Accelerate, Canada’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) supply chain alliance, has announced the appointment of Matthew Fortier as president and CEO. As the transition to ZEVs accelerates due to global efforts to reach net-zero, Fortier will use his experience building meaningful and progressive relationships with Canadian industry and government to bolster Canada’s ZEV supply chain.
“The global shift towards ZEVs offers an unprecedented economic opportunity for Canada to capitalize on our rich resources, talent and infrastructure to become a global ZEV leader, and to grow our domestic auto industry so that good jobs in the sector will exist in 10, 20, and 50 years from now,” said Fortier. “Canada has all the pieces of the puzzle to win the global ZEV race, and I look forward to putting my experience to work for Accelerate’s members and supporting the accelerated build-out of Canada’s ZEV supply chain.”
Moe Kabbara, former acting executive director of Accelerate stated: “Steering Canada’s ZEV supply chain towards success requires the right mix of business, government relations, public affairs and policy advocacy experience. With Matthew’s extensive experience and excellent relationships with government and business stakeholders alike, we are thrilled to have him at the wheel to advocate for our members’ shared vision of creating a strong Canadian ZEV supply chain and setting Canada’s auto industry up to win in a net-zero world.”
Matthew Fortier, new president and CEO of Accelerate.
A public policy leader and executive with over 20 years of experience, Fortier was previously vice president at the Institute of Corporate Directors, where he worked closely with many of Canada’s most senior business leaders to create approaches to climate change oversight, the future of work, and Canadian innovation and global competitiveness. There, he built coalitions to shape federal legislation and regulation and developed partnerships and programming with the Government of Canada, provincial premiers’ offices, the UN Global Compact, the World Economic Forum, TMX Group, and several private sector companies.
Previously, Fortier held senior corporate and public affairs roles at Re:Sound, where he shaped successful approaches to Canadian and North American IP ownership and trade, at TD Bank, where he helped advance Canada’s banking agenda by creating the Conservative Party Financial Services Caucus and at the Business Council of Canada.
For more information and a full list of Accelerate members, visit acceleratezev.ca.
