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Bernard Piccard, right, will talk about the genesis and joint creation of the solar plane Solar Impulse II, his passion for aerospace, the potential of renewable energy and his appetite for adventure. Solar Impulse Photo
As part of Montréal Civil Aviation Week, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is welcoming celebrated Swiss pilot and explorer Bertrand Piccard, who on July 25 completed a 40,000 kilometre trip around the world in a solar plane, without using a single drop of fuel.
He was already known as the first man to have made a non-stop, round-the-world trip in a balloon, a journey he made in 1999.
At the Bell International Leaders event on Oct. 3, 2016, at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau’s Salle Pierre-Mercure, Piccard will talk about the genesis and joint creation of the solar plane Solar Impulse II, his passion for aerospace, the potential of renewable energy and his appetite for adventure.
A high-flying leader
“Bertrand Piccard’s life has been anything but ordinary, and his leadership is an example for decision makers,” said Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
“His achievement of making the 16-month trip around the world in his solar plane, after 13 years of preparation, is a model of innovation and determination.”
“Mr. Piccard was one of the first to see ecology from the point of view of profitability, and with Solar Impulse II, he showed that sustainable development can be an opportunity for both business and innovation to fight climate change. His achievements make him a leading figure in the field of aerospace and an important influence for all those who are building the world of tomorrow.”
The first Montréal Civil Aviation Week
“Hosting a speaker of Bertrand Piccard’s calibre is a great way to mark the first edition of Montréal Civil Aviation Week,” said Leblanc. “The aerospace industry provides tens of thousands of high-quality jobs in the metropolitan area, and it also creates wealth and contributes to the development of a knowledge—and innovation-based economy. The presence of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and world leaders such as Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney make Montréal a leading light on the international scene as a high-tech city in the field of aviation.”
This Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal event is organized with the support of Bell, in partnership with evenko and the cooperation of CJAD 800, the government of Québec, La Presse+, the Montreal Gazette and the Ville de Montréal.
The Bell International Leaders series receives inspiring, internationally recognized figures from different spheres who have changed our world. Piccard is the latest in a series of speakers that included Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who spoke in January 2014.
The famous scientist and author David Suzuki, Secretary of State and American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, French president Nicolas Sarkozy and television host Larry King are a few of the other luminaries who have spoken as part of this series in recent years.
