Sylvain Laporte was President of the Canadian Space Agency from 2015 to 2020. He is passionate about leveraging space to inspire Canadian youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

From 2011 to 2015 Sylvain was Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Prior to this, he held various positions in Industry Canada, starting as the Chief Informatics Officer and in the Industrial Technologies Office dealing with financial programs for the aerospace, defense, security and space industries. Before joining the public service, Sylvain held several positions at Canada Post Corporation. 

Sylvain earned a Bachelor of Computer Science and Master in Computer Engineering from the Royal Military College. He served with the Canadian Armed Forces for over 20 years, gaining experience as an aerospace engineer. 

He is currently a Director on the Board of Maritime Launch Services, the first commercial space port in Canada. He also coaches numerous leaders in the space industry. He joined the Airport Authority’s Board in 2024 as a nominee of the Minister of Transport and serves on the Audit Committee. 

Sylvain is a certified sommelier and maple syrup producer. He enjoys travelling with his wife and spending time with his family.