Jeremy Daoust

About me

I was born/grew up in: I was born in Montreal, grew up in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada

I now live in: I live in Beaconsfield, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

I completed my training/education at: Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal. I also have had a lot of learning from my hands on experience in the work force.

What I do at work

My job has more of a management function. I use information taken from emails, reports and other data mining techniques to make strategic decisions for the fleet. I review incidents and try to understand the broader impact of each incident. For example, I will try to understand how or if they connect to one and other. I inspect our vessels and perform technical, commercial and operational reviews. Communication with the crew and officers is also very critical. A degree in Engineering is always an asset. While I may not be doing any design at this point, I have a solid tool kit of discipline, structure and a detailed analytical approach to problem solving that I use everyday.

My career path is

My career path has involved a lot of hard work! I worked for five years as a mechanical engineer at Cummins. Here I took on the roles of Sales Coordinator and Territory Manager. I was responsible for providing technical support for the sales team and for supporting and increasing sales in my territory. Then I worked for five years at CN in Operations Management and Procurement. At CN I managed railcars and other equipment that was spread across Canada and the United States. I also managed budgets and relationships with various vendors and contractors across North America. Following this, I did two years at Fednav in shipping and management. I pushed hard, travelled, put myself out there. Some times I really got burned. But through hardships, I learned, grew and figured out who I was, what I can do, and what kind of man I wanted to be. This has all led me to where I am today.

I am motivated by

I’m motivated by the work I do. Each day I have to solve multidimensional problems that involve people, finance, and operations. The solutions that I come up with to these problems will have commercial results – hopefully good. Ownership and accountability of decisions is important to me. The fact that I am working with smart, dynamic and passionate people also motivates me.

How I affect peoples’ lives

Every job is about people. I work within a tight team that need me to be sharp and supportive. If my attitude or the quality of my work should decrease, then they will be impacted by this. I work with some 3500 seafarers. These men and women work very, very hard for Fednav and I owe it to them to be present and passionate when I see them. I work hard to support and motivate them at all times.

Outside of work I

I love being with my family. I have two kids and a wonderful wife.

My advice to others

Be open, courageous and stop thinking about your career. Dig in and do the best work you can. Give to others and support others.