2019 Person of the Year Awards Gala: Celebrating Those Who Dare!

Quebec business leaders honoured, including Lino A. Saputo, Jr., named Person of the Year

MONTRÉAL, May 9, 2019 – More than 500 people were gathered tonight in Windsor Station’s Salle des pas perdus during a festive, colourful evening, emceed by the talented Gregory Charles and Rebecca Makonnen, to pay tribute to leaders who, in their own way, contributed to the success of their business and Quebec as a whole.

A productive collaboration between academia and business

This first edition of the Person of the Year competition was organized by Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton and the John Molson School of Business to celebrate business people participating in the development of local visionary businesses and the emergence of tomorrow’s talent throughout Quebec. The competition is also an opportunity to foster true networking between academia and the business world, while rewarding John Molson School of Business students in the accounting program for their academic performance and efforts devoted to the success of their studies.

Anne-Marie Croteau, Dean of Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business said: “We are extremely proud of this highly successful inaugural edition of the competition. The Personality of the Year Awards are unique. They help inspire John Molson School of Business students while promoting a better connection with the business community. Giving the next generation the leadership and inspiration needed to achieve their ambitions, that’s what we strive to endorse and encourage with this competition and evening.”

Inspiring business people honoured

The evening’s winners in the four categories are:

• Dominic Gagnon, Co-Founder, Connect&Go. Eclipse category: “A leader who moves the market or creates a brand new one”;
• Patrice Marin, Co-Founder, district m. Glocal category: “A leader who has achieved local success through international activities”;
• Marie-Claude Boisvert, Partner, Clearspring Capital Partners. Instinct category: “A team responsible for an innovative, complex transaction that ensures the development and growth of a local innovative company”;
• Lino A. Saputo, Jr., President and CEO, Saputo Inc., Person of the Year category: “A leader who carried his organization to a new level through his vision and leadership”.

The selection committee members, Hubert Bolduc, President and CEO, Montréal International; Étienne Borgeat, President and CEO and Co-Founder, PsyXnovation; Ingrid Chadwick, Associate Professor, John Molson School of Business; Barbara Henchey, Director, Office of the Dean, John Molson School of Business; Alexandra Panaccio, Associate Professor, John Molson School of Business; and Bastien Poulain, Founding President, 1642, also awarded a jury’s favourite prize to Nathalie Lehoux, President, Pacini restaurants for her ability to take a role and redefine what it means to be a leader. Lehoux took an established brand like Pacini and decided to reinvent it, with great ambitions for the future.

Note that the winners were selected by a committee comprising representatives of the academic and business worlds.

Student talent rewarded

This special celebration was also an opportunity to recognize the excellence of four students. In addition to receiving a $5,000 bursary, these students will have the opportunity to participate in an “innovation immersion” project, led by experts from Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Catallaxy, a subsidiary of the firm specializing in blockchain technology and Operio, another subsidiary, specializing in cloud accounting. Congratulations to Victoria Cardillo, Alex Tzozis, Karine Wong and Wenjing Zhou.

Emilio B. Imbriglio, President and CEO of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is also extremely pleased with this inaugural edition of the competition and said: “It’s important to foster entrepreneurship education with young people, enhance the economic and social role of business in society and celebrate business successes. The achievements of tonight’s finalists and winners deserve as much praise as the Olympic and professional feats of our heroes. The purpose of this competition is to recognize the talent of the people who make Quebec shine in the world of business and our up-and-coming talent who will be next to do so. Congratulations to the finalists, winners and bursary recipients. We’re very proud of you.”

To find out more about this major competition and stay abreast of details about the 2nd edition, visit www.rcgt.com/en/awards.

About Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton

Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton is a professional services firm dedicated to the success of organizations and their leaders since 1948. The firm‘s advisors are committed to helping clients thrive by obtaining a deep understanding of what is important to them, their business and their industry. This knowledge, combined with a team of motivated and talented professionals help accelerate growth. A Quebec and Canadian leader in the areas of assurance, tax, advisory services and business recovery and reorganization, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton boasts more than 2,600 professionals, including approximately 200 partners, working in over 100 offices across the province of Quebec and in the Ottawa and Edmundston regions.

Together with Grant Thornton LLP, another Canadian firm, and the Grant Thornton global organization, our global footprint spans across more than 135 countries with over 53,000 people who provide real insight, a fresh perspective and agility to keep clients moving ahead.

About John Molson School of Business

Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business is one of the largest business schools in the world. Focused on academic excellence, John Molson School of Business provides an engaging learning and research environment that inspires us to go beyond the commonplace for the development of business and society. Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business since 1997, John Molson School of Business offers programs at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. John Molson School of Business’s internationally renowned faculty members are constantly pushing the boundaries of business research, and its experiential learning activities provide students with hands-on training that complements classroom instruction. The school’s state-of-the-art facilities are housed in the LEED Silver-certified John Molson School of Business Building, the vibrant green centre of Concordia University’s Sir George Williams Campus in downtown Montréal.

– 30 –

Source:

Francis Letendre
Head – Public Affairs
Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton
Tel.: 514-390-4201
[email protected]

Jordan Keenan
Communications Advisor
Concordia University
514-848-2424, ext. 4880
[email protected]

Raymond Chabot Gant Thornton is proud to collaborate with the prestigious Prix Créateurs d’emploi du Québec again this year, a competition that honours local businesses that have grown in the past year.

As a partner of this 3rd edition, we invite eligible organizations to participate in large numbers.

Applying is easy: just fill in a short online form.

The application deadline is May 31, 2019.

The competition criteria are as follows:

• Number of jobs created or maintained during 2018, approach that led to the success and sustainable job recreation or maintenance development.
• Additional criteria for the Grand Prix créateurs d’emplois – innovation and productivity include product, procedure, organizational and marketing innovation.

Over thirty prizes will be awarded during the October 15, 2019 gala at the Centre des congrès de Québec to be attended by more than 1,000 guests, the Premier of Quebec and numerous business leaders.

Rewarding innovative local businesses that stand out is always a source of pride. Sign up now!

What options are available for a self-employed worker in debt? Bankruptcy is sometimes the only solution, but another option may be considered.

In a La Presse interview, Éric Lebel, Partner and Licensed Insolvency Trustee at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, explains why bankruptcy may be a solution for planning retirement.

He looks at the example of a self-employed worker struggling with a high debt load and proposes various debt repayment scenarios. Lebel mentions that, in addition to bankruptcy, another lesser-known option is available: a consumer proposal, a reduced repayment agreement with creditors.

Read Lebel’s advice (in French) for avoiding debt issues as retirement draws near.

Are you have experiencing financial difficulties? Call on an expert for a confidential consultation at no charge.