4.0 team since 2019. Marc-Antoine is curious by nature, and while he has always been passionate about new technologies, he does not shy away from putting on his work boots to get his hands dirty in the field and contribute to the success of the various projects in which he is involved. Marc-Antoine finds his motivation through forward-looking projects aimed at optimising operations.
Mathieu Janelle, who both work as health, safety and environment (HSE) advisors for the P155 group, are bonded by their family ties and by a shared commitment to human relations and helping others. For as long as Mathieu can remember, his father has always been a prudent, well-prepared man. The image that comes to Mathieu's mind is that of his father wearing safety equipment while mowing the lawn. Today, their close relationship leads them to discuss their practices and help each other, as their experiences and the cases they deal with are similar. Conversations around the family dinner table are often fuelled by the passion that drives them in their work, which is a true calling passed on from father to son.
With a bachelor's degree in human resources and a certificate in health and safety, Mathieu has always been drawn to the human side of things. He considers his role as an HSE advisor to be the perfect blend of management work and floor work, with a focus on human relations. It was Agence SST that gave him his first job opportunity. He carried out contracts for the various plants of the Rio Tinto group, then made the big leap in 2019 by officially becoming a full-fledged Rio Tinto employee. Whether by coincidence or by fate, he filled his father's position after his father was transferred to Grande-Baie Works. Although he is Denis' son, Mathieu has developed his own management style and does not work in his father's shadow; rather, he is carrying forward the work that his father started, building on what has already been done to continue to perfect his own work.
Olivier first became interested in health and safety when his father gave him a tour of the casthouse at Alma Works. Although at the time he was considering a career in wildlife, the visit to the plant sparked his interest in working in the industrial sector. He then decided to follow in his father's footsteps and, in 2013, completed the same program.
Olivier was a consultant for two years before joining the ranks of Rio Tinto in 2018. He is now a part of the Vaudreuil Works staff, and he has also had the chance to carry out a few mandates at Alma Works and to work alongside his father.
It is not uncommon for Olivier and Éric to consult each other regularly and share thoughts, advice, or information about their practice. Family dinners inevitably include conversations about health and safety, but both men agree that this topic is only discussed over appetizers and that the rest of dinner is about family, since they are, after all, family first and foremost.
Stéphane Gagnon puts his heart and soul into all the projects that he leads. What drives him most in his role as Coordinator of the Bauxite Residue Disposal Site (SDRB)? Being part of the action and taking on daily challenges! Mr. Gagnon's expertise in the field of civil engineering has greatly contributed to the technological progress of the unit which has ensured the long-term viability of Vaudreuil Works. Mr. Gagnon is passionate, brings people together, and for 21 years already, has been sharing with his teams a work ethic of which he can be proud.
Thomas-Louis Morel (left) and his son, Clément Morel (right), are the second and third generation of Morels to have worked for Alcan. At the time, they lived in a small house right on the site of spillways five and seven of the Petite Décharge River, at the mouth of Lac Saint-Jean.
Seeing the Isle-Maligne Power Station and its large-scale facilities in Alma today, it is hard to imagine all the history and changes that have taken place since it was built in 1926. The history of Power Operations is closely linked to that of the Morel family, since three generations have lived in a small house, provided at the time by the company. This house was right on the site of spillways five and seven of the Petite Décharge River, at the mouth of Lac Saint-Jean.
In 1925, Jean-Baptiste Morel, then an employee of the Quebec Development Company, built the house in the middle of the woods to live in with his family. His son, Thomas-Louis Morel, and his grandson, Clément Morel, would both later work for Alcan and live in that house too. Jean-Baptiste was the site caretaker at the time, but because he spoke English very well, he was also foreman of the major construction site of spillways five and seven, as well as dam six. Thomas-Louis would later succeed him and become operator of the spillways. He would also take charge of the small house and the entire site, which he transformed into a charming location that was much appreciated by the company's senior leaders.
In this house, we had amenities that the other people living on the range did not have, so in a way we were living ahead of our time," said Clément Morel, who is now 82 years old. "Because of the dam, we had electricity as well as running water, and we also had a telephone line that was connected directly to the power station. But the road between the house and the range was not maintained in winter, so when we were getting around as a family, we had to travel on horseback. When I was by myself, like in the morning when I had to go to the little schoolhouse, my dog would pull me on the sled all the way there."
Clément remembers that as a child, he would sometimes open the gate to the private site and house for company leaders who came to spend their summer holidays in a cottage a few kilometres away. He said, "My father would drive them back and then pick them up with a rowboat. I would sometimes go with them and even received a tip once in a while."
He noted, "The territory was unoccupied, and no one was allowed to come on this land. It was about two kilometres from the house to dam seven. This was a huge natural playground, and I have fond memories of summers spent hunting and fishing. In those days, when the company did major construction work, workers used steam excavators called steam shovels." With a laugh, he added, "Later, when diesel excavators replaced them, we would call them steam diesel shovels."
In his early twenties, Éric found out about a program in sanitation technology and industrial safety at the Cégep de Jonquière. He was drawn to the human aspect of this program and its focus on support and assistance as a way to contribute to the elimination of health and safety risks for workers. Éric is very much a people person, which made him an ideal candidate for health and safety. While working for external HSE firms, he began consulting for several organisations, including Rio Tinto. He ultimately joined the team at the AP40 plant when it was just starting up.
Éric continues to be part of the plant's HSE advisory team and has worked at all levels of the company to help establish a sustainable HSE culture. Needless to say, this is a source of great pride.
Éric sees a 2.0 version of himself in his son Olivier, who today is following the same career path. Éric hopes that Olivier can find fulfilment through his work, as Éric has been able to do for over 30 years now.