Geneviève Biron named to head Santé Québec

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The head of Santé Québec will be Geneviève Biron, who led private provider Biron Health Group from 2014 to 2021, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced Monday afternoon.

Dubé took to social media in the morning to tease the news of Biron’s nomination — later made official at a press conference in Quebec City — with a not-so-cryptic reference labelling the successful candidate as the “top gun” in management.

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Dubé also announced that Frédéric Abergel, head of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, will serve as executive vice-president of operations and transformation for the agency.

“A complementary duo with an external person but also an internal person,” Dubé said at an afternoon press conference in reference to both nominations.

Biron’s LinkedIn page lists her as the founder and current president of Propulia Capital, an “international investment platform,” according to its website. She has also been a member of Hydro-Québec’s board of directors since 2021.

“She’s a Quebec entrepreneur whose family founded one of our most beautiful Quebec jewels, who decided to throw herself into this big challenge with the main motivation of improving access to health and social services to the population,” Dubé said.

Dubé described Abergel as “an experienced manager who knows well the ramifications of the public health network but also … social services.”

“He will be dedicated to a better management of operations and to accelerate … the digital transformation,” Dubé said.

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Biron’s nomination as president marks the official launch of Santé Québec, which was established following the adoption of Bill 15 by the National Assembly in December 2023 as an overhaul of the health network. The agency will be responsible for co-ordinating network operations.

Biron will receive a base annual salary of $567,000 that will be bumped by 15 per cent (up to $652,050) for the first two years of her mandate. Biron will also enjoy a $610 monthly car allowance “in lieu of any reimbursement of any travel expenses incurred within a 16 km radius from their usual place of work.”

The new CEO will be entitled to a monthly allowance of $1,573 if “the distance between (their) place of work and their home requires they incur housing costs.”

The new agency chief will also be allowed to claim expenses of up to $4,830 a year and will enjoy six weeks of vacation.

News of the salary drew the ire of unions, who in January described it as excessive.

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