Bernard was the CEO of Cansolv Technologies Inc., which he restructured and subsequently sold to Royal Dutch Shell plc. Previously, he was President of Canada Colours & Chemicals Ltd.; CEO of Rhone Poulenc Canada (now Rhodia); and, prior to that, Bernard held various senior positions with ExxonMobil Chemical.
Bernard has been active, generally as Chair, Director or member, with many Boards, industry associations and Advisory Committees. These include the Society for the Chemicals Industry, National Association of Chemicals Distributors (US), Sustainable Chemistry Alliance, and the National Research Council (Canada).
Bernard holds a BSc and a PhD in Chemical Engineering of the University of Manchester, where he taught for 6 years.