Biography:
John Saabas was named President of Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) in January 2009. Mr. Saabas began his career at P&WC in 1985 as a Structures and Dynamics Analyst and subsequently occupied positions of increasing responsibility in engineering and operations. He was Project Engineer and Senior Project Engineer between 1993 and 1997 before taking on responsibilities as Director, New Operations Programs, and Manager, Manufacturing Engineering. In 1999, he was promoted to Vice President, Procurement and Logistics, and the following year, to Vice President, Engineering Development. In 2001, he took on the role of Vice President, Engineering, and in 2003 was appointed Senior Vice President, Engineering and Operations. He was named Executive Vice President in 2006 before being appointed President. Mr. Saabas earned a PhD in Aerodynamics from McGill University in 1991 and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1983 and 1984, respectively. Mr. Saabas is a member of the executive committee and board of directors of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) since 2010, and also served as Chairman of the Board, in 2011. He is also a member of the McGill Faculty of Engineering’s advisory board. Since 2013, he is a member of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Engineering Advisory Board. He is a licensed member of Professional Engineers Ontario. Additionally, Mr. Saabas has been a member of the McGill Executive Institute Advisory Board since 2015 and a member of the University of Waterloo’s Board of Governors since May 2017. In 2008, he was awarded an Alumni Achievement Medal by the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering for his leadership and vision in leveraging innovation and research collaboration to advance the Canadian aerospace industry. In 2013, he received the CEO Sustainable Development award from the Quebec business publication Les Affaires for his visionary leadership.