The NBAA will bestow its Meritorious Service to Aviation Award to Laurent and Pierre Beaudoin, whose visionary leadership at Bombardier has fostered industry growth and advanced business aviation safety and sustainability.

“Laurent and Pierre exemplify the pioneering spirit of this honour,” says NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Their trailblazing leadership drove the creation of entirely new market categories for business and commercial aircraft and helped set the standard for excellence in safety and sustainability. Their work continues to inspire current and future generations of business aviation professionals.”

After founding two Quebec accounting firms in the early 1960s, the senior Beaudoin joined Bombardier Limited in 1963 and was named company president in 1966. Laurent was then named chairman and CEO of Bombardier, Inc in 1979.

In that role, he took the company public and in 1986 purchased the assets of amphibious aircraft and Challenger business jet manufacturer Canadair. Bombardier later added Short Brothers, Learjet and de Havilland to the company's aviation portfolio, and brought the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) line to market. Laurent retired from the board of directors in 2018.

Pierre Beaudoin, Laurent's son, joined Bombardier in 1985. Following leadership roles over the company's recreational and marine products line, Pierre was appointed president of Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft in February 2001. In 2008, he was appointed president and chief executive officer of Bombardier. He became executive chairman of the board of directors in February 2015 and chair of the board of directors in July 2017.

Together, the Beaudoins have guided Bombardier, which today focuses solely on business aircraft, to become one of the largest manufacturers in the segment, as well as a thought leader on the industry's top priorities. Bombardier has developed new market segments for business jets, including the super-midsize Challenger 300 and ultra-long-range Global family of aircraft which, combined, account for thousands of deliveries.

The two also oversaw the company during the creation of Bombardier Safety Standdown, focused on enhancing safety through presentations from award-winning experts, peer-to-peer workshops and other learning experiences. Since 1996, tens of thousands of aviators have benefitted from the annual event, which is co-sponsored by NBAA and offered at no cost.

Bombardier has also been at the forefront of business aviation's united effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions industrywide by 2050. The company played a foundational role in the 2009 Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, the first such codification of the industry's pledge toward greater sustainability.

The company's sustainability focus continues today, including through Bombardier's adoption and use of sustainable aviation fuels capable of reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by as much as 80 per cent, and development of the EcoJet research project, which aims to halve aircraft emissions through a combination of aerodynamic, propulsion and other enhancements.

Established in 1950, NBAA's Meritorious Service to Aviation Award honours individuals and organisations who have made significant contributions to aviation. Past recipients include Donald Douglas, Gene Cernan, Clay Lacy, the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Presentation of the award will take place during the Opening Keynote Session of the 2024 NBAA-BACE.