Press release
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal adapts to maintain tradition Montreal, April 17, 2002- On Tuesday, April 16, at the Hotel Reine Elizabeth, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal held a special general meeting at which those members present approved a series of amendments to the general bylaws making the presidency of the organization a permanent position. Mr. Guy Fréchette thus became chairman of the board of directors, and Mr. Benoit Labonté, executive vice-president of the Board of Trade since July 2001, became president.
For more than 180 years, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has contributed to the economic growth of Greater Montreal. Through its two founding business associations the Committee of Trade (1822) and the Chambre de commerce du district de Montréal (1887) the Board of Trade boasts a long tradition of involvement in the community and representation of its members to decision-makers.
With the creation of the new City of Montreal and the Montreal Metropolitan Community, raising Montreal to the level of a city-region, and given the many complex challenges posed by our fast-paced world at the dawn of the third millennium, the Board of Trade has concluded it now needs a permanent senior executive.
After a long tradition of annual presidencies, we will now have a permanent governance, better adapted to today's environment, where information and decisions travel at the speed of light, declared Guy Fréchette, new chairman of the board. Greater Montreal is evolving in an age of rapid change and major challenges, propelled as it is onto the international stage, where it will have to demonstrate its ability to adapt and make the most of the talents at its disposal.
For many reasons and in the interest of continuity, we have chosen as president a person who served first as president and CEO of one of our affiliates (the World Trade Centre Montréal) and then as executive vice-president of the Board of Trade, explained Fréchette. With his solid management experience and understanding of the issues, Benoit Labonté is the ideal person to protect and represent the interests of Board of Trade members.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has more than 7 000 members. Its mission is to be the leading group representing the interests of the Greater Montreal business community. The objectives are to maintain, at all times, relevance to its membership, credibility towards the media and influence towards government and decision-makers.