The Honourable Michael M. Fortier, P.C.

Lead Director

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Since October 2010, Mr. Fortier is Vice Chairman, RBC Capital Markets. Prior to joining the Royal Bank of Canada, he had been active principally in the fields of banking, politics and law.

Over the past 35 years, Mr. Fortier has worked as a senior relationship banker for several Wall Street (Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse) and Canadian (TD Securities) investment banking firms and worked in Canada and the UK for one of the leading Canadian law firms (Norton Rose).

Between 2006 and 2008, Mr. Fortier served as Canada's Minister of Public Works and Minister of International Trade. Throughout this period, he also acted as the Minister responsible for Greater Montreal. Mr. Fortier also chaired Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party leadership campaign in 2004 and the Party's 2004 and 2006 federal election campaigns.

Mr. Fortier sits on the board of Pomerleau. He also served from 2012 to 2015 as a member of United Technologies’ International Advisory Council and from 2010 to 2023 on the board of CAE. He is active with many philanthropic organizations, having served as Chairman of Ste Justine Hospital’s Foundation between 2012 and 2018 and Co-Chaired Centraide of Greater Montreal’s 2020 campaign. He has also accepted numerous pro bono assignments from governments, notably negotiating the return of Formula One racing to Canada.

Mr. Fortier has six children and lives in Montreal with his wife Michelle Setlakwe (a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec representing the riding of Mount Royal-Outremont).