Mario Péloquin has been selected to be the chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) as the authority pursues a transformation to modernize all aspects of business and operations.
Péloquin is a senior executive with more than 30 years of expertise in the transportation and rail industry. He brings with him a range of experience in senior leadership roles as a transit regulatory manager, building and operating a new light-rail system and managing the transportation business line for premier global companies.
“I’m eager to hit the ground running as part of the team that will fundamentally transform the MTA to improve service for more than eight million daily customers,” Péloquin said. “The chance to work for the largest transportation system in North America at such an important time is an incredible opportunity.”
As COO, he will be responsible for day-to-day coordination of operations and leading a team of agency presidents to continue to deliver gains in performance and maintain a focus on safety, reliability and customer experience. He will also work closely with the MTA senior leadership team and agency presidents to ensure that operating agencies have the resources they need and will provide management and focus to further build a performance management culture.
“Mario has the talent and expertise to continue to drive forward the operational gains we have achieved and help bring the MTA into a new era of customer service at this this critical time in the agency’s history,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye. “Mario’s experience in transportation management, operations, transformation and development make him uniquely qualified for this role and we are excited for him to join the MTA.”
Péloquin most recently served as a senior vice president at SNC-Lavalin. At SNC-Lavalin, Péloquin led business development for the infrastructure construction division, where he optimized business processes to drive growth strategies for rail and transit as well as created the company’s first General Infrastructure Group.
Prior to that, Péloquin served as the president and CEO at Thales Transport & Security Inc., where he oversaw all aspects of the company’s transportation business line, including business development, design and project delivery. He has served as general manager for Nova Bus, managed the transportation business line for the Canadian arm of Siemens, as well as the transit business line for AECOM in Canada.
He began with the Canadian National Railway Company, working as an operator and rail traffic controller, before serving Transport Canada as a senior advisor in rail safety and a senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. He continued this operational experience with building and operating a new light-rail system in Ottawa.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in Canada. He currently lives in the Greater Toronto Area and is fluent in English and French.
