Cogeco's strategic direction and ongoing operations are governed by an experienced Board of Directors, mostly made up of independent members who contribute to Cogeco's continued development.
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Louis AudetEng., MBA, C.M., O.Q.Chairman of the Board
Louis AudetEng., MBA, C.M., O.Q.ReduceMr. Audet has been Board Chair of Cogeco and Cogeco Communications Inc. since September 1, 2021, after holding the position of Executive Chair from September 1, 2018 up to August 31, 2021.
Mr. Audet joined Cogeco in 1981 and held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Communications Inc. from 1993 to August 31, 2018. Under his leadership, Cogeco has become a leading Canadian communications company, operating internationally.
Mr. Audet is Chair of the Old Brewery Mission since 2022, a major organization which provides emergency, housing and other services for homeless people in the Montreal area. He is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and of the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations (IGOPP). He previously sat on the Boards of Directors of Cablelabs, Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association, Clarica, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Corporation de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Association canadienne de la radio et de la télévision de langue française. He served as Governor of the Council on Canadian Unity. He chaired the Fondation et Alumni de l’École Polytechnique de Montréal. He also chaired the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Development Fund for 10 years.
Over the years, Mr. Audet has often been recognized by both the business and philanthropic communities for his numerous achievements. Amongst his contributions, he acted as co-Chair of the 2017 campaign for Centraide of Greater Montréal and as Chair of the 2014-2020 fundraising campaign for the Old Brewery Mission Foundation.
Mr. Audet was inducted in the Canadian Business hall of fame in 2024. He was named Member of the Order of Canada in 2013 and Officier de l’Ordre National du Québec in 2022. In 2018, he was chosen by the United Nations Association in Canada as its annual Global Citizens Laureate. That same year, he received two Honorary Doctorates from Université de Montréal and Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières. He has also been inducted into the Club des entrepreneurs du Conseil du patronat du Québec, and was awarded the Order of Merit from the Université de Montréal Alumni Association, as well as the Merit Award from École Polytechnique Alumni Association.
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Émilie AudetMIB, Msc.Director
Émilie AudetMIB, Msc.ReduceMs. Audet has served as an observer on the Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. Boards since 2017. Since joining Cogeco in 2020, she has held various strategic roles, driving key initiatives in Change Management, Marketing, Sales, and Corporate Communications. She is currently the Agile Delivery Lead for a newly established AI-focused unit — a key enabler of Cogeco’s broader strategic shift and ongoing enterprise transformation.
Prior to her tenure at Cogeco, Ms. Audet acquired extensive multi-sector experience across Québec and internationally. Her professional background spans Human Resources, Operations, and Stakeholder Management, including international Project Development based in Belgium.
Active in the non-profit sector, Ms. Audet has served on the Board of the Villa Sainte-Marcelline Foundation since October 2023, where she also holds the position of Chair of the Financial Aid Committee.
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Robin BienenstockM.A., B.A., ICD.DDirector
Robin BienenstockM.A., B.A., ICD.DReduceMs. Bienenstock is an experienced investment professional and corporate director with deep sector expertise in telecom, natural resources, and financial services. Her professional career includes serving as an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company and later as a Senior Research Analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC, Research Division from 2007 until 2014. She was a partner at Marlin Sams Fund LP from 2014 until 2016 and subsequently founded RBMP Capital LLP in London, United Kingdom, where she served as an investment partner from 2017 to 2021.
Currently, Ms. Bienenstock serves on the Board of Cogeco Communications Inc. (a reporting issuer, subsidiary of Cogeco Inc.), a position to which she was reappointed in January 2026. She serves on the Corporate Governance Committee.
Her extensive previous board experience includes serving as the Executive Chair of the boards of two private mining exploration companies from 2022 to 2025. She previously served on the board of Cogeco Communications Inc. from 2020 to 2023, where she was a member of the Audit, Corporate Governance, and Strategic Opportunities Committees. From 2020 to 2021, she was a director for Torex Gold Resources, serving as Chair of the Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. She also served on the board of Pretivm Resources from 2018 to 2021 as Chair of Compensation and a member of the Governance Committee. Her international governance background includes roles as a non-executive director and Audit Committee member for Sunrise Communications Group AG (2016–2020), a Supervisory Board and Audit Committee member of Tele Columbus AG, and a director of Oi S.A., where she chaired the internal audit, risks, and contingencies committee. Additionally, she served as the Independent Member of the Investment Committee of RCF Fund VII, directing a successful activist campaign on their behalf.
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James C. CherryB.Com, FCPALead Director
James C. CherryB.Com, FCPAReduceMr. Cherry is a corporate director. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) from 2001 to 2016. He has over 40 years of experience in general management and more specifically in project and financial management in the international aerospace, defense and rail sectors. Over this period he has worked in senior executive positions with Bombardier Inc., Oerlikon Aerospace Inc., CAE Inc. and ALSTOM Canada.
He is the lead director of Cogeco Communications Inc. (a reporting issuer, subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc.). Mr. Cherry also serves as a director of Nieuport Aviation, the operator of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, as a director of Aerostar Airport Holdings, the operator of the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport of San Juan, Puerto Rico and as a member of the Advisory Board of World Airport Partners, a subsidiary of PSP Investments.
He served on the Board of Logistec Inc. (a reporting issuer with activities in marine and environmental services) for 10 years, until May 2021, where he was Chair of the Board from 2019 to 2021 and previously chaired the Audit Committee. He was also a director and chair of the Human Resources and Governance Committee of Voti Detection Inc. (a reporting issuer with activities in security screening technology) from 2017 to 2022. Mr. Cherry is a director of the McGill University Health Centre and of IAS Quebec. He co-Chaired the 2017 campaign for Centraide of Greater Montreal.
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Samih ElhageMASc, BSSc, BAScDirector
Samih ElhageMASc, BSSc, BAScReduceMr. Elhage currently serves as Chief financial and Operating Officer of Humain, an AI company. He has more than 30 years of senior experience in the telecommunications industry. After several years within Bell Canada, he joined Nortel in 1998 for over 10 years where he held various leadership roles, including Vice President of Corporate Business Operations from June 2007 to July 2008. From 2008 to 2010, he was President of Carrier Voice over IP and Application Solutions. He then worked as Senior Advisor to leading private equity and global management consulting firms from January 2011 to March 2012, including McKinsey, Madison Dearborn Partners and Apollo Global Management. In 2012, he joined Nokia Siemens Networks as COO and member of the Executive Board and then assumed the combined role of CFO and COO and member of the Executive Board in Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia Solutions Networks and Nokia Networks. In his last role with Nokia, Samih was President of Mobile Networks Business Group and member of the Group Leadership Team up to May 2017.
Mr. Elhage was formerly a director of Alcatel-Lucent France (a telecommunications services company). He also served on private boards including Nokia Shanghai Bell (China) and QuickPlay (Canada).
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Michael HanleyB. Com, CPADirector
Michael HanleyB. Com, CPAReduceMr. Hanley has more than 30 years of experience in senior management and finance roles, including as Chief Financial Officer of Alcan, a Canadian mining and metals company, President and CEO of Alcan’s Global Bauxite and Alumina business group, and Senior Vice President, Operations & Strategy of the National Bank of Canada. He brings strong financial and operational experience, deep knowledge of capital-intensive industries, and experience with U.S. and international accounting standards.
Mr. Hanley also has significant experience on public company boards, including in the roles of lead director, chair of the board, and audit committee chair, and has an appreciation for corporate governance matters and the board’s role in financial oversight. He was appointed in January 2026 to the Board of Cogeco Communications Inc. (a reporting issuer, subsidiary of Cogeco Inc.) and chairs the Audit Committee. He also currently serves as a director of LyondellBasell, a global leader in polymers and polyolefin technologies. He previously served as chair of the board of EQB Inc., and as lead director and audit committee chair of Nuvei Corporation and BRP Inc.
Mr. Hanley is a member of the Quebec Order of Chartered Professional Accountants. He received his bachelor of business administration from HEC Montreal.
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Bernard LordLL.B., B. Soc.ScDirector
Bernard LordLL.B., B. Soc.ScReduceSince 2016, Mr. Lord is the Chief Executive Officer of Medavie, a Canadian health company that oversees Medavie Blue Cross and Medavie Health Services. From 2008 to 2016, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association which is the wireless industry's main trade organisation. From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Lord held different elected positions, including Premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. He has also practiced law and continues to be a member of the New Brunswick Law Society and the Canadian Bar Association.
He served on the Board of Cogeco Communications Inc. (a reporting issuer, subsidiary of Cogeco Inc.) from 2020 to 2025, where he chaired the Corporate Governance Committee and was a member of the Strategic Opportunities Committee until its dissolution in 2024.
He is Chair of the International Federation of Health Plans and a member of the Board of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans. He was formerly Chair of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association and of the Board of Ontario Power Generation, as well as director and advisor for several other corporations.
In 2000, Mr. Lord was named Grand Officier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade (La Francophonie). In 2007, he was awarded the Order of New Brunswick and in 2011, he was appointed Queen's counsel.
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Frédéric PerronBCom, MscDirector
Frédéric PerronBCom, MscReduceMr. Perron has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications Inc. since March 11, 2024.
Mr. Perron was President of Cogeco Connexion from 2020 to 2024. During his tenure, he successfully repositioned Cogeco’s Canadian broadband business by building a high-performing team, step-changing execution, accelerating customer growth, completing three important acquisitions, scaling a digital flanker brand, and expanding Cogeco’s high speed network.
Prior to joining Cogeco, Mr. Perron led T-Mobile’s consumer business in Poland, held executive roles at Vodafone in the UK and Czech Republic, and ran customer base management at Rogers Communications Inc. He has a proven track record as a change agent with broad experience in broadband, wireless and the credit card industry across five countries leading marketing, sales, customer service, operations, digital, product, network, IT, and legal.