François Couillard is the CEO of the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Co-Chair of HEAL, (Organizations for Health Action). His career encompasses 30 years of developing and executing strategies in healthcare organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, MDS Nordion, The Canadian Red Cross, VON Canada (a home care provider) and the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Thechnologists (CAMRT). He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), and holds a MBA in Marketing and International Business from McGill University. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Chemical Engineering) from the Université de Sherbrooke.

François enjoys working with communities of interest on high stakes issues. He has served on numerous advisory councils and boards, including Canada’s Advisory Council on National Security. If you are looking for him outside working hours he can usually be found riding his bike or cross-country skiing in the hills outside Ottawa.