Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs at Bombardier, Ève Laurier is shaping the next chapter of business aviation through rebranding, resilience and a distinctly human view of leadership.
Ève Laurier did not set out to build a career in male-dominated industries. Yet looking back, she can see the pattern clearly. Her first role was as the first female sales representative at a Canadian brewery, where she would walk into meetings and be told, plainly, that some clients would rather speak to a man. Later came accounting, public relations and, eventually, Bombardier—another world of engineers and aviation specialists where she once again found herself in the minority. “For some reason, my karma or my personality has brought me to male-dominated industries all my life, and I’ve been thriving,” she says. “I’m not saying it’s easy, though. I’ve had to really out-prove myself compared to my men colleagues.”
That instinct—to prove, to push, to keep moving—was formed early. Laurier credits much of her resilience to her mother, whose advice was blunt but enduring: “If you’re not sick or in hospital, you’d better just not complain and keep moving.” Before admitting defeat, she says, she still hears that voice: “Am I really that tired, or could I handle another big day at the office?”
Today, as vice president of communications, marketing and public affairs at Bombardier, Laurier sits at the heart of one of business aviation’s most recognisable names. But when she joined the company, it was not aviation that drew her in, but the chance to be part of a transformation. “It’s never been about the industry. It was about being part of the restructuring of a company that I was born with as a Canadian, and having a chance to be part of the new chapter,” she says.
That chapter has been dramatic. Laurier describes Bombardier’s recent evolution as “the rise of the Phoenix” —a phrase she credits to F1 boss Toto Wolff, and one she has embraced. “The company was fragile,” she says. “It got punched in the gut and thrown tomatoes at, but for the past five years, we’ve slowly chipped at it and had success.” Now, she says, “We get a chance to thrive and continue the story— not just the foundation, but the next chapter of Bombardier.”
Laurier’s own role in that story has also shifted. When she first joined, she was one of very few women at executive level. “It felt like it took courage to walk into a boardroom with a majority of men,” she says. Now, with more women joining Bombardier’s executive committee, the dynamic has changed.
What Laurier values in that change is not symbolism, but candour. The women around her, she says, are often quick to identify tension, call out discomfort and insist on more transparent conversations. That directness informs how she thinks about clients, too. While men may more often be the buyers of private aircraft, Laurier is clear that women are deeply involved in the decision-making process. “Women are very much part of the decision-making process—not just around décor and design, but around how the family will use the aircraft and what size or capability they really need.” She also sees a bigger shift ahead. As wealth transfers to younger generations and to women, she expects female buyers to become increasingly visible in private aviation. Bombardier, she believes, is well placed for that change because its approach is already relationship-led.
That sensitivity extends into the aircraft themselves. Laurier speaks with conviction about wellness on board, not as a marketing phrase but as something she has felt physically. Flying commercially, she says, leaves her depleted: “I have 60 per cent of myself available to give.” On Bombardier aircraft, the difference is immediate. “I step out of the plane and I go to work refreshed, relaxed, hydrated,” she says. For Laurier, aviation is ultimately about time: “The more you can preserve your wellbeing, the more time you effectively gain.”
Bombardier, she says, is entrepreneurial by nature: “Our founding father invented the snowmobile. We like to take on those technological challenges and push the limits and say nothing is impossible.” For Laurier, the future of business aviation will be shaped by that same combination of performance, purpose and responsibility.
It is a fitting philosophy for Laurier herself. Having helped guide Bombardier through one of its most important transformations, she is not interested in simply maintaining momentum—her focus now is on what comes next.
