Browser not supportedA respected lawyer, leader, and advocate for justice, Manuelle Oudar is an active member of her community who has devoted her career to serving the public. For the past eight years, she has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebec’s labour standards board, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST), where she has introduced major reforms and led initiatives that have had a major impact on society, particularly for women.
Ms. Oudar’s career in the Quebec public service spans more than three decades. Before being appointed by the Quebec Cabinet to the CNESST, she was appointed to several senior positions within the public service, including Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Labour and Assistant Deputy Minister of Networks at the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sport. She previously held legal affairs management positions in a number of other provincial ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity, and the Ministry of Family, where she worked on legislation and the advancement of law in Quebec.
For eight years, Ms. Oudar chaired the Board of Directors of the Institut de recherche en santé et sécurité du travail – a leader in scientific advancement in Quebec. She is also Chair of the Board of the Association des femmes en finance du Québec and has served on several other boards of directors. She has contributed her expertise to the community as a mentor to young professionals, to young leaders from the École nationale d’administration publique du Québec, and to young executives in a number of organizations. A frequent guest speaker, she has spoken on numerous occasions on gender equality, pay equity, reducing inequalities, combating violence against women, as well as issues affecting the workplace, young people, and physical and psychological health.
Ms. Oudar’s achievements and leadership have been recognized on more than one occasion. She received the 2023 Dirigeant de l’année award from the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and was awarded the Prix Femmes de mérite 2023 by the Women’s Y Foundation of Montréal and the Prix Leadership by the Association des femmes en finances du Québec in 2017. That same year, she was named one of the 100 most influential women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network. Under her leadership, the CNESST has received several awards, including the United Nations Public Service Award in 2022.
Ms. Oudar is an accredited mediator and certified corporate administrator. She is a member of the Barreau du Québec, the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec and the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from Université Laval.