2008 Relève d'Excellence Awards: Talented Young Managers and Entrepreneurs Honoured
May 13, 2008
The 2008 Relève d'Excellence awards organized by the Réseau HEC Montréal, always a popular event, brought together some 350 alumni and business figures this morning to salute the talents and achievements of a number of HEC Montréal alumni under age 35. The 23rd edition of this breakfast gala, with Robert Blain (BBA 1979), Senior Vice-President and CFO of Cirque du Soleil, serving as Honorary Chair, was held at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
The winners in the different categories were:
- Young Professional: Patrice Simard (MBA 2005), pharmacist and owner, Pharmacie Patrice Simard, affiliated with Pharmaprix;
- Entrepreneur: Alix Muller (BBA 1997), President and CEO, Commsoft Technologies;
- Small and Medium-Size Business: Gesner Hudon (BBA 1999), Director of Retail Sales and Marketing, Déco Den Systems, owner of La Grange à tapis;
- Large Business: Dominic Giroux (MBA 2002), Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities.
There were some forty outstanding candidates this year. Two of them in particular caught the eye of the 20 members of our prestigious jury and were presented with the Jury’s Choice award. They are:
- Virginie Bronsard (MBA 2004), Vice-President, Culture and Engagement, Sodexo, finalist in the Large Business category; and
- Pascale Clauzier (BBA 1999), co-founder, OÖM Ethikwear.
The winners in the 2008 edition of the Relève d'Excellence awards each received a one-year subscription to the Entre-vues and Rencontres avec un leader series of meetings organized by Réseau HEC Montréal, as well as a two-day trip to James Bay, courtesy of Hydro-Québec, the official presenter of the event, and a trophy created by glassblower François Perreault.
From left to right: Michel Patry, Director of HEC Montréal, Robert Blain, Alix Muller, Virginie ronsard, Dominic Giroux, Gesner Hudon, Michel Lemay, Director of Alumni Services, Pascale Clauzier, Jean-Luc Chabot, Director – Succession Planning and Development, Human Resources and Shared Services Group, Hydro-Québec, Patrice Simard, and Michel Servant, Partner, Lavery, de Billy, and President of the Organizing Committee.