Director Project Construction & Engineering

Richard Blais
Director, Construction
and Engineering

In May 2009, Richard Blais was named to the position of Director Project Construction and Engineering on the Kitimat Modernization Project. Previously he was the Deputy Director Construction and Engineering on the Alma II Project. Richard is located in Montreal and expects to travel and to work in Kitimat frequently when full construction gets underway.

Richard has lead a diverse career with Rio Tinto Alcan, joining the Arvida smelter, in Quebec in 1979, as an engineer in the potrooms before transferring to Isle Maligne as a potroom services engineer responsible for potlining, maintenance and scrubber systems. He returned to Arvida as a process engineer and has the distinction of being one of the first engineers to accept a general foremanship within the former Alcan system.

In 1987, Richard accepted a position as a director with Novatech, a window manufacturer in Montreal. However, he returned to the Shawinigan smelter in 1988, and remained there until 1996, enjoying a diverse career path and opportunities from potroom superintendent to casthouse superintendent, where his metallurgical engineering degree was realized.

In 1996, Richard transferred to the construction project on the Alma smelter, where he was reduction area manager on the construction side of the project. In 2001, Richard transferred to the Montreal Engineering group but continued to travel to Alma. He was also assigned to assess new smelter project opportunities within the Rio Tinto Alcan world – of which one was the Kitimat Project – where he was involved in building Kitimat’s business case for expansion.

Between 2005 and 2008 Richard was assigned to the Sohar Aluminium construction project in Oman in the Middle East Region; a once in a lifetime experience he recalls with enthusiasm and pride. Richard was the AP Mission Leader leading a team of specialists from both Rio Tinto Alcan and Bechtel to promote the AP30/35 technology.

In 2008, Richard returned to Montreal, Quebec where he was initially assigned as the deputy project director on the Kitimat Modernization Project and was then seconded to the Alma II project. Richard is absolutely thrilled to return to the Kitimat Modernization Project team, responsible for leading the engineering and construction team in Montreal, who are extremely busy fine tuning all necessary engineering requirements and documentation prior to full construction.

Richard was born and raised in Shawinigan, Quebec and graduated from Laval University with a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1979. He also earned an administration certificate from the University of Chicoutimi in 1985.