News

On May 25 and 26, several heads of Québec-based foreign subsidiaries and policy-makers from the government and public sector met in Québec City in the presence of ministers Jacques Daoust and Sam Hamad for the sixth Foreign Business Leaders Forum.

Investissement Québec President and CEO Pierre Gabriel Côté spoke about the challenges of running a foreign subsidiary in Québec and the strong rivalry subsidiaries face when it comes to securing mandates. “As you know, securing mandates and reinvestments requires perseverance. You have to strike while the iron’s hot and be able to set yourself apart from other potential sites as soon as a new project is announced. Despite those challenges, Québec has a great deal to offer, and your businesses are living proof of that.”

Côté also took the opportunity to remind participants that Investissement Québec’s role is not limited to providing financial assistance. “A big part of our services to subsidiaries is providing coaching and support to help you demonstrate your competitive advantages and make your projects a reality.” He concluded by inviting businesses to call on Investissement Québec and its unique, dynamic team dedicated exclusively to subsidiaries.

The role of the Forum

The Forum’s main purpose is to keep a close watch on business developments, both in Québec and at the head offices of participating subsidiaries, which account for over 28,000 jobs in the province. Among the subsidiaries represented at the event were IBM, General Electric, Alcoa, Bridgestone, Pratt & Whitney, Elkem, Bonduelle, Morpho (Safran group), Vertex, Messier Dowty, Siemens and Ubisoft.

The participants took part in focus groups led by Éric Dequenne, Director of International Subsidiaries, and project managers Jean-François Brochu and Linda Bergeron, who were designed to hear their perceptions of Québec’s business environment and identify winning growth and investment strategies for their subsidiaries.

The sixth edition of the Forum, chaired by Raymond Leduc, President of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, was proposed by the CAI Global Group and organized in cooperation with Investissement Québec and the Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale.