Tim Hurlebaus has spent the past two years as CGI's President and Chief Operating Officer, with direct responsibility for the company's operations across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia — markets that together represent nearly half of CGI's annual revenue. His two years running these marquee operations while the outgoing CEO remained active gave him not just familiarity with the business but a working relationship with the clients, government entities, and teams that define CGI's market position.

The leadership transition arrives as CGI faces a market defined by two major forces: rising client demand for AI-driven digital transformation across government, financial services, healthcare, and defence sectors; and increasing competitive pressure from both global systems integrators and AI-native newcomers seeking to redefine the value of large-scale IT services delivery. Hurlebaus's mandate is to lead CGI through that landscape from a position of financial strength — the company reported CA$15.91 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue and operates in one of the most resilient segments of enterprise technology.

Hurlebaus brings more than 35 years of IT consulting experience to the CEO role — a career he began as a developer and consultant before progressively taking on leadership responsibilities across commercial and government sectors. His journey through CGI's ranks reflects the company's distinctive ownership culture: a model in which employees hold shares in the business, creating alignment between professional incentives and client outcomes that the company's leadership has consistently cited as a core differentiator.

His most notable prior role before COO was as President of CGI Federal — the company's US government-facing business — where he built deep expertise in mission technology, defence IT, and complex federal transformation programmes. That background is particularly relevant to CGI's growth ambitions: government and public sector clients across the US, UK, Europe, and Australia represent a substantial and growing share of the company's portfolio, with AI-driven modernisation of government infrastructure emerging as one of the most significant enterprise technology investment themes of the mid-2020s.

Across his career at CGI, Hurlebaus has been described by the Board as a consistent champion of CGI's "client proximity model" — the principle that lasting relationships with clients, built on genuine proximity and accountability at every level of the organisation, are the foundation of sustainable growth. That philosophy has guided the company through multiple technology cycles and will continue to anchor its competitive positioning under his leadership.

CGI is one of the world's largest independent IT and business consulting services firms — with approximately 90,000 professionals operating across more than 400 locations in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Australia. Its CA$15.91 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue positions it firmly in the top tier of global IT services, serving clients in government, banking and financial services, healthcare, communications, manufacturing, retail, and utilities.

The appointment arrives as demand for AI-driven digital transformation is reshaping the competitive dynamics of the entire IT services market. Organisations across every sector are accelerating investments in cloud modernisation, intelligent automation, and AI integration — creating a substantial and growing pipeline for firms with the delivery scale, domain expertise, and security clearances to execute complex transformation programmes. Hurlebaus's background in US federal mission technology — where AI adoption timelines are compressing rapidly — puts him at the centre of that opportunity.

CGI's ownership culture — in which employees hold equity stakes in the business — creates a distinctive alignment between workforce incentives and client outcomes that the company's leadership views as a sustainable competitive advantage in an industry where talent retention and client loyalty are the most consequential long-term drivers of financial performance.

Key Takeaways

• →CGI has appointed Tim Hurlebaus as President and CEO, effective immediately — succeeding François Boulanger who retires after 30 years at CGI and nearly 40 years in the IT services industry
• →Hurlebaus spent the past two years as President and COO overseeing US, UK, and Australia operations — markets representing nearly half of CGI's annual revenue — providing a deep operational foundation for his new role
• →He brings 35+ years of IT consulting experience, including a formative career as President of CGI Federal — giving him deep expertise in government mission technology and AI-driven public sector transformation
• →CGI reported CA$15.91 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue and employs approximately 90,000 professionals across 400+ locations in 40+ countries
• →The transition is planned and confidence-driven — Boulanger served alongside Hurlebaus for two years in a COO/CEO configuration designed to transfer institutional knowledge and client relationships before the formal handover
• →The appointment positions CGI for its next growth phase centred on AI-driven digital transformation across government, financial services, healthcare, and defence — sectors where CGI's scale, security clearances, and proximity model create a distinctive competitive advantage