NEW YORK — Continuing the hires that will be part of its planned reorganization, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that it has tabbed Mario Peloquin as its new chief operating officer.
An MTA press release says he will be responsible for day-to-day coordination of operations across the agency’s divisions and will work with senior leadership and agency presidents to ensure agencies have the resources they need.
“Mario has the talent and expertise to continue to drive forward the operational gains we have achieved and help bring the MTA into a new era of customer service at this this critical time in the agency’s history,” MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye said in the release. “Mario’s experience in transportation management, operations, transformation and development make him uniquely qualified for this role and we are excited for him to join the MTA.
Peloquin comes from Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin, an engineering and construction firm, where he was a senior vice-president. There, he led business development for the infrastructure construction division. Previously, he was President and CEO at Thales Transport and Security, has been general manager for Volvo’s Nova Bus, and managed the transportation business line for Siemens’ Canadian division. He began his career with Canadian National, was an advisor and investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and was part of the building and operation of Ottawa’s light rail system.
On paper, Peloquin has more experience than the new MTA transformation officer.
They hired someone from SNC-Lavalin? That seems…politically unwise at best.