SPECIAL MENTION 2019
Nathalie Lehoux is the Head of Pacini, a chain of more than 30 Italian restaurants established in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta, since 2014.
Lehoux emerged as a precursor of a new type of management within her organization and industry: “happy leadership”, which attaches great importance to the human resources component.
To be a good leader, you have to walk the talk.
She acknowledges that happy employees are the best ambassadors of a business as they can have a direct impact on the quality of the customer experience.
In 2017, she reinvented her titled to become Happy President, by fully assuming the perception of her peers towards her: a happy, loving, loyal and attentive person who likes to bring people together. The love of people, employees, customers, community members, franchisees, suppliers and partners is what guides her everyday thought process, decisions and actions.
Five years ago, Nathalie introduced the For the Love of People program, which supports local community organizations in the regions in which Pacini operates.
Happy leadership
Coming from the world of technology and finance, Lehoux has about 30 years of experience in various spheres of business.
At Pacini since 2002, she held several positions in the company before accepting the presidency in 2014. She is responsible for the company’s 360-degree vision and the strategic shift it announced last fall, aimed in particular at establishing more than 200 restaurants across North America in the next 10 years.
Lehoux is actively involved in several associations and business committees such as the Cercle des présidents du Québec, which she recently joined, and the Leadership au féminin, a program for which she has been an ambassador since 2017. She is also the co-founder of the female cohort of the Conseil québécois de la franchise (CQF), Les femmes en toute franchise, whose mission is to share, inspire women and promote the franchise.