Geneviève Biron named head of Santé Québec

Genevieve Biron, head of Sante Quebec speaks after she was appointed, as Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube looks on, Monday, April 29, 2024 in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

The former president and CEO of Biron Groupe Santé, Geneviève Biron, , has been named head of the government corporation Santé Québec.

Health and Social Services Minister Christian Dubé made the announcement on Monday afternoon in Quebec City.

Biron, who no longer holds an interest in her family business, was appointed for a three-year term.

"I come today with a different perspective on our healthcare system, and I want to contribute to an innovative approach and vision," she said. "My focus is on access (...) This motivation is part of a larger objective, which is to increase Quebecers' confidence in the health-care system."

Genevieve Biron, head of Sante Quebec, attends an announcement, Monday, April 29, 2024 in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

Dubé also announced the appointment of Frédéric Abergel as executive vice-president, operations and transformation.

Abergel was president and CEO of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) since 2023.

"If we want to achieve different results, we have to think and act differently. Ms. Biron and Mr. Abergel are the complementary management duo that Quebecers need," the minister said.

The Santé Québec agency was set up under Bill 15 - passed under a gag order last December - by the Quebec legislature.

The Santé Québec head will be the orchestra conductor for the entire health-care network, and her main mandate will be to coordinate and evaluate the new agency's delivery of health and social services.

Biron will also be responsible for ensuring the availability of Santé Québec's human, material, financial and information resources.

The head of the new Crown corporation will earn $652,050 a year for the first two years of her mandate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 29, 2023.