Montréal International welcomes new influential members to its board of directors

To support economic growth in Greater Montréal

Montréal, April 25, 2017 – At the end of its Annual General Meeting, Montréal International welcomed three new influential members from the Montréal business community to its Board of Directors: Mitch Garber, CEO, Caesars Acquisition Company, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cirque du Soleil; Paul Lirette, President, Canada Pharmaceuticals, GSK; and Élise Proulx, Vice President, Communications and Government Affairs, Hydro-Québec. The three new members join Nathalie Lachance, Vice President Marketing Mouvement, Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, who was appointed earlier this year, along with thirty other members already on the Board.

“Montréal International brings everyone in Greater Montréal together around a common goal. That’s hundreds of partners, municipalities, governments and businesses joining forces to make Greater Montréal more attractive and enhance its international status. And when I say everyone, I also mean our Board members, who come from both the public and business sector and share the same commitment to move the region forward”, said L. Jacques Ménard, President of the Board of Directors, Montréal International, Chairman, BMO Nesbitt Burns and President, BMO Financial Group, Québec.

Impressive complementary backgrounds

Mitch Garber is the CEO of Caesars Acquisition Company, in addition to being the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cirque du Soleil, of which he is a minority shareholder. A lawyer by training, Mr. Garber has headed several companies listed on NASDAQ, and on the Montréal, Toronto and London stock exchanges. Caesars Interactive Entertainment, which he founded in 2009, quickly became one of the largest online gaming companies in the world.

Paul Lirette is the President, Canada Pharmaceuticals, GSK. He is responsible for all of GSK’s pharmaceutical operations in Canada and currently sits on the Canadian Country Management Board representing the Pharma business. Mr. Lirette has over 25 years of pharmaceutical experience and has held international leadership roles with GSK in both Europe and Australia.

Élise Proulx is Vice President, Communications and Government Affairs, at Hydro-Québec. She is responsible for internal and external communications, public and government affairs, marketing and community relations. Ms. Proulx is a seasoned manager with more than 20 years of experience in the field of Communications.

In her role as Vice President Marketing Mouvement at Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, Nathalie Lachance leads marketing, member/client experience and business intelligence across business units, networks and companies. Before joining Desjardins, Nathalie worked at the marketing communications agencies Cossette and Sid Lee as Vice President Practice Lead. She also worked in private and public companies in the areas of technology, entertainment and professional services.

Makeup of the Board of Directors

At its Annual General Meeting, Montréal International also reappointed seven members to its Board of Directors, which is now made up of the following individuals (N=New, R=Reappointed):

Jacques Ménard, President of the Board of Directors, Montréal International and Chairman, BMO Nesbitt Burns and President, BMO Financial Group, Québec
Hubert Bolduc, President and Chief Executive Officer, Montréal International
Jean Laurin, Vice President of the Board, Montréal International and President and Chief Executive Officer, NKF Devencore (R)
Tony Loffreda, Treasurer of the Board, Montréal International and Vice Chairman, RBC Wealth Management (R)

Private Sector Representatives

Francis Baillet, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Ubisoft
Alain Batty, Founder, Batty & Associates
Éric Bédard, Managing Partner for the Québec region, Fasken Martineau (R)
Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University (R)
Marie-Josée Gagnon, CEO and Founder, Casacom

Mitch Garber, CEO, Caesars Acquisition Company, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cirque du Soleil (N)
Peter Kruyt, Vice President, Power Corporation of Canada (R)
Nathalie Lachance, Vice President Marketing Mouvement, Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec (N)
Paul Lirette, President, Canada Pharmaceuticals, GSK (N)
Jean-Luc Monfort, General Manager, Blue Solutions Canada (R)
John Parisella, Senior Advisor, Business Outreach, NATIONAL and Executive Director, Campus Montréal
Pierre Pilote, Leader – Government Affairs Industry Group and Partner, Gowling WLG

Élise Proulx, Vice President, Communications and Government Affairs, Hydro-Québec (N)
Philippe Rainville, President and CEO, Aéroports de Montréal
Louise Roy, Chancellor and Chairman of the Board, Université de Montréal and President of the Board, CIRANO
Jean Wilhelmy, Senior Vice President Aerospace, Construction, Services and Transportation, Solidarity Fund QFL (R)

Public Sector Representatives

Harout Chitilian, Vice President of the Executive Committee, City of Montréal
Denis Coderre, Mayor, City of Montréal and President, Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
Marlene Cordato, Mayor, City of Boisbriand
Richard Deschamps, Councillor of the City of Montréal, LaSalle Borough
Virginie Dufour, Member of the Executive Committee, City of Laval
Julie Ethier, Director, Développement économique de l’agglomération de Longueuil
Manon Gauthier, Member of the Executive Committee, City of Montréal
Claude Haineault, Mayor, City of Beauharnois

Observers

Claude Gagnon, General Manager Operations and Chief, Office of the Chairman, BMO Nesbitt Burns and of the President, BMO Financial Group, Québec
Marie-Chantal Girard, Vice President, Policy and Communications, Canada Economic Development for Québec regions
Céline Haytayan, Deputy Corporate Secretary, Montréal International
Manon Lecours, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Occupation du territoire
Valérie Vézina, Vice President – Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, Montréal International

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Established in 1996, Montréal International is a non-profit organization funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and the City of Montréal. Its mission is to attract foreign investment, international organizations and skilled talent to Greater Montréal.