Canadian Leadership Team

Cees Heiman was named Vice-President Europe Pharma in May 2017. Under his leadership, the region experienced significant growth in revenue and profitability, led by its key market, Poland, as the majority of businesses in the region outperformed their respective markets. Heiman joined the company in 2015 as Vice-President for Poland. Previous to joining Bausch Health, Heiman served with The Medicines Company for 3 years, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. Prior to that Heiman served 25 years with Pfizer in a wide range of senior leadership and operations responsibilities. Heiman has experience working and living in 10 different countries around the world, including India and Japan.

Ginette Gagné joined Bausch Health, Canada as the Vice President of Finance in 2013. This role includes management of Canadian and International affairs based in Canada, as well as responsibility for the Information Systems and Customer Service Canada. Bausch Health, Canada is composed of over 1,000 employees – the company has established a strong presence with its prescription health products as well as over the counter (OTC) products.

Ginette was born in Montreal but grew up in Sayabec, a village in the Matapedia Valley of Quebec. She moved back to Montreal to finish her studies and take on a career in finance, which quickly led to her living abroad for over 18 years as part of international mandates. Ginette has been responsible for the finance and information systems role on an international level, including merger and acquisition activities, primarily in the USA, Asia, Latin America, Europe and Middle East/Africa.

Since beginning her career in the technology industry, Ginette has spent most of the last 20 years working in the health, medical device, and more recently, the pharmaceutical industry. Ginette is proud to have successfully managed “many restructuring activities, integrations, decentralizations of major corporations and installations of systems, mainly at an international level”. She also held a position on the board of directors of a health services and medical imaging start-up in Montreal.

Ginette Gagné holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Accounting, a graduate diploma in Accounting, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Quebec in Montreal.

Brigitte Carrière serves as Vice President of Human Resources, Canada. She manages a talented HR team across Canada, covering all Manufacturing and Commercial business units. Brigitte is a member of the Canadian Executive Management team and the Human Resources International team.

Brigitte has a strong background in mergers and acquisitions involving complex, multi-site business models, in strategic thinking and internal communication. She excels at working in transformational environments, and in local and international diverse team settings that contribute to the organization’s overall success and stimulating employee experience.

Throughout her career, she has developed expertise in many sectors of the food industry and the pharma & health care industry, including manufacturing, quality, supply chain and distribution; sales and marketing in the Rx model; medical devices and aesthetics; dermatology; eye health, and consumer products (OTC). For more than 30 years, Brigitte has played a leadership role with United Way.

Outside the office, Brigitte is involved in various HR committees, including high visibility collaborations with the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR). In recent years, she has been active in the academic world at the graduate level as a lecturer at McGill University and as a guest lecturer at HEC Montréal. She was an employer representative for nine years at the Labour Market Partners Commission with Emploi-Québec.

She has won several awards during her career and was a finalist for the Prix Relève d’excellence HEC Montréal, recognition of outstanding career achievements of graduates under the age of 35.

Brigitte holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from HEC Montréal, an Executive MBA degree from the University of Sherbrooke, and a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation.

Daniel Yelin is Assistant General Counsel, Head of Legal, with responsibility for all of Bausch Health’s legal affairs across Canada. Daniel took on this role in March 2019, after 7 years as Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs. He also participates in the company’s Canadian and International mergers and acquisitions and business development activities.

Prior to joining Bausch Health, Daniel practiced law in the business law groups of Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt, LLP (2007-2012), and before that, at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin, LLP (2000 -2007). His practice has focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities law. In his previous roles, Daniel was involved in numerous high-level acquisitions and financings, on behalf of many international companies and organizations.

Daniel holds an LLP and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) from Queen’s University.

Daniel also participates as a speaker or panelist at numerous conferences on various legal topics. He is a former board member of the Association of Corporate Counsel (Quebec).

Maxime Barakat is Vice President of both Medical & Clinical Affairs and Global Medical Devices & Clinical Evaluation Group, roles he took on in 2018. Prior to that, Maxime acted as Vice President of Medical & Regulatory Affairs (2013-2017).

Before joining Bausch Health, Maxime was with Bristol Myers Squibb, as Medical Director (2008 – 2013) and Manager & Associate Director of Stakeholders Relations & Market Access at (2005–2008).

Maxime describes himself as “polyvalent, highly adaptable, armed with a keen sense of strategic thinking, and action oriented”. His current and past endeavours have allowed him to collaborate and negotiate with both internal and external customers from diverse cultures. His academic background, along with his professional experiences and accomplishments, drive Maxime’s diverse and deep knowledge of pharmaceutical products and Medical Devices, as he facilitates their advancement from their clinical development to their commercialization.

Maxime is a Doctor of Medicine, and holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree.

Maxime says he is “proud to have a role in bringing high quality products that help improve patients’ lives to the public”.

Daniel Ndong leads the Canadian manufacturing operations at Bausch Health, overseeing the Laval, Quebec, and Steinbach, Manitoba, facilities which make vital patient treatments for Canada and to export to other countries.

With over 17 years of senior leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and bio-pharma industry, he has successfully managed single plants as well as multi-sites. His extensive involvement in sterile and non-sterile manufacturing as well as significant knowledge in implementing effective and environmentally responsible manufacturing have resulted in several industry site excellence awards, and in ensuring predictable supply for patients.

Achieving results is in Daniel’s DNA, which is evident in his leadership and facilitation style. When working with talented and dedicated Bausch Health teams, Daniel inspires a shared results-oriented and accountability-based culture that optimizes manufacturing outcomes.

Daniel holds a BSc in biology from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) as well as a MS (Law Licence) from the Université Cheik Anta Diop de Dakar in Senegal.

Martin Barbeau joined Bausch Health in 2017, in his current role of Vice President of Market Access & Government Affairs. Prior to that, Martin was employed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals for 15 years.

His most recent position for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Latin America and Canada (LACAN) involved acting as Head of Health Economics and Outcomes Research (2015 – 2017). He took on this role after acting as Director of Health Economics and Patient Access (2007 – 2014), and as Manager, Health Economics (2000 – 2006).

While at Novartis, Martin was honoured for several of his professional contributions: He received the President’s Award and recognition as the Access ‘guru’. He is also proud to have “developed a strong professional reputation in Canada among peers and vendors, and to have achieved Senior Leadership level with a ‘non-traditional’ profile (yellow and green) for an executive”.

Martin observes that “given the specificity of my role with Bausch Health, all of these previous jobs have contributed to my ability to succeed in my current role”.

Martin attended Université Laval in Quebec City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Master of Science degree in pharmacoepidemiology.

Martin says he is proud to be part of Bausch Health because of the company’s admirable culture, where team spirit and common goals pass before personal goals; its success in re-branding the company from Valeant to BHC; and the focus and cultural change of the Market Access team.