BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE BOARD OF TRADE OF METROPOLITAN MONTREAL
Chairman of the board, Andrew T. Molson*
Vice-chairman, Luc Sabbatini*
President and CEO, Michel Leblanc*
Retiring Chair of the board, Sylvain Vincent*
Treasurer, Robert Desbiens*
* Member of the executive committee
Andrew T. Molson
Chairman
Molson Coors Brewing Company
A seventh-generation member of the Molson brewing family, Andrew Molson is chairman of the board of directors of Molson Coors Brewing Company.
He is also a partner and vice-chairman of RES PUBLICA Consulting Group, a Montréal-based holding and management company of leading professional services firms offering strategic public relations counsel to a wide range of businesses. RES PUBLICA owns NATIONAL Public Relations Inc., Canada’s largest public relations firm, and Cohn & Wolfe | Canada, another industry leader.
Mr. Molson also serves on the board of directors of DundeeWealth Inc., Groupe Deschênes Inc., Montréal International and the Montréal Canadiens.
A lawyer by training, Mr. Molson became a member of the Quebec Bar in 1995 after studying law at Université Laval in Québec City. He also holds a bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University and a master of science in corporate governance and ethics from University of London (Birkbeck College) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
Mr. Molson serves several organizations, including Concordia University, the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations and the Molson Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to the betterment of Canadian society. In April 2011, he was named board chairman of the Fondation du maire: le Montréal inc. de demain. He also serves as Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Montreal Regiment, and Honorary Commissioner of the Quebec Council of Scouts Canada.
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Luc Sabbatini
President
Astral Media Outdoor
Luc Sabbatini holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from HEC Montréal. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and in 2004 was a recipient of the prestigious Top 40 Under 40 Award, honouring excellence in business leaders across Canada.
Luc Sabbatini’s career in communications has led him to the position of President of Astral Media Outdoor. He sits on the management committee of Astral Media Inc.
Prior to that, he was Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Astral Media Radio and Astral Media Outdoor, before that, Executive Vice-President of Astral Media Radio and earlier, Vice-President Sales and Marketing of Astral Media Radio Inc. Up until the year 2000, he worked in television at Groupe TVA in an executive position and before that appointment, he held the position of Vice-President and General Manager of Radio Plus, the largest radio sales representation company in Eastern Canada.
Mr. Sabbatini is very involved in the communication industry and over the years has been on the boards of BBM (Bureau of Measurements), CAB radio and television (Canadian Association of Broadcasters), COMB (Canadian Outdoor Measurement Bureau), BCRQ (Bureau de commercialisation de la radio du Québec), OMAC (Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada) and RMB (Radio Marketing Bureau).
Astral Media Outdoor is one of Canada’s leading outdoor advertising companies. Founded in 1987, it has continually impressed consumers and advertisers alike with its boundless creativity and product innovation.
Fiscal 2007 was a banner year for Astral Media Outdoor with the signature of an agreement with the city of Toronto to service its 20 year street furniture program, a contract valued at more than 1.5 billion dollar in revenues. In 2009, the company launched in Montréal the first Canadian Outdoor Digital network.
With an unparalleled network, Astral Media Outdoor offers advertisers more than 7,500 strategically placed advertising faces in key markets in Quebec and Ontario.
The Astral Media Outdoor team is a group of dedicated professionals committed to providing its clients and partners with the best customer service and highest quality products available.
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Michel Leblanc*
President and chief executive officer
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Michel Leblanc is President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. In this position, he is the official spokesperson of the organization, and is responsible for planning, managing, coordinating and monitoring all its operations.
With extensive experience in the public and private sectors, Michel Leblanc has an in-depth knowledge of metropolitan issues. A trained economist, he has a clear understanding of economic questions and the challenges facing the business community.
A recognized expert in economic and sectoral studies, Michel Leblanc was an Associate Partner at SECOR. He had previously occupied senior-level positions at Génome Québec, Montréal International, and the Institute for Research on Public Policy. He has also worked as an economist for the Department of Finance Canada.
Michel Leblanc received a Bachelor of science in economics in 1987 and a Master of science in economics in 1992 from Université de Montréal. He has been named the 2009 honorary graduate of the Université de Montréal’s Economics Department.
Michel Leblanc sits on the boards of directors of the Montreal Health District, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal Foundation, MR3 Montréal Relève, the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and the Montréal Excellerator of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He is a member of the Montréal’s Economic Advisory Committee, of the Steering Committee of Rendez-vous November 2007 – Montréal, cultural metropolis, of the Advisory Committee of the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine, of the Conseil emploi métropole, and co-chairs over the Steering Committee of the Rendez-vous des gens d’affaires et des partenaires socioéconomiques.
As a member of the Conseil des partenaires de l’innovation, established by the Minister of Economic Development, Innovation, and Export Trade, Mr. Leblanc helped formulate Quebec’s strategy for research and innovation, announced in December 2006.
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Sylvain Vincent*
Managing Partner, Eastern Canada, and Member of Canadian Executive Committee
Ernst & Young LLP
Managing partner at Ernst & Young for Eastern Canada, Sylvain Vincent also sits on the company’s management and Canadian operations committees.
Mr. Vincent joined Ernst & Young in 1979 and was named partner in 1990. He has been a member of the company’s management committee for Quebec for eight years. In 1999, he received the honorary title of Fellow of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec. From 1995 to 2007, he managed the Transaction Advisory Services Group for Quebec, which saw exceptional growth under his watch. He has also performed mandates in financial reorganization and mergers and acquisitions for the company’s clients. He is past president of the Canadian Institutional Research and Planning Association and treasurer of the Insurance Institute of Canada.
A graduate of HEC Montréal, Mr. Vincent has acted as president of his alumni association, the Réseau HEC. Deeply committed to supporting young people and education, he has successfully headed up a number of annual fundraising campaigns for universities in Quebec. He also actively supports the Quebec Pathways to Education program to reduce the dropout rate among high school students.
Mr. Vincent was also treasurer of Special Olympics Québec and president and patron of honour for fundraising campaigns for the On the Tip of the Toes Foundation and the Pacific Path Institute. All three organizations are at the service of young people.
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Robert Desbiens*
Executive Vice-President, Corporate Strategies
R3D Consulting Inc.
Robert Desbiens is Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategies, for R3D Consulting. R3D provides independent management and IT consulting services to help businesses improve their performance by better aligning business with technology.
Mr. Desbiens has more than 25 years' experience in information technology at the senior management level in both the private and public sectors. He has served as Cisco Systems Vice-President, Eastern Canada, and Associate Secretary for the Government Info-Highway and Information Resources at the Treasury Board Secretariat of the Quebec government.
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Raymond Bachant
President, North America
Bombardier Transportation
Raymond Bachant was appointed President, North America for Bombardier Transportation in
May 2008.
As such, he is responsible for overseeing all design, production, marketing, sales, customer service and management activities for Canada, United States and Mexico.
Mr. Bachant joined the Bombardier team in 2001, and Bombardier Transportation more specifically, in July 2006. He held the position of Vice-President, Finance for the Bombardier Transportation Group, based out of the Group's headquarters in Berlin. As part of his responsibilities, Mr. Bachant was accountable for the sound financial management of all divisions of Bombardier Transportation, as well as for risk and opportunity assessments and management. Mr. Bachant lead a team of specialists working on all Bombardier Transportation sites around the world.
Prior to joining the Bombardier Transportation Group, Mr. Bachant also worked with Bombardier Aerospace, Bombardier Capital, Bombardier Recreational Products (now known as BRP) and the Bombardier Head Office in Montréal, always as Vice-President, Finance, except with Bombardier Capital, where he acted as Vice-President and General Manager.
Previously, Mr. Bachant had held several different positions with ABB, an international corporation specializing in automation and power technology with operations in 100 countries around the globe. He spent 17 years of his career, and successively held the positions of Controller, Corporate Controller and Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer.
Raymond Bachant holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Université du Québec à Montréal and has completed two executive training programs, one with the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the other with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in Raleigh, North Carolina in the United States. He is also a member of the Certified Management Accountants (CMAs).
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Christiane Bergevin*
Executive Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships, Office of the President
Desjardins Group
Christiane Bergevin joined the Desjardins Group in August 2009. In a newly created position, she spearheads key strategic partnerships, M&A and other development activities in Canada and abroad in support of the growth of the organization’s major business lines. Desjardins is the largest cooperative financial group in Canada. With assets of about $160 billion, Desjardins is also the largest and best rated (S&P AA-) financial institution in Quebec and the 6th largest financial institution in Canada.
From 1990 to 2009, Ms. Bergevin held various senior management positions, notably in international finance, with the SNC-Lavalin Group. She was President of SNC-Lavalin Capital from 2001 to 2008 and was appointed Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Corporate Projects of the SNC-Lavalin Group in 2009. Previously, she also worked in real estate and international financing with Standard Life and Export Development Canada.
Ms. Bergevin draws on extensive public policy knowledge in numerous sectors and wide-ranging international execution skills and award-winning Canadian deal making. She led SNC-Lavalin Capital to achieve Top Ten advisory rankings in the industry League Tables between 2005 and 2007, directed activities in over 20 countries and was involved in several acquisitions, including in energy and infrastructure. She notably led the structuring of some of the largest infrastructure debt closings in Canada, including the $3.1 billion Highway 407 acquisition and the $1.9 billion Canada Line concession in Vancouver.
Ms. Bergevin is a director of Talisman Energy and of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. She was previously a member of the Board of Directors of the Business Development Bank of Canada and the Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec. She supports numerous philanthropic organizations.
Christiane Bergevin is a graduate of McGill University and of the Advanced Management Program of the Wharton School of Business. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
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Hubert Bolduc
Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs
Cascades inc.
Hubert Bolduc holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), a Master’s degree in Communications from Stirling University in Scotland and an MBA from HEC Montréal
Before joining Cascades in 2004 as Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs, he worked as Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Québec. Hubert Bolduc also worked as an advisor for the public relations firm NATIONAL, as spokesperson for the CHUM and as a Communications lecturer at the UQAM.
Mr. Bolduc is Chairman of the Board of Jour de la Terre and Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec. He also serves on the boards of the Fondation de l’École Buissonnière, the Fondation de l’Entrepreuneurship du Québec, the Fondation de l’UQAM, Forces AVENIR, and Tel-Jeunes. In 2005, he was awarded the Prix Relève d’excellence by the Réseau HEC Montréal, Large Company category, and was on the shortlist of the 30’s to Watch Under 30 in the competition of Marketing Magazine in 2001.
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Guy Breton, M.D., FRCPC
Rector
Université de Montréal
Guy Breton became the eleventh rector of the Université de Montréal in June 2010. A radiologist by training, he has taught at the UdeM Faculty of Medicine since 1979. Dr. Breton has worked in both university administration and the healthcare sector. At UdeM, he has served as Director of the Department of Radiology, Radio-Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Executive Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Executive Vice-Rector of the university. At the same time, he held a variety of strategic and operational roles at Saint-Luc Hospital and the CHUM. He played a decisive role in the CHUM project as Vice-President of the Société d’implantation du CHUM (SICHUM) and Director of Planning for CHUM 2010. He was also behind the creation of several research funds sponsored by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ). Dr. Breton has also contributed to the collective development of his profession, in particular as chairman of the Association des radiologistes du Québec and the Canadian Heads of Academic Radiology.
In 2009, the French-Canadian Radiology Society (SCFR) awarded Guy Breton the Albert-Jutras Prize for his remarkable career in the hospital and university sectors. The same organization acknowledged his exemplary work by naming him SCFR Personality of the Year for 2011. Dr. Breton sits on the boards of directors of many organizations.
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Vincent Brie
President and Chief Executive Officer
gsmprjct°technologie
Vincent Brie is President, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of gsmprjct°technologie.
Founded in 2006, gsmprjct°technologie designs and produces technology products for major players in the entertainment and cultural sectors from its head office in Montréal. Projects are often international with many clients located in Asia. Mr. Brie maintains strong business links with the Far East and travels there on a regular basis.
Mr. Brie was previously president of M2C1 (2001–2006) and TBY (1998–2001), both project management firms whose primary clients were in the entertainment and cultural sectors.
Mr. Brie is president and principal partner of Mokarimakka Holdings, which has equity participations in Montréal and Singapore based companies.
Mr. Brie is currently Chairman of the board of directors of Elektra, a Montréal-based digital arts and technology festival. He is also a member of the board of directors of CINQ, the consortium for digital innovation in Quebec. In previous years, he chaired the board of directors of Hexagram, a digital arts and media inter-university research institute.
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Alain Côté, FCA, ICD.D
Managing Partner, Montreal office
Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l.
A chartered accountant since 1982, Alain Côté, FCA, ICD.D, has more than 30 years of experience—including over 20 as a partner—providing auditing and advisory services to businesses of all sizes.
He assisted our Grand-Duché de Luxembourg office as an auditor and consultant for international financial institutions. He has been working as an audit partner with Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l. since 1990. He was co-director of audit operations at the firm’s Montreal office from 1999 to 2003, and became Managing Partner of the Montreal office in 2007.
In addition to providing auditing services, he has participated in various mandates including public and private funding in Canada, the United States and Europe, corporate restructuring, due diligence for business and portfolio acquisitions, and reviews of internal control and risk management systems.
Having developed extensive expertise in the financial sector, he was or continues to be the lead client service partner or audit partner for clients such as the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the National Bank of Canada, the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec (F.T.Q.), Investissement Québec, the Société Générale (Canada), the Société générale de financement du Québec, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, and the Banque Nationale de Paris-Paribas. He was also in charge of the financial sector for Quebec at Deloitte from 2003 to 2007.
Alain Côté is committed to the community and highly involved in various not-for-profit organizations. He has been a member of honorary committee for the 7th edition of the Fondation OLO dinner. He was honorary chair and a governor of the benefit gala for Educaid, an educational assistance fund; a patron of honour for the Pacific Path Institute’s fundraising campaign; the fundraising campaign chair for Les Petits Violons; and a member of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal; the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada; and the International Finance Club of Montreal.
Alain Côté has been involved in the activities of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec for a number of years, serving on the Board of Directors since 2005 and on the Executive Committee since 2007. He was also a member of the Finance Committee in 2006-2007 and 2008-2009. He served as Chair of the Ordre from September 2009 to September 2011.
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Isabelle Courville*
President
Hydro-Québec Distribution
Isabelle Courville was appointed President of Hydro-Québec Distribution on March 1, 2011. Previously, she was President of Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie.
An engineer and lawyer, Isabelle Courville served as President of Bell Canada's Enterprise Group from 2003 to 2006 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Nordiq Group (Télébec/Northern Tel) from 2001 to 2003.
Ms. Courville sits on the boards of Laurentian Bank of Canada, Miranda Technologies and École Polytechnique de Montréal. She is also a member of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Business Advisory Council.
Isabelle Courville is a three-time recipient of a Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, granted by the Women’s Executive Network. In 2007, she received the McGill Management Achievement Award for her contribution to the business world and community involvement. In 2010, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec awarded her the Prix Hommage reconnaissance pour contribution exceptionnelle (Tribute Award for Outstanding Contribution) in the business member categoryt.
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Stéphanie Kennan
Presidente
Bang Marketing
Stephanie Kennan graduated from HEC Montréal with a degree in marketing. She founded the agency Bang Marketing in 1998 and has been overseeing its destiny ever since. Fifteen years in the profession have made her a sought-after expert specialized in branding and B2B marketing.
Her career path has often been highlighted by contributions in both professional and philanthropic realms. She is the recipient of numerous awards including a social communication award from the Quebec Society of Public Relations Professionals, and the Montreal Mayor's award. In 2008, the Réseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec named her Businesswoman of the year (Small Business Category). She is also a HEC Relève d'Excellence finalist. Moreover, Stephanie serves on the boards of the Pointe-à-Callière Museum and the Montreal Mayor’s Foundation.
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Jean-Marc Léger
President
Leger Marketing
Economist and President of Leger Marketing, Jean-Marc Léger is without a doubt the person who knows Quebeckers and Canadians best. Each year his firm − the largest Canadian-owned market research firm in Canada − conducts thousands of surveys, which allow him to provide a discriminating and accurate look on all facets of our society.
Leger Marketing’s vast research expertise, combined with its analytical capacity, has established Jean-Marc Léger as one of the most sought-after strategic advisors by business leaders, the media, and all political party leaders in Canada and Quebec.
Jean-Marc Léger is also an exceptional public speaker and has given over 500 lectures in Canada and the United States. He captivates all audiences with his strategic analysis of behavior in Quebec, Canada and the US, as well as his knowledge of major trends.
Under his leadership, Leger Marketing has grown substantially in recent years following, among others, acquisitions in Ontario and Alberta. The creation of the U.S. subsidiary, TRIG, The Research Intelligence Group, and the founding and chairing of an international research association – the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN) – comprised of the largest independent research firms in 21 countries around the world, all reflect the international scope of Mr. Léger’s business.
Jean-Marc Léger is involved in his community. Several organizations have relied on him as chairman of their board of directors, including the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the Publicité Club de Montréal. He is a member of the board of directors of TVA GROUP, the daily Le Devoir, the Raoul-Dandurand Chair of American Studies, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, the Board of Trade of Metropolitain Montreal and the Fondation de l’entrepreneurship.
Building on the success of over one hundred market research and strategic consulting professionals, the Leger Marketing firm employs over 500 people in North America.
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Isabelle Marcoux
Vice Chair of the Board and Vice President, Corporate Development
Transcontinental Inc.
Isabelle Marcoux has been Vice Chair of the Board of Transcontinental Inc. since 2007 and Vice President, Corporate Development since 2004. In this latter role, she is responsible for the strategic planning process and mergers and acquisitions.
Between 1997 and 2004, Ms. Marcoux was Director, Mergers and Acquisitions, as well as Director, Legal Affairs and Assistant Corporate Secretary. Before joining Transcontinental, she was a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault LLP.
Ms. Marcoux is a member of the boards of George Weston Limited, Rogers Communications Inc., Power Corporation of Canada and Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. As part of her social contributions, she is a member of the board of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Chair of the Education Committee of the Museum. She is Co-Chair of the 2011-2015 major fundraising campaign of the Fondation Tel-jeunes and Co-chair of the Grand Bal des Vins-Coeurs 2011 of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation. She has been actively involved in a number of fundraising campaigns, such as the Fondation du maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse, the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Centraide and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
In 2007, she was a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 under 40TM award, a national program which honours every year 40 Canadians under 40 who have reached a significant level of success in a private corporation, in the public service or as a member of a non-profit organization.
Ms. Marcoux holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Law, both from McGill University. She has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1995. She is married to François Olivier and they are the parents of two children, Jeanne and Philippe.
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Vassilios Papadopoulos, D. Pharm., Ph. D.
Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Associate Executive Director for Research at the MUHC, Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos oversees one of Canada’s largest research centres. He is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill and holds a Canada Research Chair in Biochemical Pharmacology and the Phil Gold Chair in Medicine at McGill/MUHC.
A graduate of the School of Pharmacy of the University of Athens, Dr. Papadopoulos completed his PhD in Health and Life Science at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. He continued as a post-doctoral researcher in France and Australia. In 1988, he joined the Faculty of Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington D.C where he rose in the ranks to become Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In 2004, Dr. Papadopoulos was appointed Associate Vice President for Research and then Director of the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization at Georgetown University Medical Centre.
Dr. Papadopoulos’ research focus is in the pathophysiology and treatment of diseases related to altered steroid hormone synthesis, including endocrine pathologies, male reproductive disorders, neuropathologies, and cancer. His research has led to a better understanding of both the pathways leading to steroid hormone synthesis, the pharmacology of steroid formation in the periphery and brain, and the identification of new molecules targeting key elements in diseases where steroids play a determining role.
He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and holds numerous patents. He is the recipient of numerous awards and an elected member of the National Academies of Pharmacy and Medicine in France, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the USA and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Dr. Papadopoulos continues to supervise graduate and postgraduate students, serves on review committees of various US, Canadian, European and other government agencies, foundations and corporations and is on the Editorial Board of several scientific journals. He has served on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of biotechnology companies and is a regular consultant for the pharmaceutical industry.
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Madeleine Paquin
President and CEO
Logistec Corporation
Ms. Paquin has been President and CEO of Logistec Corporation since 1996. Primarily a cargo-handling company, Logistec offers marine services through a network of 23 ports in Eastern North America. Logistec is a publicly traded company with its shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Prior to becoming President of Logistec, she held various positions in the marine agency sector.
Ms. Paquin holds directorships in various companies and organizations, including: Canadian Pacific Railway, Aéroports de Montréal and the Chamber of Marine Commerce. She is also a member of the Forum maritime du Québec and the National Marine and Industrial Council. She chairs the St. Lawrence Great Lakes Trade Gateway Leadership Council and is co-chair of the Private Sector Advisory Committee for the Ontario–Québec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.
Ms. Paquin is a graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario where she earned an Honours of Business Administration degree. She is also a graduate of HEC Montréal, where she earned a Graduate Diploma in Administrative Studies.
She was a recipient of the “Top 40 Under 40” in 1998. She also was named No. 1 of the Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs by Canadian Business Magazine and Chatelaine in 1999, and in the top ten every year since then. In 2001, she was proud to receive the Medal of Merit from the Association of Canadian Port Authorities. From 2003 to 2006, she was among the winners of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 award from Women’s Executive Network and has since been inducted to its Hall of Fame.
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Daniel Peritz
Senior Vice-President, Montréal
Canderel Management inc.
Mr. Peritz joined the ranks of Canderel in September 1983. His current responsibilities concern all aspects of the Quebec division, as well as real estate activities in the Ottawa area, including asset management, acquisitions, dispositions, development, leasing, construction and partner and municipal relations. In his 25 years at Candarel, he has levered his broad industry knowledge into many of the company’s more significant and complex transactions in the Montréal marketplace.
Prior to joining Canderel, Mr. Peritz spent four years with a German-based real estate company in the function of property manager for two prestigious office buildings in downtown Montréal. He previously spent three years with Canadian Pacific enterprise’s real estate arm in a leasing role for their office, industrial and commercial buildings portfolio in Quebec.
Mr. Peritz is a member of the board of directors of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal as well as a member of its finance committee, and as former chairman of the board of directors of the Urban Development Institute of Quebec, he is also a member of its Honorary Board of Governors.
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Pierre Pomerleau, Eng., MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Pomerleau inc.
Pierre Pomerleau holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal and a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. His career at Pomerleau began in 1989. From the start, he was involved in the management of the company, its real estate and its manufacturing subsidiaries before succeeding his father, Hervé Pomerleau, in 1997 as President.
Mr. Pomerleau heads companies specializing in construction of large-scale or complex projects, architectural woodwork and wind farms, all leaders in their respective fields. From the moment he became President, his new business vision led the group to experience tremendous growth.
Mr. Pomerleau is supported in his efforts by his brother Francis and some 1,500 other members of the team, whose talents are in evidence across Eastern Canada and numerous U.S. states.
Mr. Pomerleau is active in a number of associations, including the Young Presidents’ Organization, where he was Quebec Chapter President in 2006, and the Cercle des Présidents du Québec, among others. He is often called upon as a guest speaker to share his expertise in the fields of business and management. He is also a trainer for student entrepreneurs at the École d’Entrepreneurship de Beauce.
Involvement in the community is important to Mr. Pomerleau both for him personally and for the company. He participates in numerous fundraising campaigns, and the company supports a large number of organizations in Eastern Canada (from Ontario to Newfoundland). Priority is given to health and education.
Mr. Pomerleau is a dedicated athlete and it is in this spirit that he sets a sports-specific goal for himself that often benefits a charity. He lives by the old saying: “A healthy spirit in a healthy body.”
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Gilbert Rozon
President and Founder
Groupe Juste pour rire
Born in Montreal, the founding President of the Just For Laughs Group grew up in Saint-André d’Argenteuil. Following his law studies at the University of Montreal, he was called to the Bar in 1984. During the same period he created in 1980 his first major event, la Grande Virée in Lachute, which hosted over 60 000 spectators the first year), and drew some of the biggest names in Quebec and France showbiz.
In 1982, Gilbert Rozon realizes that all major art disciplines have their festival ... except comedy. The first Just For Laughs Festival was presented in Montreal in July 1983. Today, the Quebec’s favourite cultural event is presented by Videotron in collaboration with Loto-Quebec and is among the most important cultural gatherings in Canada and is considered the largest comedy event in the world, attracting close to 2 million visitors to Montreal each year.
Since its creation, the Just For Laughs Group’s growth is concentrated on four major focal points: Festivals (Montreal, Toronto, Chicago and Paris); television production (most notably Gags seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); live shows (Jerry Seinfeld, Jeremy Hotz, John Pinette, Louis C.K., the Capital One Just For Laughs Comedy Tour, North American dates for Family Guy Live!, Arturo Brachetti’s show Change in London); and talent management. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto and London.
In 2009, during a speech before the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, Gilbert Rozon presents his vision for the future of Montreal based on the credo that our city is the "City of creativity". His ideas generate a strong positive response from the city’s decision-makers, and from the general public.
Gilbert Rozon is the instigator of the Montreal Festivals Collective, the consolidation of Québec’s major international events with the creation of the RÉMI; he also originated the Canadian Festivals Coalition.
He was honoured in 2007 by the Québec Tourism award and the Banff World Television Festival which awarded him the Peter Ustinov Award. Since 2006, he is a judge on the reality TV show France’s Got Talent. At the request of the Québec Minister of Tourism, Nicole Ménard, Gilbert Rozon chaired the Performance Committee of the Québec tourism industry.
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Javier San Juan
President and CEO
L’Oréal Canada Inc.
Mr. Javier San Juan is President and Chief Executive Officer of L’Oréal Canada since April 2006, subsequent to a 17 year career path within the L’Oréal Group.
He now manages the 7th most important business subsidiary of the multinational in the world, one of the most flourishing of the 130 other group holdings.
L’Oréal Canada employs more than 1,200 persons and has 3 establishments in the Greater Montréal region: the head office, the distribution center and a high performing manufacturing plant servicing more than 40 countries in the world.
Mr. San Juan took on the mandate of developing, at a rate twice as fast as the cosmetic market, the Group’s diversified brands. Whether originating from Europe, like Lancôme, Yves Saint-Laurent, Giorgio Armani and L’Oréal Paris, or from North America like Maybelline New York, Redken and Kiehl’s, or from Asia like Shu Uemura, these brands offer in Canada products to consumers from such diverse worlds as luxury, professional salons, pharmacies and mass distribution.
This diversity allows, according to Mr. San Juan, L’Oréal Canada to accomplish its mission: “To improve the quality of life of our consumers, giving access to beauty day after day, within the reach of every woman and every man”.
His previous experiences within the company led Mr. San Juan to manage the Group in Argentina and Romania, after holding the position of Director of Finance and Operations in Russia from 1994 to 1998. His first Sales and Marketing Director experiences in Spain and France fostered the core credentials required for any high-end director at L’Oréal.
Equipped with a Master’s degree in Law and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University ICADE in Spain, as well as a post-graduated diploma from HEC Paris, Mr. San Juan began his international career in the Finance Department at the Head Office of the pharmaceutical group Sandoz (known today as Novartis) and he also worked at one of its subsidiaries in the Philippines as Financial Manager.
Extremely engaged with the countries he lived in during his career, Mr. San Juan speaks four languages. He is a Board Member of the Luminato Festival in Toronto, of Business for the Arts and of Pan/Parapan American Games Corporation as well as an Advisory Board Member of Schulich School of Business at York University, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Just for Laughs Group and a Member of the Comité de pilotage du Plan d’action 2007-2017 − Montréal, métropole culturelle. He also collaborates for Undergraduate and MBA Programs at HEC Montréal. Mr. San Juan is married and the proud father of three girls, the youngest of which is a little Canadian born in January 2008.
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Cynthia Sanlian
President
Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal
Cynthia Sanlian holds a B.A. in Finance from HEC Montreal.
In 2007, Ms. Sanlian joined CIBC Commercial Banking, where she currently endeavours as Manager. She partners with companies to promote their growth.
Before being appointed as President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal, Cynthia has had an active role within the organisation over the past three years. Before her appointment as Vice President, ARISTA Provincial Competition (2010-2011), she developed an expertise in the Leadership Action Program first as a volunteer in the Mentoring program committee (2008-2009) and then as a Director for the Leadership Action Training committee (2009-2010).
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Kim Thomassin
Managing Partner, Québec Region
McCarthyTétrault
Kim Thomassin is McCarthy Tétrault's Managing Partner, Québec Region.
Ms.Thomassin’s practice focuses mainly on project financing in the areas of energyand infrastructure, acquisition and financing, and commercial transactions. She has also represented various public institutions and developers in connection with public-private partnerships.
She has developed in-depth industry knowledge in the renewable energy and infrastructure sector. Over the last few years, she has been involved in some of the most prominent Canadian and international transactions in this sector, including as counsel for Kruger Energy Port Alma, Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
Since 2008, she has been a member of McCarthy Tétrault’s national leadership team and, as Managing Partner and a member of the Diversity Task Force, she is a great ambassador for one of the firm's highest priorities — the advancement of women lawyers' careers.
In August 2008, Ms. Thomassin acted as co-chair of the Canadian Bar Association's(CBA) 2008 Legal Conference and Expo, considered the most important annual convention for legal professionals in Canada.
Ms.Thomassin received her BCL/LLB from Université Laval in 1996, after completing a minor in psychology at McGill University. She also studied at the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Law. She was called to the Québec bar in 1996 and is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
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George Tsitouras
APartner, Tax Services
Ernst & Young LLP
President
Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
George Tsitouras joined the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal in 2007 and became the President of the organization in 2011.
In 2003, he joined the Board of Directors of Centraide of Greater Montréal. He was a member of its Audit Committee in 2004 and 2005 and member of its Executive Committee as its Treasurer, and the Chairman of its Audit Committee in 2006 and 2007.
Mr. Tsitouras is Partner at Ernst & Young, and is the Business Tax Compliance Canadian Leader for U.S. and Global Services. He has over 20 years of experience with the firm and has helped develop high-value tax strategies for Canadian companies expanding and operating in the U.S. and offshore.
He advises a diverse group of companies in a variety of industries, including retail, manufacturing, natural resources, transportation and distribution.
Mr. Tsitouras has been a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants since 1994.
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Martine Turcotte, Ad. E., B.C.L., LL.B., MBA
Vice Chair, Québec
Bell
As Vice Chair, Québec, Martine Turcotte is responsible for driving the company’s business, government and community investment initiatives across Québec.
Appointed to this role in July 2011, Ms. Turcotte is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of strategic, legal and regulatory career achievements at Bell, many involving multibillion-dollar acquisitions, mergers, divestments, debt and equity financings.
In 1999, Ms. Turcotte was the first woman to be named Chief Legal Officer of Bell and the youngest to join the ranks of the executive team. As CLO, and since 2008 as Chief Legal & Regulatory Officer, she has headed one of the largest corporate law departments in Canada. Early in her career, she was an associate with the law firm McCarthy Tétrault.
Martine Turcotte is a member of the Board of Governors of McGill University and of the Boards of Directors of Bell Aliant Inc., Bimcor Inc. and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). She is also Chair of Théâtre Espace Go Inc.
Ms. Turcotte graduated from McGill University with Bachelors in Civil Law and Common Law and holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the London Business School. She was the first winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the 2005 Canadian General Counsel Awards. In addition, she was named as one of the Top 100 most powerful women in Canada in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and in 2008 was inducted to the Top 100 Hall of Fame. She received the title of Advocatus Emeritus from the Québec Bar Association in 2009 for professional excellence and success in her career.
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The board of directors has nominated three observer members:
Hélène Desmarais
Founder, Chair and CEO
Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal
Founder, CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal (CEIM) since 1996, Hélène Desmarais holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from HEC Montréal. CEIM is a business incubator, with an emphasis on startups as well as the development of innovative IT, multimedia, industrial technology and biotech companies. CEIM supports the emergence of viable, innovative and successful companies from those sectors which are an economic priority for the Greater Metropolitan Area of Montréal and the province of Quebec.
Ms. Desmarais is founder and Chair of the Board of Directors and of the Entrepreneurial Development Committee of the Société de développement économique Ville-Marie (SDEVM) since 1998. She is both Chair of the Board of Directors and of the Financial Assistance Committee of the SDEVM's Société d'Investissement Jeunesse (SIJ) Loan Guarantee Program. The primary mission of these two organizations is to promote entrepreneurship and economic development. The SDEVM primarily offers commercial loan guarantees to startup companies. The SIJ offers personal loan guarantees to young entrepreneurs under 35 who wish to start, acquire or become an associate in a Quebec business.
Gestion Bio-Capital Inc. was founded in 1997 and was led by Ms. Desmarais as Chair of the Board of Directors until the sale of the fund in 2001. She was also a member of the verification and investment committees and member of the private investment evaluation committee at the time of the sale of the fund. Gestion Bio-Capital Inc. was a venture capital organization specializing in biotech startups.
In 2003, Ms. Desmarais was appointed first female President of HEC's Board of Directors, to which she had been named in 1999. She is Co-President and founder of the International Advisory Board of HEC Montréal (1990); Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Medicine (2006); President of the Advisory Board of the Hospital Centre of the Université de Montréal (CHUM) since 2008; President of the Advisory Board and member of the Board of Governors of the Conference of Montreal (International Economic Forum of the Americas, 1995); President of the Board of Directors of The Montreal Economic Institute (2007), where she has held a seat since 2002. In 2007, Ms. Desmarais is Chair the Board of Directors of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, following a tenure as First Vice-President which began in 2006. She sits on the Board of the Board of Trade since 2002 and has sat on its Executive Committee since 2005. She has been Deputy Chair of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and of its Endowment Funds since 2004 and is founder and Chair of the OSM Foundation since 2008.
Ms. Desmarais also sits on the following boards of directors: Garda World Security Corporation (2006); C.D. Howe Institute (2005); the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations (2005); of the IRCM – Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (2005); of Génome Québec (2002); of VAL-CHUM – Société de valorisation des recherches du CHUM (2004); and of SDA – Société de développement Technopôle Angus (2005). She is a member of the Conseil des partenaires de l'innovation (CPI), which falls under the aegis of Quebec's Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (2006). She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Royal Society of Canada (2008).
Elliot Lifson
Vice-Chairman
Vêtements Peerless Clothing inc.
For the past 35 years, Elliot Lifson has been working in the Canadian apparel industry. He is President of the Canadian Apparel Federation; member of the Federal Government Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade; member of the Advisory Council to the Retail Council of Canada for the Advancement of Responsible Trade; Chairman of the advisory board to the Government of Quebec for the apparel industry; member of the economic advisory board for the Apparel industry for the City of Montréal; member of the board of directors of the Apparel Manufacturers Institute of Quebec; member of the Apparel Human Resource Council of Canada; Director of the Montréal Fashion Foundation and the Montréal Fashion Week. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Management at McGill University.
He is active in many community activities, including the board of directors of PROMIS (Promotion, Intégration, Société nouvelle), the Fondation de la tolerance, and the Segal Center. He is also a member of the Barreau du Québec and the Lord Reading Law Society.
He is a graduate in Law from the Université de Montréal, and a graduate from the University of Western Ontario with an MBA.
Erik Ryan*
Senior Vice-President, Communications and External Relations
Rio Tinto Alcan
Erik Ryan holds a B. Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University (1987) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School (1995).
Mr. Ryan joins Alcan Inc. in September 2002 as Director, Strategic Management Support. He is part of the Pechiney acquisition team, and is later co-leader of the Alcan-Pechiney Integration Leadership Team in Paris. In the fall of 2004, he becomes Vice-President, Strategy and Business Development, for Alcan Packaging Global Beauty sector. In January 2005, Mr. Ryan is appointed Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Communications, for Alcan Primary Metal Group. In 2007, Regional Industrial Diversification and an aerospace and nuclear alloys casting plant are added to his responsibilities, as he becomes Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations and Communications.
Erik Ryan first became involved with the Board of Trade in 2002 through the strategic analysis committee on economic development before joining the board of directors and then, its executive committee.
Prior to joining Rio Tinto Alcan, Mr. Ryan was Secretary General of the Sommet de Montréal 2002, in charge of designing and conducting this foundational event created to identify the strategic priorities and initiatives critical to the new City of Montréal.
Between 1995 and 2001, following his studies in Boston, Mr. Ryan worked as a consultant for Monitor Company, a Boston consultancy. Between 1995 and 1997, he headed its Paris office. Between 1989 and 1993, he was political advisor to Gérald Tremblay, then Minister of Industry, Trade, and Technology. At that time, Mr. Ryan contributed to the design and deployment of the industrial cluster strategy, and to negotiating the social contract.
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