Philippe Couillard is a Canadian politician, former neurosurgeon, and university professor. Born on June 26, 1957, in Montreal, he is the son of Pierre Couillard, a professor and doctor of biology, and Hélène Pardé, of French origin. He earned a medical degree in 1979 and specialized in neurosurgery in 1985 at the University of Montreal.

Before his political career, he worked as a neurosurgeon. He served as head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Hôpital Saint-Luc in Montreal from 1989 to 1992, then helped establish a neurosurgery service in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, from 1992 to 1996. Upon returning to Quebec, he taught at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sherbrooke from 1996 to 2003, also serving as head of the Department of Surgery at the Sherbrooke University Hospital Center.

He was first elected to the National Assembly of Quebec in 2003, representing the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ). He was re-elected in 2007 and served as Minister of Health and Social Services until June 2008. After a break from politics, he returned in 2013 as leader of the PLQ and led the party to victory in the 2014 elections. He became the 31st Premier of Quebec on April 23, 2014, and held the position until October 18, 2018.

After resigning, he joined StrategyCorp Inc. in March 2023 as a senior advisor, providing expertise in public policy, healthcare, and energy transition.