Structure and Board of Directors
Board of directors


Our board consists of more than ten members, including the President and CEO of Investissement Québec (an ex-officio member). Our board members come from the industrial, financial and legal communities, the venture capital industry and the social economy sector.

 

Geneviève Fortier

Geneviève Fortier

President, Board of Directors, Investissement Québec
Chief Executive Officer, Promutuel Assurance

Geneviève Fortier was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in May 2022.

 

 

Ms. Fortier has held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Promutuel Assurance since December 2019. She is the first woman to assume this position since the company was founded nearly 170 years ago. She has held several leadership positions over the course of her career in the pharmaceutical industry and, most recently, in the insurance industry.

 

Recognized by her peers for her performance-based leadership style, Ms. Fortier always puts people first. She plays a key role in expanding the group’s network of mutuals, which is highly active throughout Québec.

 

With solid expertise in governance, Ms. Fortier sat on the Board of Directors at Lassonde Industries Inc., Sanimax, and Germain Hotels up until her appointment as President of the Board at Investissement Québec (IQ). She was Chair of the Boards of Directors at CHUM and CHU Ste-Justine at a time when the health care sector was undergoing major transformation.

 

Geneviève Fortier is deeply involved in the insurance industry as 1st Vice Chair of the Board of the Canadian Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Québec chapter of the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

 

She is also very engaged in the community, which includes her work with youth as Chair of the Board of Directors at Forces AVENIR, an organization that encourages students to be active, engaged citizens. Ms. Fortier is equally committed to helping ambitious women succeed, notably through her work with L’effet A. She also helps adolescent girls prepare for success through Fillactive. As well, she co-chaired the record-breaking 2012 campaign of Centraide Québec and Chaudière-Appalache.

 

She has received numerous awards during her career. In 2021, The CEO named her one of the Top 20 Dynamic CEOs in Canada. In 2017, she was named one of the Top 5 most influential women in human resources and diversity in Canada, and she won the Cadre, dirigeante ou professionnelle, entreprise privée category of the Prix femmes d’affaires du Québec in 2014.

 

Geneviève Fortier is a CRHA Distinction Fellow and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Université Laval.

BICHA NGO, Première vice-présidente exécutive, Placements privés

BICHA NGO

President and Chief Executive Officer
Investissement Québec

As a seasoned leader in the business world, Ms. Bicha Ngo is known for her strategic thinking and extensive transactional experience. Her experience and operational know-how are undeniable assets in carrying out Investissement Québec’s important mandate.

 

 

Ms. Bicha Ngo was named President and CEO in February 2024.

 

She joined Investissement Québec in October 2019 as Senior Executive Vice-President, Private Equity. In this role, Ms. Ngo identified and supported key industries and players in our economy.

 

Under her leadership, the investment and financing sectors (venture capital, investment funds, development capital, specialized financing and natural resources and energy) have all seen accelerated growth thanks to strategies that provide effective and proactive support for businesses’ ambitions, along with customized solutions designed to meet their individual needs.

 

Prior to joining the Corporation, Ms. Ngo held the position of Vice-President, Corporate Development for nine years at Domtar Inc., where she was responsible for transactions and the integration of acquired assets as well as development of the company’s corporate strategy. She also spearheaded a number of acquisitions and asset sales that helped transform the organization. Prior to joining Investissement Québec, she was a member of the investment banking teams at CIBC World Markets and Merril Lynch.

 

A CFA charterholder, Ms. Ngo graduated in finance from HEC Montréal and began her career at HSBC.

 

David Bahan

David Bahan

According to the Loi sur Investissement Québec, the Deputy Minister of the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation is an official member of Investissement Québec’s board of directors since December 11, 2019

 

 

Mr. David Bahan is Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation since October 19, 2018.

 

He began his career at the Quebec Institute of Statistics as an economist. He then joined the Department of Finance a decade or so ago. He has held various positions including Director General, Personal Policy and Director General, Economic Policy. He was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister in 2013.

 

Mr. Bahan is a graduate of the University of Montréal where he completed a master's degree in economics in 1999.

Anne Bourhis

Anne Bourhis 

Human Resources Management Professor, HEC Montréal
Independent Director

Anne Bourhis was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in October 2014.

 

 

Since 1999, Ms. Bourhis has worked as a professor specializing in recruitment and staff selection at the business school’s Department of Human Resources Management. Prior to that, she was a professor at Université Laval.

 

A sought-after speaker, Ms. Bourhis received the 2008 HEC Montréal prize for excellence in teaching. She is the author of two award-winning books, including the manual Recrutement et sélection du personnel (2007, 2012), which won the Ministre de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport Award in 2008.

 

Ms. Bourhis holds a business degree from the EDHEC Business School in administration (organizational behaviour) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States. Since September 2017, she has been a member of the Héma-Québec Board of Directors.

Catherine Dubé

Catherine Dubé

CPHR
Independent Director

Catherine Dubé was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in April 2022

 

 

As a business executive and management consultant at Coboom, Catherine Dubé supports dozens of SMBs each year in solving complex strategic, organizational and operational problems and transforming their organizations.

 

Ms. Dubé is a leader of her family-owned consulting firm, which has B Corp certification, and a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles agréés du Québec (CRHA).

 

In 2019, Ms. Dubé published COBOOK, in which readers can find answers to challenges related to managing, motivating and empowering work teams.

 

She holds a bachelor of business administration degree, with a specialization in entrepreneurship, from HEC Montréal and received a diploma from the École d’entrepreneurship de Beauce in 2015.

Photo of Daniel Gauvin

Daniel Gauvin

Corporate Director
Independent Director

Daniel Gauvin was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in July 2020.

 

 

As a member of the senior management of Desjardins Group from 1996 to 2017, Daniel Gauvin was an active member of the
Pan-Canadian Investors Committee that led to the restructuring of the commercial paper market, as well as piloted initiatives to implement the risk management function and obtain Basel II certification for the entire financial group.

 

Mr. Gauvin had previously held various senior management positions in the financial sector, including Vice-President, Capital Markets at BMO Nesbitt Burns, Vice-President, Finance and Business Expansion at Royal Trust and Vice Chairman at Bank of America.

 

Mr. Gauvin is a member of Investors Group’s independent review committee; he recently chaired the investment committee at La Capitale Civil Service Insurer and Investissement Québec’s advisory committee on loans and investments, and served on the boards of directors of Fiera Private Debt and the Montreal Institute of Structured Finance and Derivatives (IFSID).

 

Mr. Gauvin has an MBA, finance option, from Concordia University and a bachelor of commerce from McGill University. He holds the ICD.D professional designation granted by the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Manon Genest

Manon Genest

Founding partner, General Manager, Montréal Office, TACT Intelligence-conseil
Independent Director

Ms. Genest was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in June 2021.

 

 

She co-founded TACT, which, less than 10 years after its inception, has become the largest Québec-owned consulting agency in its sector. Boasting some 20 years of experience in public affairs, Ms. Genest has solid communication expertise in the political, association and private sectors. She has held a number of leadership positions, where she learned to develop a strategic approach, set priorities in crises, and settle difficult situations swiftly and tactfully. She works mainly in business communications, with a focus on the agrifood industry.

 

Ms. Genest also has a wealth of experience in government and politics, having been involved in the federal and Québec political systems for over a decade.

 

IHer community involvement includes sitting on the boards of directors of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec, Montréal International and Investissement Québec.

 

Co-founder of TACT and manager of the agency’s Montréal office, Ms. Genest has a degree in organizational communication from the University of Ottawa.

Mélissa Gilbert

Mélissa Gilbert

Executive Vice-President and Leader, Finance at Beneva
Independent Director

Mélissa Gilbert was appointed to Investissement Québec’s Board of Directors in May 2023.

 

 

Mélissa Gilbert is the Executive Vice-President and Leader, Finance at Beneva. She was part of the select team that was responsible for creating this new entity, resulting from the merger of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance.

 

Previously, she held various executive positions, including at La Capitale Insurance, Optel, Norda Stelo, R3D Consulting, E&Y Calgary and Taleo, where she took part in several acquisitions, investment and remediation plan development, the opening of international subsidiaries and an IPO on Nasdaq.

 

Mélissa earned a Prix Relève d'Excellence award in 2012 from Réseau HEC Montréal; the Arista Jeune cadre du Québec award in 2015 from the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal; was nominated for The Globe and Mail’s Best Executive Award in 2021; won FEI Canada’s 2022 Aces of Finance award in the “Financial executive of a large corporation” category; plus she was named Financial Personality of the Year and also won in the “Leaders in the financial industry” category in Finance et Investissement’s 2022 Top des leaders de l’industrie financière ranking.

 

Mélissa has an ASC designation—Québec’s recognized equivalent to the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) title—and is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) who has been involved in various committees and currently sits on the boards of PolR Corp. and the Fondation du Musée de la civilisation.

Photo of Éloïse Harvey

Éloïse Harvey

President, Mecfor Inc.
Director

 

Éloïse Harvey was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in July 2020.

 

 

Éloïse Harvey joined Mecfor, one of the member companies of Groupe Ceger, in 1999. She held various technical and administrative positions until she was appointed to the position of Director, Business Development in 2001.

 

In 2003, Ms. Harvey became Mecfor’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing. From 2005 to 2010, she was responsible for Mecfor’s corporate development. Following her appointment as President in 2010, she was also given the position of Vice President, Corporate Development at Groupe Ceger, which had four companies, with 800 employees and consolidated sales of almost $200 million in 2014.

 

Since February 2018, Ms. Harvey has been focusing her efforts on the presidency of Mecfor following the purchase of 65% of its shares by Halifax investment firm SeaFort Capital.

 

Ms. Harvey has a double bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and management from McMaster University
(Hamilton, ON).

Claudine Roy

Claudine Roy

President and CEO
Gestion immobilière Gaspé
Independent Director

Claudine Roy was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in February 2015.

 

 

Ms. Roy has been the President and CEO of Gestion immobilière Gaspé since 1990 and the owner of Auberge sous les arbres since 2014. She is also the founder and President of Traversées de la Gaspésie. Until 2015, she owned the Brise-Bise bistro in Gaspé, which she started in 1986.

 

Ms. Roy sits on the board of numerous corporations and organizations, including IQ FIER, Ressources Québec, Caisse populaire Desjardins Baie-de-Gaspé, the Association des restaurateurs du Québec and the Ordre national du Québec.

 

A business figure who is well known for her contributions to Québec society, she has served as President of the Corporation de développement des Fêtes de Gaspé and the driving force behind the growing international reputation of the Grande Traversée de la Gaspésie. She was awarded the TELUS Community Excellence Award in 2013 and the Award for Excellence in Tourism, one of the Grands prix du tourisme de la Gaspésie. A Chevalière de l'Ordre national du Québec, she is considered by her peers to be one of Québec’s 100 most influential women.

 

Ms. Roy holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of Ottawa and a certificate in education from Université du Québec à Rimouski. She also holds corporate governance certification from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés at Université Laval.

Louise Sanscartier

Louise Sanscartier

Independent Director

Louise Sanscartier was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in January 2013.

 

 

Louise Sanscartier, a governance consultant and corporate director, is also an instructor in the Governance program at Université Laval’s Collège des administrateurs de sociétés (CAS). Previously, she was a senior partner at management consulting firm Interis Consulting Inc. for seven years and then a partner with BDO Canada from 2013 to 2015. She has over 40 years of experience in the financial sector and has completed a variety of mandates abroad as a governance consultant. From 1984 to 2003, she held various positions at the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec, including Vice-President, Corporate, Strategic and Technological Development.

 

Ms. Sanscartier is a member of the boards of directors of Investissement Québec, Femmessor Québec, the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec and Coopérative d’alimentation de Rivière-à-Pierre. She chairs the governance committees of Investissement Québec and the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec and is also a member of the FERIQUE Funds independent review committee and the Fonds de solidarité’s executive pension committee.

 

Ms. Sanscartier has a post-MBA degree in strategic management and change management as well as a master’s degree in project management from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). She holds corporate director certification (ASC) from the CAS.

Photo of Marie-Soleil Tremblay

Marie-Soleil Tremblay

Full Professor, École Nationale d’Administration Publique (ÉNAP)
Independent Director

Marie-Soleil Tremblay was appointed to the Board of Directors of Investissement Québec in July 2020.

 

 

Marie-Soleil Tremblay is a leader at Effet A and a member of the boards of directors of the Québec Port Authority and the Festival d’été international de Québec, chairing both audit committees. She also serves on the board of directors of the École nationale d’administration publique.

 

Dr. Tremblay has a doctorate in business administration from Université Laval and has authored several textbooks and articles about auditing, corporate governance, control and financial management. She is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant and a full professor at the École nationale d’administration publique. She serves on several editorial boards and is associate editor of Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management and Accounting and the Public Interest.

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