Sylvain Langis is stepping down as president of Groupe Orléans Express and tranfers his equity of 25% to his partner, Keolis Canada Inc.

MONTREAL, Dec. 5, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - After 22 years at the helm of Groupe Orléans Express, Mr. Sylvain Langis announced today that he will be stepping down as president and chief executive officer of the company at the end of the current fiscal year, on December 31, 2011.  Mr. Langis will also be relinquishing his position as country director within Keolis in Canada.

In addition to leaving his post, Mr. Langis has decided to exercise a put option to sell his shares in the Groupe Orléans Express Inc.  As a result of this option, he will transfer to Keolis Canada Inc., his business partner for the past 10 years, his current 25 % equity in Groupe Orléans.  Following the transaction, Keolis Canada Inc. will become the sole shareholder of Groupe Orléans Express Inc.

Keolis Canada Inc. management and Mr. Langis have agreed that he will remain a key player in the future development of the company he helped create in 1990.  Therefore, as of January 1, 2012, Mr. Langis will become chairman of the board and a consultant to the senior executive level at Groupe Orléans.

Following the partial acquisition of Voyageur assets in Québec, Sylvain Langis and five partners founded Groupe Orléans Express in 1990. With an initial sales volume of $26 million and activities concentrated mainly in scheduled intercity bus transport in Québec, Groupe Orléans Express is now a diversified company with activities in four Canadian provinces. Its core business embraces many types of services in passenger transportation, namely intercity, urban, school, paratransit and charter services. Sales were close to $100 million in 2011.

It is with a lot of emotion and pride that Mr. Langis stated:  "Even if sometimes I still consider it 'my baby', Groupe Orléans Express has always been a team effort in terms of corporate vision, business development and daily operations, and not the business of one person.  I am very proud of the performance of Groupe Orléans over the past 22 years. I leave Keolis to take the helm and ensure continuity in light of today's new market reality. Time has come for me to bow out and take my leave with a feeling of accomplishment."

Keolis appoints Mr. Denis Andlauer to succeed Sylvain Langis as CEO at Groupe Orléans Express

Keolis is proud to announce the appointment of Mr. Denis Andlauer to the position of General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Orléans. Mr. Andlauer has a long career and extensive experience in passenger transportation. In fact, after a nine-year stint with SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer - National Railway System) in France, he joined the Keolis group in 1993 through its subsidiary in the city of Lyon where he occupied successively the positions of maintenance supervisor and head of subway operations.

Following a contract adjudicated to Keolis by RTC (Réseau de transport de la Capitale - Transit Corporation) in Québec City, Mr. Andlauer joined this vast Québec network in 2002 as maintenance manager and then moved on to become network operations director overseeing 1500 employees and 500 vehicles, from 2006 to 2009.

In the Fall of 2009, after Groupe Orléans agreed to acquire assets from Groupe Gaudreault, Mr. Andlauer came on board as vice president, passenger transportation - delegated services at Groupe Orléans and took over management of the newly acquired subsidiary.  His long and close relationship with Keolis and his 10 years spent living and working in Québec have allowed him to develop an enviable network of business partners that will enable us to pursue and further develop our activities in Canada.

With a view of favouring continuity in the transition, Mr. Andlauer will assume his new responsibilities as of January 1, 2012.

As Mr. Andlauer mentioned: "I am very proud and also very humble to follow in the footsteps of the founder of Groupe Orléans. I am also very happy to take charge of this company's destiny - a company that has not only an excellent reputation and image but also a team of exceptional, competent and committed professionals.  Our business activities contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of our communities. Our local and regional presence is significant as are the numerous challenges that lie ahead and I have every intention of taking them on with you as a team while being true to our values."

Keolis Canada is proud of its longstanding relationship with Mr. Langis and it intends to pursue the development of Groupe Orléans for years to come.  For Keolis, it is a privilege to be able to count on Mr. Langis for his expertise and support in his new role as chairman of the board and executive consultant.

About Groupe Orléans Express Inc.
Groupe Orléans Express specializes in passenger transportation in Québec and in the Maritimes.  Be it in the form of scheduled intercity, charter, airport, urban, school or accessible services, Groupe Orléans Express is proud to provide safe, reliable and quality services with the help of its experienced team of close to 900 employees.  It also offers courier express services throughout Eastern Canada.

About Keolis Group
Keolis Group develops custom mobility solutions adapted to changing travel needs and community expectations. An urban transportation leader in France, Keolis Group is a key player in public transit in Europe and around the world. Active in 12 countries, the Group boasts sales of over €4.1 billion and 47,200 employees. Keolis Group shareholders are France's national railway corporation (the SNCF, 57%), AXA Private Equity investment funds (21%), Group executives (3%), and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (20%).

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