Montréal International named best in the world a second time
After being recognized as the best economic development agency in the world by the International Economic Development Council two months ago, today Montréal International (MI) earned the prize for best investment promotion agency, awarded by fDi Intelligence, a Financial Times publication, when the fDi Strategy Awards were announced.
Greater Montréal joined the select club of past winning cities, among the likes of Barcelona, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo. According to the jury of experts, MI stood out throughout 2020 with its FDI attraction strategy, earning several awards, for its customer service and its digital activities.
“What outstanding global recognition! It feels as if we’re winning the world championships AND the Olympics within a few weeks for our economic development,” said Stéphane Paquet, President and CEO of Montréal International. “I would like to mention the agility and perseverance of the 80 professionals on our team for this latest achievement. They are all experts in their field and driven by this same ambition to promote Greater Montréal on the international scene.”
Members of the jury also awarded MI the prize for best agency in FDI attraction in the fields of AI, video games and visual effects, as well as a second prize for its foreign subsidiaries follow-up strategy and its potential for an economic recovery.
“Congratulations to Montréal International for this new and well-deserved recognition that puts a spotlight on Québec and the whole country. Thanks to key partners such as Montréal International, we can have much hope in a recovery. Despite the pandemic, the MI team has stepped up efforts to keep positioning Montréal as a city known the world over for its innovation and technological prowess. The efforts rolled out to increase the drawing power of Montréal on the international stage will certainly help to achieve the goal set by our government to create a million jobs in the country,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Minister Responsible for Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions.
The Mayor of Montréal and President of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, Valérie Plante, commended the impact MI had on Montréal’s economic development. “In this year marked by an unprecedented health crisis, the city has the immense privilege of being able to count on Montréal International and its team of critical allies who, despite the circumstances, were able to stay the course and help ensure the city’s economic vitality and cement its international reputation.”
Over $2B in FDI supported by MI in 2020
The many projects supported by Montréal International this year will undoubtedly help support the local economy, which shows resilience. Case in point, among the 20 major cities in Canada and the U.S., Montréal achieved the best recovery rate for job losses since the start of the pandemic.
Some projects in 2020:
- Webhelp, customer service, 1,000 jobs
- Phoenix Labs, video games, 250 jobs
- Slalom, technology consultancy, 200 jobs
- BusPatrol, technology/transportation, 150 jobs
- Maltem, cybersecurity and digital transformation, 100 jobs
- Auticonsult, IT consultancy, 100 jobs
- Generix, logistics/supply chains, 70 jobs
- GoSecure, cybersecurity, 70 jobs
- Peritus.ai, artificial intelligence, 30 jobs
- Kraft, agri-food, 30 jobs
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