The Société de transport de Laval (STL) appointed Josée Roy as the agency’s general manager, effective Jan. 30, 2023. Roy, who will become the first woman to lead the agency, currently serves as executive director, operations.
Roy’s initial contract is for five years and she succeeds Guy Picard, who has served as general manager since 2012 and is retiring following a 40-year transit career.
“The selection committee is confident of having chosen the best candidate among all the candidates met over the past few months, both external and internal. Supported by a specialized firm to guide us in this process, we are all [proud] to appoint the first female general manager in the history of the STL,” said STL Board of Directors Chair Jocelyne Frédéric-Gauthier. “Ms. Roy has distinguished herself not only by her vast experience in public transit, her extensive knowledge of the business and her proven management skills, but also by her recognized leadership and her mobilizing forces.”
Roy’s public transport career began in 1990 with the Ministry of Transport. She joined the Agence métropolitaine des transports (AMT) in 1998 and spent 19 years advancing through the ranks until she was named director, infrastructure. Roy joined STL in 2017 as senior director of infrastructures before being promoted to executive director, operations.
“I would like to thank the members of the selection committee, the board of directors and Ms. Frédéric-Gauthier for placing their trust in me. Above all, I want to salute Guy Picard for his vision, for the trust he showed in me and for instilling in me his love for the STL, which I have tattooed on my heart today,” said incoming STL General Manager Josée Roy. “I am honored and proud of the progress made and I begin this new mandate with the desire to actively contribute to the revival of public transit and to make the model of the STL and the city of Laval an example to follow in the industry. The STL is initiating an essential transition towards electrification, which must be combined with appropriate funding to not only adapt, but sometimes revisit our ways of doing things. Above all, I want to continue to shine the light of the heart and talent of the great team of STL employees who get up every day to offer the highest quality of service possible to Laval residents.”
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
