Montreal Apéro in the Foyer Allegro at the Maison symphonique

Louise Roy, O.C.,O.Q.

Ms. Roy is Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Université de Montréal, the first woman to occupy these functions. Since September 2003, she is an invited Fellow at CIRANO, the Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations and has been nominated Chair of the board in December 2012. She was President of the Conseil des arts de Montréal 2006 to 2012. She serves as a Director of Power Financial Corporation, Intact Financial Corporation, Montréal International and the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD Quebec Chapter). During her career, she has been a Director of Provigo Inc., the Laurentian Bank of Canada, Videotron Ltée, and Domtar Corporation. She was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal Urban Community Transport Commission from 1985 until 1992, Executive Vice-President of Air France until 1997, President and Chief Executive Officer of Telemedia Communications Inc. until 2000 and Senior Vice-President of International Air Transport Association until 2003. Ms. Roy earned a B.Sc in Sociology from Université de Montréal. She holds a master’s degree (M. Sc.) and has completed some doctorate studies in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin. She participated in several fundraising campaigns, including the Université de Montréal and several other cultural organizations. For her outstanding achievements in the economic, social and political fields, she has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Concordia University’s Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration Award of distinction in 1988, the Université de Montreal’s Edouard Montpetit Medal in 1992, the Public Forum’s Award Distinction in 1994, and the Federated Press award of Excellence in 2003. In 2009, she was named Officer of the National Order of Québec and in 2012, Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2013, Ms. Roy was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and in 2014, named “Fellow” by the Institute of Corporate Directors.

L. Jacques Ménard is Chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns and President of BMO Financial Group, Quebec.

Mr. Ménard is currently a director of WestJet, Claridge Inc., Stingray Digital, Léger Marketing, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Montreal Alouettes, the Gairdner Foundation, the Macdonald Stewart Foundation and Mobilys Foundation. He is also Chairman of Youth Fusion. Mr. Ménard has recently joined the Board of Directors of the Junior Achievement Canada Foundation, whose mandate is to provide funding, role models and support to Junior Achievement in its efforts to provide financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness education to all young Canadians.

He is Chancellor of Concordia University, his alma mater, and is a member of the Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Mr. Ménard is a past Chairman of Hydro-Québec, the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and the Task Force on the Sustainability of the Quebec Health Care and Social Services System. He published a first book in 2008, Si on s’y mettait… and in the wake of this book, he established the Groupe d’action sur la persévérance et la réussite scolaires.
Mr. Ménard subsequently published a book on the topic of high school perseverance: Beyond the Numbers… a Matter of the Heart. He also served as Vice-Chair of the Federal Task Force on Financial Literacy. 

In 2009, Mr. Ménard received the Public Policy Forum Testimonial Award and was recognized as a Great Montrealer by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

Mr. Ménard is a graduate of Collège Sainte-Marie, Loyola College and the University of Western Ontario (MBA 1970). He has also received honorary doctorates from York University & Glendon College, Concordia University, the Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke.

Mr. Ménard is Companion the Order of Canada and Officer of the Ordre national du Québec.