April Speaker's Evening

An Overview of the Davie Shipbuilding Strategic Journey

Our guest speaker for April is Mr. James Davies, President and CEO of Chantier Davie Shipbuilding.  

His primary focus will be the Davie Strategic Journey: Generation 2040. This outlines Davie’s long-term vision as it looks forward to a period of sustained success under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).  Mr. Davies will provide a review of current projects in the shipyard, and showcase the National Icebreaker Centre. He will also examine the potential for Canada to create a vibrant and internationally competitive maritime cluster. 

Mr. Davies will be joined by RAdm (Ret’d) Gilles Couturier, CEO of Federal Fleet Services.

James Davies

Before becoming President and CEO in 2019, James Davies was President and CFO for eight years. He is also a founding partner and President of Davie owners, the Inocea Group. Since 2012, James has overseen a transformation of Davie and its financial health while delivering a roster of mission-critical ships. Before Davie, James was CEO of Cambridge Capital Marine, a maritime-focused investment advisor. He was Finance Director of AKN Group responsible for new investments and the management of AKN’s existing portfolio. James is a qualified accountant and holds a Bachelor in Accounting and Finance.

Gilles Couturier

In May 2018, Rear Admiral Gilles Couturier retired as Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) after 35 years of service with extraordinary Canadians.  He is now the Chief Executive Officer of Federal Fleet Services Inc.

Although the idea of entering the world of real estate had crossed his mind after having moved 14 times in his career, Gilles served as Chief Operating Officer at Levio from 2018 to 2020, a Quebec-based business and technology consulting firm before joining Federal Fleet Services Inc.