Jean-René Halde joined BDC as President and CEO in 2005 and was reappointed in 2010 for a term of 5 years.

Mr. Halde had more than 30 years of management and entrepreneurial experience before joining BDC. He held CEO positions at leading companies, including Metro-Richelieu Inc., Culinar Inc. and Livingston Group Inc.

He presently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Conference Board of Canada, Director of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation and Director of the Quebec Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Halde served as a director in a number of for-profit companies including CCL Industries Inc., Gaz Metropolitain Inc., Groupe Vidéotron Ltée and Provigo Inc.; he also served on numerous non-profit organizations and acted as Chairman of the Montreal Heart Institute, the Grocery Products Manufacturers of Canada, and the Association des MBA du Québec.

Mr. Halde holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also holds the Corporate Director (ICD.D) designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.