Campus news

HEC Montréal shines at the finale of La Dictée P.G.L. de la Francophonie

March 24, 2026

HEC Montréal held the grand finale of La Dictée P.G.L. de la Francophonie at the Hélène Desmarais Building on March 20, 2026. For the fifth year running, the School served as the presenting partner in the competitive segment for adults.

Five people on the stage during the grand finale of La Dictée P.G.L. de La Francophonie at HEC Montréal.

Silver Award winner Marion Demers (center) with Marc-Olivier Gaudreault, Natalie Roussel, Olivier Bertin-Mahieux and Pierre-Olivier Zappa.

Winners of La Dictée

HEC Montréal shone once again this year, thanks to an outstanding performance by Marion Demers, Student, MSc en gestion de l’innovation sociale, who secured second place in the ranking. The School was also proudly represented in the final round by Yolaine Martineau, Advisor – Recognition of Acquired Competencies at the Registrar’s office.

Francophone category:

Gold
Esther Paul, EY (Ernst & Young LLP)
Silver
Marion Demers, HEC Montréal (student participation)
Bronze
Jenny Desjardins, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Non-Francophone category:

Gold
Christophe Sobolewski, City of Montréal
Silver
Samia Farah, Bausch Health, Canada Inc.
Bronze
Evguenia Petrova, Ordre des CPA du Québec

Significant participation from the professional community

Nearly 250 people took part in the final event, demonstrating a sustained interest in promoting French in the workplace. More than 90 participants, hailing from over 70 companies, organizations and universities, sailed through the qualifying round and advanced to the finals in both the Francophone and non-Francophone categories.

Pierre-Olivier Zappa, TVA anchor and spokesperson for the event, hosted the grand finale and also joined in for the dictation. The official dictation of the text was performed by Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s Minister of the French Language, Minister Responsible for Canadian Relations and Canadian Francophonie and Minister Responsible for Secularism.

The text for the finale, entitled De l’ivresse à la tempérance, was written by author Alice Prophète, and offered a reflection on contemporary financial behaviour, contrasting surges of impulsive consumption with a more prudent and informed management of resources.

Renewed mobilization in favour of French

HEC Montréal launched the activities for the 2026 edition on February 26. A panel on financial well-being brought together several specialists, including Philippe d’Astous, Associate Professor in HEC Montréal’s Department of Finance.

The qualifying round dictation took place after the round table discussion. The text was co-authored by David Boisclair, Executive Director of the Retirement and Savings Institute and the Financial Education Lab, and Valérie Patenaude, Business French Coordinator at HEC Montréal's Business Language Training Centre. Both of them also contributed to putting together the preparatory material offered to the participants.

About the Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie

The Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie [in French only] is a non-profit organization whose mission is to contribute to the improvement of living conditions of communities through quality education in Africa and Haiti. The Fondation is also well known for its projects in socio-economic empowerment, health and food security, sustainable development, and gender equality. In Canada, it undertakes activities to increase awareness of international cooperation and solidarity.