Natural gas engine and vehicle systems specialist Westport has elected Jill Bodkin as chairwoman of the company's board of directors, as well as appointed Joseph Caron to the board.
Also, John Beaulieu has stepped down as chairman but remains on the Westport board as a director and has been named chairman emeritus. He was Westport's chairman for 16 years.
Bodkin joined Westport's board in July 2008, having chaired the human resources and compensation, and audit committees. In 1981, she was appointed British Columbia's first female deputy minister, responsible for financial institutions, and then served as founding chairwoman of the BC Securities Commission. From 1987 to 1996, she was a corporate finance partner with Ernst & Young. Bodkin is currently a governor and former chairwoman of the Vancouver Board of Trade, as well as a former director of the Laurentian Bank of Canada.
Caron, formerly of Westport's advisory board, began his international relations career in 1972 as a member of the Trade Commissioner Service. He had assignments in Japan for over 17 years in government and business, including in the Canadian Embassy as Minister Plenipotentiary and Head of Chancery. He also held several positions related to Asian and international economic affairs for the Canadian government, including as Canadian ambassador to the People's Republic of China and, later, Japan.
