MILA – Institut québécois d’intelligence artificielle appoints Valérie Pisano President & CEO

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By Ted Liu

MILA – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute has named Valérie Pisano as its President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Pisano, Chief Talent Officer at the Cirque du Soleil since 2016, will officially assume her duty on May 21, 2018.

Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the Université de Montréal, MILA (the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms) is the result of a partnership between the Université de Montréal and McGill University, in close collaboration with École Polytechnique de Montréal and HEC Montréal.

News Release

MILA – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute Announces the Appointment of its New President and Chief Executive Officer

MONTREAL, May 3, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ – Pierre Boivin, Chairman of the Board, and Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director of MILA – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, are pleased to announce the appointment of Valérie Pisano as President and Chief Executive Officer. This appointment is integral to the strategy of ensuring the sustainability of the academic research powerhouse and the development of Quebec’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.

Valérie holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from HEC Montréal and boasts 15 years of experience in strategy, leadership, talent management and corporate culture. As Chief Talent Officer at the Cirque du Soleil since 2016, she was responsible for the experience and engagement of the global organization’s 3,500 employees and artists.

Committed to ensuring greater inclusion and diversity in the workplace, Valérie co-founded the Mobius Bias Project in 2014 to fuel discussions regarding the leadership of women in businesses. Previously a consultant at McKinsey & Company, Valérie has a true passion for unlocking the full range of human potential to make the world a better place.

“The MILA must drive the rise of artificial intelligence and economic development in Quebec. MILA’s mission extends beyond its academic functions. It will also encompass training, research, technology transfer and social dialogue,” says Pierre Boivin, Chairman of the Board of MILA. “We are confident that Valérie will help the Institute fulfill its aspirations, in close collaboration with MILA’s researchers, students, employees and board members as well as all its partners in the Quebec artificial intelligence ecosystem.”

Yoshua Bengio, MILA’s Scientific Director also stressed that “Her experience and leadership will help MILA grow and become stronger, both as a leading research organization and a catalyst for the industry’s development overall.”

Valérie Pisano will officially take up her functions on Monday, May 21, 2018.

About MILA
Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the Université de Montréal, MILA rallies researchers specializing in the field of deep learning. Recognized globally for its significant contributions to the field of deep learning, MILA has distinguished itself in the areas of language modelling, machine translation, object recognition and generative models. Since 2017, MILA is the result of a partnership between the Université de Montréal and McGill University, in close collaboration with École Polytechnique de Montréal and HEC Montréal.

SOURCE MILA – Institut québécois d’intelligence artificielle

For further information: Daniel Granger, daniel.granger@acjcommunication.com, O. 514-840-7990, M. 514-232-1556