VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) and AECOM have made new appointments to their respective leadership teams.

VIA Rail appoints Mathieu Paquette as president and CEO

Paquette joined VIA Rail in 2023 as chief human resources officer, with responsibilities subsequently expanding to include communications, government relations and health and safety.

“I am grateful for the confidence placed in me to continue leading VIA Rail,” Paquette said. “Our ambition is to be the best passenger rail operator we can be and give more Canadians a reason to choose the train. Together with our teams, we will focus on maintaining our passengers’ trust, one trip at a time, while building the VIA Rail of tomorrow.”

Paquette’s priorities include strengthening operational performance, delivering more reliable and predictable service, growing ridership and improving financial performance through the responsible use of resources.

“Mathieu has demonstrated the leadership, strategic judgement and knowledge of our operations needed to guide VIA Rail through this next chapter,” said VIA Rail Board Chairperson Jonathan Goldbloom. “The board has full confidence in him and his leadership team. His five-year mandate provides the stability to build on our progress and make the most of the opportunities ahead.”

The agency has recently advanced the renewal of its pan-Canadian fleet, the development of new maintenance facilities and its Dorval multimodal station project.

AECOM appoints Dwight Pullen as transportation global business line chief executive

Pullen will lead AECOM’s global transportation business. He assumes the role as AECOM pursues a growing pipeline of transportation projects globally, with particularly strong growth prospects in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

“Dwight is a proven leader who understands what it takes to bring together our people, technical expertise and global capabilities around our clients’ most complex challenges,” said AECOM President Lara Poloni. “He brings an innovative mindset and a strong focus on how we can continue evolving the way we work and deliver. I am confident that under his leadership, we will build on our strong foundation and create even greater value for our clients.”

Pullen brings more than 30 years of transportation industry experience spanning major infrastructure program delivery and global business leadership. He joined AECOM in 2022 to lead its aviation business and subsequently expanded his responsibilities to include surface transportation. Prior to joining AECOM, he held senior leadership roles across the infrastructure industry and led the delivery of major transportation programs around the world.

Pullen succeeds Russell Jackson, who served as interim chief executive of the transportation global business line and will continue as AECOM’s global rail and transit director.