Governance

Main self-governance tools

Director profiles

• Johanne Brunet – Chair of the Board of Directors
  • Appointed on August 7, 2007, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 623-2007)
  • Renewal on November 30, 2011, for a three-year term (Order-in-Council 1216-2011)
  • Appointed Chair of the Board of Directors on August 19, 2015, for a five-year term (Order-in-Council 725-2015)
  • Renewal on August 19, 2020, for a five-year term (Order-in-Council 678-2020)
  • Independent member 

  Associate Professor

  • Department of Marketing, HEC Montréal

  A member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec, Johanne Brunet has a doctorate in industrial and business studies from the University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and an MBA in marketing and international management from HEC Montréal. She also holds a certificate in corporate governance from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés of Université Laval, qualifying her for the title Administratice de sociétés certifiée. Ms. Brunet received the 1999 Action femmes d’affaires award from the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and was a finalist for the 2013 Business Professor of the Year award conferred by the renowned weekly The Economist. She worked as head of external production and acquisitions at Société Radio-Canada before becoming Senior Vice-President at TV5-Amériques. She is chair of the board of directors of the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) and the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC). She also holds seats on the boards the Théâtre du Rideau Vert and Groupe TCJ inc. as well as others in England and on the advisory committee of PolyExpert Inc.

• Catherine Dagenais – Director
  • Appointed on June 20, 2018, for a five-year term (Order-in-Council 828-2018)

  President and Chief Executive Officer

  • Société des alcools du Québec

  Holder of an executive MBA (McGill-HEC Montréal) and a bachelor’s in business administration – marketing option, Catherine Dagenais has solid experience in sales network management. After joining the SAQ as a district manager in 2000, she quickly came to be recognized for her passion for retailing, marked interest in new technology and vision of a better-performing company.

  It was in 2008 that Ms. Dagenais was appointed Vice-President, Sales Network Operations. In 2014, she became Vice-President, Retail Strategy and Customer Experience. As such, she spearheaded a major organizational transformation that resulted in the creation of an omnichannel customer experience, including the Click, Purchase, Pick Up service and SAQ Inspire. In 2017, Ms. Dagenais was named Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, in which position she led more than 6,000 employees working in sales, merchandising, supply chain, real estate development and sustainable development.Contributing actively to the company’s performance shift, she also helped push the company’s ratio of net expenses to sales below 17%.

  In 2018, she became the first woman to head a Quebec government corporation. To date, her term has been marked by the company’s strong focus on social responsibility. Specifically, her exemplary management of the SAQ during a pandemic, the change of policy made as part of the modernizing of the deposit-return system and the company’s increased support for Food Banks of Quebec are but three examples of an SAQ at the service of the community.

  Known for her energy, dedication and human approach, Ms. Dagenais is a unifying leader focused on reaching ambitious goals. Her skill at building promising business partnerships and maximizing growth and profitability enable her to drive the company’s performance while also maintaining a high standard of customer service.

• Patrice Attanasio – Director
  • Appointed on March 13, 2019, to a four-year term (Order-in-Council 194-2019)
  • Independent member

  President and Senior Consultant

  • AGO Communications

  Holding both a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations and a certificate in public relations from the Université de Montréal, Patrice Attanasio is a seasoned manager with a multidisciplinary skill set and more than 25 years’ experience in communication and marketing. After stints at prominent communications agencies, he today heads his own firm specializing in the development and implementation of communication plans, brand awareness strategies and sponsorship programs. Recognized as a developer of innovative, creative, discipline-spanning and results-focused solutions, he has many accomplishments in strategic planning, advertising and public relations, partnership evaluation, management and activation and relational and event marketing.

  
  Over the course of his career, Mr. Attanasio has been the recipient of two CRÉA awards from Infopresse, four Coq d’or awards from the Publicité-Club de Montréal and two Excellence awards from the Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques (SQPRP), on whose board of directors he now holds a seat. Over the years, he has sat on the boards of directors of several NPOs, including La Vitrine culturelle de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil and the Fondation En Cœur for children with heart disease.

• Lyne Bouchard – Chair of the Governance, Ethics and Communications Committee
  • Appointed on July 14, 2015, for a three-year term (Order-in-Council 673-2015)
  • Renewal on July 14, 2018, for a three-year term (Order-in-Council 944-2018)
  • Renewal on March 24, 2021, for a three-year extension (Order-in Council 398-2021)
  • Independent member

  Vice Rector for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Human Resources

  • Université Laval

  In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Université Laval and a doctorate in administrative science from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), Lyne Bouchard holds the title Administratrice de sociétés IAS.A. Ms. Bouchard currently holds the position of vice-principal of human resources and associate professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval. She also teaches at the Collège des administrateurs and has sat on many boards of directors.

  After beginning her career as a professor at Université Laval. Ms. Bouchard worked in the private sector, where she held various positions at companies including Gartner, Montréal International and Fujitsu Canada/DMR. Her duties have included serving as a chief executive officer, executive coach, strategist, architect and advisor on corporate governance and information technology governance. Ms. Bouchard has also been vice-principal of the Longueuil campus and, vice-principal of information technology at the Université de Sherbrooke, an associate professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval as well as deputy minister for the Direction générale des services à l’organisation of the Quebec Justice Department. She currently holds a seat on the board of directors of Aéroport de Québec and on the integrated risk management committee of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ.

• Alain Brunet – Director
  • Appointed on March 13, 2019, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 194-2019)
  • Independent member

  Corporate Director

  The holder of an actuarial science degree from Université Laval, a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries and a graduate of the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development, Alain Brunet is a recognized leader in the insurance, banking and financial services and wealth management fields. During his career, he has held various senior vice-president and management positions at National Bank Financial Group and Standard Life and has worked as a freelance actuarial consultant. Known for his strategic thinking and recognized skills in managing multidisciplinary, growth-focused teams as well as in risk management and continuous improvement, he is a believer in employee satisfaction and mastering the client experience.

  Mr. Brunet currently sits on the boards of directors of CAA Québec and Assuris. He also acts as a business angel and mentor for Knova Web Technologies Inc.

• Denis Chamberland – Chair of the Business Practices Committee
  • Appointed on February 7, 2018 for a two-year term (Order-in-Council 82-2018)
  • Renewal on April 1, 2020, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 407-2020)
  • Independent member

  Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Advisory Committee

  • Rodeo FX Visual Effects Company

  The holder of a degree in business administration from HEC Montréal and fellow of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec, Denis Chamberland has also earned a certificate from the Quebec chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors, qualifying him for the title Administrateur de sociétés certifié. During his career, he has worked at Ricardo Media inc. as chief executive officer, where he put his brand development expertise to use. Gifted with a strong entrepreneurial bent, Mr. Chamberland also founded an accounting firm, Chamberland Hodge, focused on providing support services to entrepreneurs, where he was co-CEO.

  More recently, he has served as chairman of the board of Théâtre La Licorne, a director of La Tablée des Chefs and the Richter Charitable Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Foundation. He is currently a director of private and public sector companies, including Gastronomia Aliments Fins Inc., of which he is chair, and the publicly traded D-BOX Technologies Inc., where he serves as chairman of the board of directors.

• Roxanne Hamel – Director

  Available soon

• Christian Leblanc – Director
  • Appointed on March 13, 2019, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 194-2019)
  • Independent member

  Senior Partner

  • Fasken Martineau

  A Université de Montréal law graduate and member of the Quebec Bar, Canadian Bar Association and Barreau de Montréal, Christian Leblanc is a senior partner in the Fasken Martineau law firm. Specializing in civil and commercial litigation with a focus on media law, communications and intellectual property, he has received a number of prestigious recognitions during his career, with his name being listed in the Best Lawyers in Canada, Canadian Lexpert and Legal 500 directories and in the Managing Intellectual Property IP Star Handbook. Mr. Leblanc has also been called a litigation star by Benchmark and included in Lexpert’s Top 40 Under 40 in Canada list. During his career, his expertise has resulted in his pleading major cases before the Superior Court, Appeals Court and Supreme Court of Canada. He is also a past president of the Canadian Media Lawyers Association.

  Mr. Leblanc sits on the boards of Métrocom, the Société historique du lac Saint-Louis, the Fondation de l’Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), the McCord Museum and the Opéra de Montréal.

• René Leprohon - Chair of the Audit Committee
  • Appointed on February 7, 2018, for a three-year term (Order-in-Council 82-2018)
  • Renewal on December 16, 2020, for a four-year extension (Order-in-Council 1387-2020)
  • Independent member

  Corporate Director

  A member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec, the Institute of Internal Auditors and the Canadian Association of Management Consultants, René Leprohon holds a bachelor’s in business administration from HEC Montréal and a risk management certificate (CMC) from the Insurance Institute of Canada. A retired KPMG partner, he headed the firm’s internal audit and corporate risk management practice for more than a dozen years. In the course of his career, Mr. Leprohon has also held executive positions at TD Meloche Monnex (today TD Insurance) and EY, where he, among other things, had the opportunity to develop expertise in human resources, change management, internal control, corporate reengineering, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning. Over the years, he has been part or a member of many boards of directors, audit committees and other governance committees of publicly traded companies, government corporations and not-for-profit organizations. He continues to hold a seat on the board of directors of the Institute of Internal Auditors (Montreal chapter) as chair of the finance and audit committee. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Société québécoise du cannabis since September 2018 and was named chair of its human resources committee in December 2019.

• Stéphanie Raymond-Bougie - Director

  Available soon

• Jean-Pierre Poulin – Director

  Appointed on April 1, 2020, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 407-2020)
  Independent member

  Founding President
  Devcore Group

  Founding President and Chief Executive Officer
  1Valet

  Jean-Pierre Poulin has had a rich career in business and retailing. Early on, he worked in management at major retail firms, rising from manager to buyer manager and franchisee of stores such as Marks & Spencer’s Peoples division, Pharmaprix and Giant Tiger. In 1999, he founded his first company, 3D Visit Inc., which quickly became Canada’s largest supplier of virtual visits; the company went public in 2001 and was acquired by an American firm several years later. He subsequently founded Devcore Group, an organization comprising more than 35 companies specialized in land development, residential construction and real estate management, and headed 1Valet, a technology firm specialized in the development and integration of intelligent solutions in the real estate field.

  An excellent communicator, visionary and, at his core, developer, Mr. Poulin is recognized for his sense of leadership, risk appetite and tolerance and ability to anticipate and solve problems. Over the course of his career, he has been the recipient of several honours. In 2010, he was named entrepreneur of the year and won the Palme d’Or Construction, which he also won in 2012 as well as the Palme Platine in 2013 and 2014. His generosity earned him the Ottawa Heart Institute’s philanthropy award in 2012 and, in 2013, the merit philanthropy award of the Foundation Santé Gatineau in support of the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de Gatineau. In 2014, his company was named large company of the year by the Chambre de commerce de Gatineau. Mr. Poulin was a member of the prestigious Young Presidents’ Organization from 2011 to 2015.

• Carolina Vellucci-Willsher – Director
  • Appointed on March 24, 2021, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 398-2021)
  • Independent member

  Associate Vice-President, Human Resources

  • Concordia University

  A graduate of McGill University in industrial relations, Carolina Vellucci-Willsher is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and holds a Personal and Professional Coach Certification (PPCC) from Concordia University. Since 2009, she has headed the Concordia University Human Resources Department, where she provides strategic support while overseeing professional teams in employee benefits, compensation, labour relations and pensions, among other fields. Over the years, she has led various strategic and operational initiatives, including bargaining and signing several collective labour agreements. These experiences are complemented by others acquired in various private and parapublic sector organizations. Throughout her career, Ms. Willsher has also been active as a volunteer with community organizations, including, most recently, as vice-president of Literacy Unlimited, dedicated to improving adult literacy. She is currently a member of the Board of Governors of Marianopolis College and chair of its Human Resources Committee.

• Michael L. Vineberg – Director
  • Appointed on February 7, 2018, for a three-year term (Order-in-Council 82-2018)
  • Renewal on February 7, 2021, for a four-year term (Order-in-Council 1387-2020)
  • Independent member

  President and Chief Operating Officer

  • Portage conseil inc.

  Professor

  • HEC Montréal and Executive Education HEC Montréal

  Holder of a bachelor’s in arts, economics and management from McGill University and an MBA from HEC Montréal, Michael Vineberg has also earned a certificate from the Institute of Corporate Directors, qualifying him for the title Administrateur de sociétés certifié (IAS.A). Mr. Vineberg is a recognized leader in the corporate turnaround and transformation fields. He works with several investment firms across North America as chief executive officer, chief restructuring officer, director and holding company consultant. In the course of his career, he has held many senior management positions, including president and chief executive officer of Alasko Foods Inc. and as corporate turnaround partner at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton. Mr. Vineberg currently sits on the boards of directors of JEM Workshop Inc. and several holding companies and private investment firms.