My Alerts Aref Salem, Chairman of the Board
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Aref Salem is a politician. He has been a city councillor for the Norman-McLaren district in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal since 2009.
Since the November 2, 2025 election and the victory of Ensemble Montréal, he has been appointed by Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada as vice-chair of the Executive Committee of the City of Montreal and chair of the STM board of directors. In this role, he helps guide major municipal decisions in line with a vision focused on responsible economic, social and environmental development. On February 2, 2026, he was also appointed vice-chair of the board of directors of the Association du Transport Urbain du Québec, the organization representing the nine public transit companies in Quebec, as well as exo.
Over the course of his career at the City of Montreal, Aref Salem has held a number of key positions. He served as interim leader of Ensemble Montréal from November 2021 to 2025. He was also responsible for transportation on the Executive Committee from 2013 to 2017, and then vice-chair of the Commission sur le transport et les travaux publics from 2017 to 2021. He has served on several boards of directors, including those of BIXI Montréal and Stationnement de Montréal, and has acted as associate councillor responsible for culture, heritage and design, as well as communities of diverse origins.
Aref Salem holds two bachelor’s degrees (one in microbiology from the Université de Montréal and one in business administration from HEC Montréal) and managed an SME for 17 years. This dual scientific and administrative background has fostered a pragmatic and rigorous approach to public management.
His notable achievements include the introduction of “Bonjour taxis” and the rescue of BIXI at a time when the organization was facing serious financial difficulties. These initiatives are now an integral part of Montreal’s identity and reflect his ability to lead projects that have helped shape the city. As head of transportation, he also contributed to the development of the City of Montreal’s first-ever parking policy, aimed at more strategic parking management, reducing dependence on cars, revitalizing commercial arteries and promoting public transit and active transportation.
Beyond his duties and achievements, Aref Salem is recognized as a man of action, dedicated, involved and attentive. His political commitment is deeply rooted in a people-first approach.
Marie-Claude Léonard, Chief Executive Officer
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Marie-Claude Léonard has been Chief Executive Officer of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) since July 2022, after serving in this capacity on an interim basis for four months. She has been a member of the executive committee since 2016 and was previously Executive Director of Bus and Métro Operations.
Ms. Léonard has been working at the STM for over thirty years. Having begun her career as an STM agent when she was a student, she quickly rose through the ranks of the organization, holding various management positions over the past 20 years, particularly in Métro Operations.
Ms. Léonard is a true enthusiast, and her many achievements include the integration of the Azur trains. She understands the reality of operations and puts customers first, while building on the expertise and well-being of her employees to ensure continuation of service. She has developed the roles of ticket agents and inspectors in the métro network to promote quality service for the benefit of customers.
During the pandemic, Ms. Léonard also led the STM’s Emergency Response Team, which supported the organization in managing and coordinating its emergency response measures so that it could speed up the implementation of on-the-ground solutions.
Ms. Léonard is involved at the international level and was appointed in 2022 to the policy board of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) after having served for several years on the Operations sub-committee of the UITP’s Metro Division. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Nova benchmarking group, which brings together the world’s leading metro networks, at Imperial College London. She is also a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association and of the Association du transport urbain du Québec.
Ms. Léonard holds a bachelor’s degree in medical biology and a graduate diploma in management from HEC Montréal. She also completed the executive training program at CIREM-HEC (Centre International de Recherches et d’Études en Management – École des Hautes Études Commerciales).
Members of the STM Board