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Rainville named president and CEO of Averna

June 4, 2019

Former CEO & president André Gareau takes on the role of executive chairman

Montreal, Canada-based Averna is under new leadership, announcing role changes for two of its top executives on Tuesday.

The global test and quality solutions provider shared that effective June 1, François Rainville became president and CEO of the company, while former CEO and president André Gareau has moved to a new position as executive chairman of the board.

Rainville joined Averna in September of 2012 as vice president of sales and marketing, and was promoted to chief operations officer in March of 2017—a title he held until June 1. Gareau had been president and CEO of Averna since February 2013 after being promoted from executive vice president and chief operating officer. Averna said that under Rainville and Gareau's combined leadership, the company has grown 300%, building from three to now 10 locations worldwide, including offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

“Averna’s performance has always been a team effort.” Gareau said, “Our DNA is composed of the passion from each individual in our offices. Our people are our most important asset, so it’s ‘Human Engineering’ that is key as we continue to evolve and grow. Francois represents all of this with the ability to recognize talent and set a trusted and positive work environment. The years to come will generate exciting times for Averna!” Moving forward, Gareau will focus on Averna’s mergers & acquisitions development strategy with Rainville and the leadership team.

As the new CEO and president of Averna, Rainville will continue to lead the development, strategy, and operations of the company, and Averna said he will remain a catalyst of growth and performance.

“With the test and quality industry going through a new revolution in smart manufacturing and multiple fast-moving innovations, Averna is very well positioned to partner with its global customers to successfully tackle the challenges brought by new product design and manufacturing. I am honored to step in as CEO and president and look forward to continuing my work with André and our global teams in this role,” Rainville said.

About the Author

Mike Hockett | Former Editor

Mike Hockett was Editor in Chief for EE from September 2018 to Sept. 2019. Previously he served as editor for two manufacturing trade publications: Industrial Distribution, and Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation. He began in sports writing for a trio of newspapers in Wisconsin and Iowa and earned a BA degree in print journalism from UW-Eau Claire.