2 May 2023

Sherbrooke Innopole is pleased to announce Étienne Villeneuve’s appointment as President of its Board of Directors following its annual general meeting held on April 25, 2023. Mr. Villeneuve is the Vice-President of Operations at Tekna Advanced Materials.

“It is with great pride and humility that I accept the presidency of Sherbrooke Innopole’s 8, on which I have now sat for four years,” said Mr. Villeneuve. “During these years, I have had a front row seat to witness Sherbrooke’s dynamism and resilience in relation to the industrial and technological sectors, but also the growing challenges that companies are facing. I have also observed the Sherbrooke Innopole team’s commitment and proactivity in supporting and equipping Sherbrooke’s entrepreneurs, in consultation with local stakeholders. Putting the pandemic behind us, there will be new business and innovation opportunities for Sherbrooke businesses, which will continue to advance the local economy.”

Mr. Villeneuve succeeds Alexandre Nault, who was President for five years.

“It was a great privilege to sit on Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board of Directors. During my seven years as a Director, I have had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of our businesses, entrepreneurship, and the creation of collective wealth. My five years as president of the organization were heavily influenced by the social and business challenges driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating incident at the Centre de valorisation de l’aliment (CVA). I would like to thank the Sherbrooke Innopole team, the business people, our partners, and the entire community for their support; such a wonderful example of Sherbrooke’s collaborative spirit. And the best of success to Mr. Villeneuve in the future,” commented Mr. Nault, Vice-President at Les Emballages Poly-Pro inc.

At the same time, the following directors were elected leaders of the corporation who will support Mr. Villeneuve in fulfilling his mandate:

• Véronique Sinclair-Desgagnés, co-founder and President of Signage des Cantons, was re-elected as Vice-President;
• Pierre Pomerleau, Executive Director of Finance and Administration at L.P. ROYER, was elected as treasurer;
• Nancy Marcotte, Associate Tax Lawyer at Guertin Avocats, was confirmed as secretary.

Four new appointments

Sherbrooke Innopole is proud to announce the appointment of four new directors to its Board of Directors:

• Jasmin Allard, CPA, M.Sc., partner at MNP LLP and Managing Director of MNP Corporate Finance Inc.;
• Jean-René Couture, co-founder, Administrator, and President of GolemLabs;
• Éric Gagné, Director General of Cégep de Sherbrooke;
• Nathalie Hébert, General Manager (Sherbrooke) of Charles River Laboratories.

Jasmin Allard, CPA, M.Sc.

Jasmin Allard holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in accounting from the Université de Sherbrooke and has almost 15 years of experience in corporate finance. A chartered professional accountant since 2010, he started working for MNP, formerly Deloitte, full-time in 2009. He now heads the corporate finance department for Quebec’s central and southern regions. He specializes in business acquisition and sale, financing, financial analysis, financial projections and modelling, cash management, and financial recovery and reorganization. He does so while acting as a trainer for the business community in the region during various activities.

Jean-René Couture

Jean-René Couture co-founded GolemLabs Studios in 2000, after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in writing and communications and an MBA at the Université de Sherbrooke. As President and Administrator of the company since then, he has been involved at every level including game design, programming, and administration. He has been a guest speaker and technical consultant at the Université de Sherbrooke for nearly 20 years. Since 2019, he has been President of the Board of Directors of the Centre culturel Pierre-Gobeil.

Éric Gagné

Éric Gagné has been trained in respiratory therapy techniques and business administration, and holds a master’s degree in college education from the Université de Sherbrooke. He worked at the Cégep de Sherbrooke as a teacher and coordinator of the department and internships for almost 15 years.  He also served as an educational advisor for the Université de Sherbrooke’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, in addition to the teaching duties. He then held various executive positions at the Cégep de Sherbrooke until appointed Director General in June 2022. He is the co-president of the regional forum for collaboration in education (Réussir) and is a member of the boards of directors of the Sherbrooke Innovation Zone and Productique Québec, the CEGEP’s college centre for technology transfer. He is also a member of the executive committee and the steering committee of the Pôle régional en enseignement supérieur de l’Estrie.

Nathalie Hébert

Nathalie Hébert holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and has worked at Charles River Laboratories for over 20 years. She joined the company in 2000 as a technician and rose through the ranks, holding various positions in research and management at the Montreal, Shanghai, and Sherbrooke sites. Since November 2019, she has held the position of general manager of the Sherbrooke site. She is a member of the American College of Toxicology and the Society of Toxicology, and has contributed to a dozen research presentations at annual conferences for various professional associations.

Sincere thanks

To conclude its annual meeting, Sherbrooke Innopole would like to acknowledge the volunteer involvement of the five outgoing members of its Board of Directors.

From left to right: Francine Turmel, Alexandre Nault, Josée Larochelle, Marie-France Bélanger, and Jean Tremblay.

Alexandre Nault, Vice-President of Les Emballages Poly-Pro, is leaving Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board after being involved for seven years, two years as Director and the last five as President. During his term, he served on the audit committee, as well as the human resources, nomination, and governance committee.

Marie-France Bélanger, who was Director General of the Cégep de Sherbrooke until June 2022, has been involved for three-and-a-half years with Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board, including two years as secretary.

Josée Larochelle, a partner at MNP, is leaving after two years as a Director on Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board during which she sat on various financial committees, including the advisory committees for the Fonds de dynamisation de l’économie de Sherbrooke and the Fonds Urgence, the Comité d’investissement du Fonds de capital de risque, as well as the Comité d’évaluation des placements.

Jean Tremblay, President and CEO at Agrhum groupe conseil, is leaving Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board after seven and a half years of involvement as a Director. During his term, he sat and chaired the human resources, nomination, and governance committee since 2018, and was a member of the audit committee from 2020 to 2022.

Francine Turmel, Professor at Bishop’s University’s Williams School of Business, has been involved for seven and a half years with the Sherbrooke Innopole’s Board of Directors, including nearly four years as treasurer. This position led to serving as chair of the audit committee and the investment evaluation committee. She has also been a member of several other committees over the years, including the advisory committee of the Fonds de dynamisation de l’économie de Sherbrooke, the Fonds Urgence, and various ad hoc committees.

Mrs. Turmel and Mr. Nault and Mr. Tremblay are leaving following the end of their maximum term.

On behalf of the entire Sherbrooke Innopole team, thank you again for your involvement!