Laurent Ferreira is President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank, a position he has held since November 2021. He is responsible for the strategies, orientations and development of the Bank and its subsidiaries, with the support of the Senior Leadership Team. At the time of his appointment, Mr. Ferreira was Chief Operating Officer.

Mr. Ferreira started his career at Bankers Trust where he worked for two years. He joined National Bank in 1998 and successively held the positions of Senior Manager, then Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Derivatives and Equities within the Financial Markets group. From 2018 to 2021, Mr. Ferreira was Executive Vice-President and Co-Head, Financial Markets.

Mr. Ferreira was a member of the Hydro-Québec Board of Directors for several years. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Groupe CH and the Business Council of Canada. Mr. Ferreira is actively involved in the community and supports various causes. He has co-chaired fundraising campaigns for the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, the Montreal Women’s Y Foundation, and the Centraide United Way campaign for Greater Montreal. He currently co-chairs the Grow Beyond campaign for the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.

Mr. Ferreira has a Master’s degree in Finance from HEC Montréal and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Université du Québec à Montréal.

Lucie Calisto is Vice President, Client Partner at Talsom, where she leads the Supply Chain Management consulting practice. With extensive international experience, she brings expertise in digital transformation, solution architecture, business development, and organizational integration, having led strategic initiatives in various countries, such as Brazil, India, and across Europe.

With an academic background in Child Psychology, a Certificate in Economics, and an MBA in Business Management, she combines strategic vision, a deep understanding of human dynamics, and technological expertise to guide organizations through complex transformations.

Deeply committed to giving back, Lucie actively supports initiatives empowering women experiencing homelessness. She also serves as a mentor with CUSO International and supports eight young women internationally in their personal development and journey toward independence. A strong believer in the transformative power of education, leadership, and mentorship, she is passionate about creating meaningful and lasting social impact.

Holding a Graduate Diploma in Management and Sustainable Development (DESS) from HEC Montréal, Céline Berre joined Hydro-Québec’s sustainable procurement team in early 2023. Her role is to help procurement advisors integrate sustainability criteria into contracts and supplier selection processes. Convinced that sustainable procurement helps foster positive and lasting business models, she enjoys engaging with stakeholders on Hydro-Québec’s expectations and vision in this area in order to create a ripple effect across the Québec market.

Before focusing on sustainability, Céline worked for many years as a senior marketing research consultant, notably with the polling and market research firm CROP. In that role, she supported organizations across a wide range of sectors in understanding their customers’ needs and developing strategic thinking related to brand positioning.

A committed leader and accomplished executive, Marie Pier Germain is one of the most dynamic figures in Canada’s independent hotel industry. Representing the third generation at the helm of Germain Hotels, she brings a contemporary, people-focused vision deeply rooted in Canadian values. For nearly 20 years, she has played a key role in the group’s growth, which now includes 20 hotels, 15 restaurants, and three distinct banners. She leads digital strategy, guest experience, employer brand positioning, and IT development, while also contributing to the design and launch of new properties.

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University and an EMBA from McGill–HEC, she serves on the board of the Canada Council for the Arts, and l’Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec. A mother of three, she is passionate about human connections, women’s leadership, and passing on the spirit of hospitality to the next generation.

Veronica B. Marquez, M.Sc., CSSBB, is President and Senior Consultant of Aristeío Consulting Group. She helps organizations design resilient execution systems that sustain performance in complex, regulated or high-growth environments.

For more than twenty years, she has helped organizations build these systems through operational excellence, continuous improvement, supply chain optimization, operational governance and risk management. Her approach connects strategy to day-to-day operations, enabling organizations to make better decisions, absorb growth, manage complexity and sustain performance in constantly changing environments.

Veronica is particularly interested in the factors that enable organizations to perform under pressure while remaining agile, accountable and sustainable. She also supports organizations seeking to enter highly regulated markets, particularly in the defence sector, by helping them strengthen their organizational capabilities, governance and operational readiness in order to demonstrate their reliability in critical supply chains.

A speaker and lecturer in the Master's program in Operations Management at UQAM, she actively contributes to advancing practices in organizational resilience and operational excellence.

After graduating from business school in France, I began my career in direct and indirect procurement in Vietnam and Singapore. I have been with L’Oréal Canada in Montreal for the past ten years, working for Indirect Corporate Sourcing, across a range of categories, including supply chain, IT, corporate services and marketing services (Media, Content, Influencer). I currently lead a procurement team covering Retail & Promotion and Media.

Cynthia Sanlian joined National Bank in 2026 as Vice-President – SME Banking. She leads a national team of more than 150 professionals and oversees the development of key strategic plans and partnerships. Her mandate is to accelerate growth and support the expansion of the SME segment across Canada.

An experienced leader, Cynthia has nearly 20 years of experience in the banking sector. Before joining National Bank, she most recently led a national SME team at another major financial institution, prior to which she held mandates within the cash management, wealth management, credit risk and commercial banking segments.

Cynthia is recognized for her engaging leadership and ability to generate sustained growth in complex and constantly changing environments. An influential figure in the Canadian banking sector, she is firmly committed to supporting entrepreneurs' success and contributing to economic growth.

Committed to her community, she served on the Board of Directors of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal for several years, where she actively contributed to the promotion and development of the business community.

Cynthia has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, specialising in Finance, from HEC Montréal.

Mylène Duguay is the CEO and owner of Cabana Séguin and Colpron, a creative agency and studio specializing in brand creation, corporate communications, cartography and packaging design. Both certified B Corps, the companies are based in the Greater Montréal area.

After more than 15 years of communications experience in organizations of all sizes, she chose the path of entrepreneurship. In 2016, she began the gradual buyout of Cabana Séguin, becoming its sole shareholder in 2020. She is proud to be the third generation to lead this pioneering agency, founded in 1959.

Driven by a desire for growth, she acquired the creative studio Colpron in 2022, adding cartography and geomatic design to its services. Under her ambitious leadership, Cabana Séguin and Colpron now support the growth of many SMEs and major Québec Inc. brands, helping them shine through distinctive brand identities and communications.

With an unconventional academic background spanning psychology, biology, education and business administration, complemented by an Executive MBA (EMBA) from HEC McGill, she stands out for her entrepreneurial vision and leadership.

As President of Marché Public 440 and Founder and President of Atelier GasaRoca, she combines business acumen, creativity, and a people-centered approach in developing her ventures. Her journey reflects an unwavering commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and turning ideas into meaningful, tangible achievements.

Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 2024 list in the Retail & E-commerce category, Rachelle Séguin is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Omy Laboratoires, a certified B Corp that is transforming the dermocosmetics industry through AI-powered, personalized online skincare. In 2018, SkinIA, the company's proprietary AI, became the world's first to rely notably on photo analysis to create fully personalized skincare formulations in the lab.

A chemist with a Master's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, she has expertise in developing active cosmetic ingredients and in tissue engineering. Under her leadership, Omy has raised $11M, continues to expand, and has earned more than 50 awards and distinctions recognizing the effectiveness of its products, its technology and its environmental commitment. Rachelle is also a speaker, notably at SXSW, where she sheds light on the relationship between stress and skin, a subject she explored in depth during her studies. She is involved in various causes, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Maison du Père.

Cléo Maheux, Eng.

Founder of Hypercroissance, Scaling Up ambassador for the French-speaking world, creator and host of the Histoires d’hypercroissance podcast, and translator and publisher of three best-selling books for growth leaders.

Cléo Maheux, Eng., is the founder of Hypercroissance and the Scaling Up ambassador for the French-speaking world. For more than twenty years, she has supported entrepreneurs and leadership teams through their growth journeys, combining business performance with human well-being.

She is also the creator and host of the Histoires d’hypercroissance podcast, where she welcomes entrepreneurs and experts with unconventional journeys. To date, the podcast has produced seven seasons, nearly 140 episodes, and more than 150,000 listens in some fifteen countries.

As the founder of Éditions Gazelles, she brought together three books that follow her own hypergrowth logic: Scaling Up – Hypergrowth to Build a Dominant Company; My Oxygen Mask First, a reminder that sustainable growth requires taking care of oneself; and The Leader within Us, which shows that everything begins with the growth of the leader, regardless of where they start.

Generous, direct, and authentic, Cléo says what needs to be said without detours, sparking meaningful conversations and creating a concrete, positive impact in the lives of the entrepreneurs she supports.

From a bachelor’s degree in nutrition to businesswoman in the promotional advertising industry: a career path as unconventional as it is inspiring!

In 1994, a professional change of direction led me to join the family business, Créapub. My training in nutrition eventually gave way to an entirely different passion, while leaving me with two strengths that still guide me today: rigour and discipline.

More than 30 years later, my role is firmly focused on Créapub’s growth and business development, as well as on rolling out P L E A S E by Créapub, our recognition program for organizations that want to recognize, reward and retain their employees.

A journey that confirms you don’t need to take the most conventional path to find exactly where you belong.

Véronique Dion Roy, ACC, C.Adm., MBA, M.Sc.

Making organizational complexity manageable to build organizations that are both people-centered and high-performing, grounded in the reality of their constraints: this is the mission that guides Véronique in her role as a senior organizational development consultant. As a coach and facilitator, she has honed this expertise through 22 years of involvement in Nunavik, including 12 years as a permanent resident of Kuujjuaq, where intrapreneurship, adaptability, and resilience took on their full meaning.

In 2020, she had a turning point: to make an impact beyond the northern region and reach more organizations. She registered Perspectives Horizon and left the North; in 2023, she dedicated herself fully to the business.

Now a solopreneur, she primarily works with the government, municipal, and healthcare sectors. Specifically, she supports executive teams and managers in clarifying strategic priorities, aligning actions, defining roles and responsibilities, and structuring mechanisms for collaboration and decision-making. The ultimate goal: to better navigate the path toward achieving their organizational objectives.

Sophie Marin is President of Groupe W and has been an entrepreneur for more than 15 years in business transformation, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. She builds and transforms companies by combining strategy, technology, data and human intelligence. She is also Executive Vice President, Strategic Growth and Institutional Markets at SuperQubit, where she helps develop government and institutional markets in cybersecurity and post-quantum readiness.

Marie Careau is President of MACECA, an expert in verbal and non-verbal communication and inspiring leadership development, and a certified practitioner in emotional intelligence (EQ-i 2.0®) and DiSC® behavioural profile analysis. She has more than 25 years of experience, notably within Canadian intelligence services (CSIS and Defence).

A dynamic speaker and trainer, she helps leaders and teams communicate, influence and engage more effectively. As President of RFAQ Outaouais, she believes in the power of authentic relationships, strategic networking and trust among women to turn connections into real business opportunities. In 2024, she took part in the RFAQ economic mission to Paris.

Anne Choquette has been self-employed for 22 years and first joined the RFAQ in 1986, so it's safe to say she knows the value of a network!

A coach for leaders and their teams, she works from Québec to France and from Montréal to Houston (“Choquette, we have a problem!”, a nod to her years working with NASA teams), as well as with SMEs here and abroad. She supports struggling teams, teams wondering how to keep up the pace, and high-performing teams looking to go further.

Her craft: untangling knots, finding the pulse, adjusting the rhythm, getting information flowing and giving teams room to breathe again. She loves working with courageous leaders who are ready to push themselves and prepare their teams for the next challenge.

A businesswoman herself, Anne knows the value of relationships built over time. Today, she invites us to dare to name our ambition and turn our good intentions into concrete collaborations.

Josée Lupien, LEED® Fellow & WELL AP

Josée Lupien is President and Co-founder of Vertima, a B Corp certified firm of experts with 18 years of experience in ESG strategies and sustainability certifications. Vertima supports clients in their sustainability initiatives and green building certifications. The firm also works with manufacturers worldwide to assess the environmental impacts and carbon footprint of their products.

An innovator and visionary, Josée is a pioneer and a recognized leader in green building certifications in Canada. A LEED® Accredited Professional since 2006 and a WELL AP, she has contributed to numerous projects pursuing LEED®, WELL and Zero Carbon Building certifications, as well as to the development of ESG strategies.

In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious LEED® Fellow designation. She also received the Canada Green Building Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her outstanding contribution to advancing sustainable building across the country. In 2025, Vertima received the “Prix Femmes d’affaires du Québec” in the “Certified Business” category.

Her goal: to help every client achieve their sustainability objectives through rigorous, practical strategies tailored to their needs and context.