MONTREAL, Nov. 4 /CNW Telbec/ -- At the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal's annual assembly, which was held today, members elected their board of directors for 2009-2010. Mr. Erik Ryan, Senior Vice-President, Communications and External Relations, of Rio Tinto Alcan, was appointed Chairman of the board of directors for a one-year term. He succeeds Rémi Racine, President and CEO of A2M, who became the Retiring Chairman.

"Our role at the Board of Trade is to ensure that Montréal has the best conditions for business. In the current environment, we will do everything we can to enable the greater metropolitan region to fully benefit from the economic recovery that is already visible on the horizon. We are working non-stop so that Montréal can enjoy a true surge of prosperity," stated Erik Ryan, new Chairman of the board of directors of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

Erik Ryan holds a B. Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University (1987) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School (1995).

Mr. Ryan joins Alcan Inc. in September 2002 as Director, Strategic Management Support. He is part of the Pechiney acquisition team, and is later co-leader of the Alcan-Pechiney Integration Leadership Team in Paris. In the fall of 2004, he becomes Vice-President, Strategy and Business Development, for Alcan Packaging Global Beauty sector. In January 2005, Mr. Ryan is appointed Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Communications, for Alcan Primary Metal Group. In 2007, Regional Industrial Diversification and an aerospace and nuclear alloys casting plant are added to his responsibilities, as he becomes Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations and Communications.

Erik Ryan first became involved with the Board of Trade in 2002 through the strategic analysis committee on economic development before joining the board of directors and then, its executive committee.

Prior to joining Rio Tinto Alcan, Mr. Ryan was Secretary General of the Sommet de Montréal 2002, in charge of designing and conducting this foundational event created to identify the strategic priorities and initiatives critical to the new City of Montréal.

Between 1995 and 2001, following his studies in Boston, Mr. Ryan worked as a consultant for Monitor Company, a Boston consultancy. Between 1995 and 1997, he headed its Paris office. Between 1989 and 1993, he was political advisor to Gérald Tremblay, then Minister of Industry, Trade, and Technology. At that time, Mr. Ryan contributed to the design and deployment of the industrial cluster strategy, and to negotiating the social contract.

As Chairman of the board of directors of the Board of Trade, Erik Ryan will be involved in the Board of Trade's activities during the current year, and also as Retiring Chairman the following year. Over this entire period, Mr.