Mr. Richard holds a Canadian Master Mariner certificate in addition to being an economist by training. He has high-level experience acquired over more than 35 years, some of which were spent at sea as an officer and captain and others as a researcher and manager at senior executive level. After sailing, teaching and working as a consultant, he joined Innovation maritime as a researcher and project manager. It was during this period that he distinguished himself by developing a system allowing the optimization of transits on the St. Lawrence River by using tidal currents. He also directs various studies and risk analyzes relating to navigation, some of which concern maritime pilotage. Subsequently, he rose to the position of director of the Institut maritime du Québec, a national school where French-speaking pilots and navigating officers in North America are trained. After 6 years as director of the Maritime Institute, he agreed to return to sea as commander for a mission around the Globe on the Sedna IV. Alongside this mission, he acts as project manager for various risk analyzes affecting piloting with Innovation maritime. Subsequently, he accepted the position of Executive Director, Safety and Maritime Efficiency at the Laurentides Pilotage Authority where he purchased a navigation simulator and initiated the intelligent pilotage project on the St. Lawrence in no longer assume responsibility for all piloting operations. The Authority carries out more than 20,000 assignments per year with a staff of approximately 200 pilots. Currently, Mr. Richard acts as an independent consultant; he has obtained, among other things, a mandate to establish a regulated pilotage system in the ports of Sept-Îles, Port-Cartier, Baie-Comeau and Havre-Saint-Pierre on the coast. northern Quebec. Finally, let us mention that the Canadian Transportation Research Forum (CTRF) recently awarded him first prize for his article on optimizing the speed of merchant ships in periods of instability.