Sébastien Fortin earned a chemistry degree in 1996 and a Ph.D. in coordination chemistry in 2001 from Université de Montréal and joined the Alcan research centre (ARDC) as a post-doctoral research fellow at the end of 2000.
He has worked for the company ever since, holding technical and management roles in the R&D division, including 2 years in France, in addition to a 3-year secondment as process chemist at the QAL refinery in Australia.
Sébastien is currently R&D Principal Advisor for Bauxite and Alumina, in the Strategy and Innovation team of Rio Tinto’s Arvida R&D Centre in Saguenay, Canada.
He also actively represents Rio Tinto on the International Aluminium Institute’s Bauxite and Alumina Committee since 2018, taking part in various international projects and workgroups.
He has been promoted as a RioExpert, as part of the RioExcel programme in 2021, as an acknowledgement of his experience, expertise and achievements in the fields of bauxite, Bayer process chemistry and bauxite residue valorization.