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François LeBlanc is a specialist in heritage conservation. A graduate in Architecture from Montreal University (1971) and member of the Ordre des Architectes du Québec (1976-2007), Mr. LeBlanc specialized in heritage conservation at the University of York in England and in Ottawa, Canada.

He is currently retired. From 2001 to 2007 he was the Head of Field Projects at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, California, USA. As Head of Field Projects, Mr. LeBlanc was responsible for directing a team of specialists that participated in various heritage conservation projects throughout the world. The projects aimed to advance conservation practice worldwide through the development and implementation of model field projects which incorporated strong research, planning and educational objectives.

As Chief Architect at the National Capital Commission (NCC) in Ottawa from 1992 to 2001, Mr. LeBlanc was responsible for the conservation and renovation of NCC properties in the National Capital Region. Several of these properties, such as the Prime Minister's Residence and the Governor General's Residence, are nationally recognized historic buildings and sites.

As Vice-President of the Heritage Canada Foundation from 1983 to 1992, Mr. LeBlanc directed the national Main Street programme. The programme encourages the economic, social and physical revitalization of downtowns across Canada. The national network encompassed more than 100 communities in 1992, from Whitehorse in Yukon to St. John's in Newfoundland.

Mr. LeBlanc was also responsible for the Heritage Regions programme that helped local residents in large sparsely populated regions across Canada to pull together to protect their cultural and natural heritage and use it as the basis for economic revitalization. The programme's objectives were to maintain or improve the region's quality of life and create a national network of Heritage Regions.

Between 1979 and 1983, LeBlanc was Director of the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). LeBlanc launched a distinguished career as a restoration architect with Parks Canada. He became the Chief Architect for the agency's Quebec Region, supervising engineers and architects responsible for the design and construction of contemporary structures and the restoration of national historic buildings, sites and areas such as Les Forges de St-Maurice, Fort Chambly, Lachine and Richelieu Canals and the Quebec Fortifications.

Mr. LeBlanc's international experience in conservation is extensive. He has worked as a UNESCO expert and was assigned missions in Lebanon, Greece, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Egypt. He participated as a representative of Canada to the World Commission on Culture and Development meetings held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

He has also served on the Executive of ICOMOS International and the Association for Preservation Technology International (APT). He is Past President of ICOMOS Canada, a Fellow of APT (2003) and member of the ICOMOS Academy (2009).

AWARDS.