Rencontre au sommet 2025

Slam performance by artist and performer, Antoine Leclerc

Economic Challenges

Hosted by Marie-Pier Frappier, this panel brings together Pierre Cléroux, Norma Kozhaya, Catryn Pinard, and René Beaudry to discuss the challenges and levers of entrepreneurial resilience in Quebec.

Panelists

• René Beaudry, Co-founder, Normandin Beaudry

• Pierre Cléroux, Vice President, Research and Chief Economist, BDC

• Norma Kozhaya, Vice President, Research and Chief Economist, Conseil du patronat du Québec

• Catryn Pinard, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nationex

Moderator

• Marie-Pier Frappier, Acting Editor-in-Chief, Les Affaires

Philippe Boulanger, International Speaker, former innovation leader at Apple and Sony, founder of Neopost Labs, specialist in innovation intelligence and enterprise AI adoption
“The Innovation Evangelist”

In his keynote, Philippe Boulanger explores the human and organizational mechanisms that enable resilience and growth in a volatile, geopolitically uncertain world. Through carefully selected use cases addressing ever-evolving challenges, he expands the realm of what’s possible.

Anticipation, forecasting, or reaction—the principles of the Intelligence Innovation System® are at work to uncover foundational solutions or smart workarounds. Opening the field of possibilities begins with a few fundamental questions.

How and why does a long-standing ease of cross-border transactions become a vulnerability? How do some companies continue to withstand turbulence? What simple ingredients make innovation a true “magic potion”? A hallmark of Philippe’s talks is his use of live audience experiments to spark essential awareness of the mechanisms and cognitive biases that unlock innovation, transformation, agility, and velocity within organizations.

Dialogue Cell

A facilitated discussion space designed to identify priority issues and share potential solutions.

Facilitators

• Marie-Pier Frappier, Acting Editor-in-Chief, Les Affaires

• François Rousseau-Clair, Founding Partner, Aviseo Conseil

We are living through a series of social, environmental, political, and economic upheavals that generate paradoxes capable of making us dizzy. We must diversify our markets while renewing our privileged partnerships. We must adopt artificial intelligence while humanizing our organizations. We must reduce our environmental footprint while better developing the resources beneath our feet. For all these challenges, we must act quickly, yet the required changes will take time. How can we avoid losing our bearings in the age of paradoxes?

We will see how Quebec—with its blend of optimistic ambition, benevolent boldness, and diverse expertise—is in fact better equipped than others to navigate these paradoxes, making a case for measured optimism. By rethinking our approach to talent development and the role of innovation in our practices, we will outline how Quebec can build the future rather than merely endure it.

Frédéric Bouchard, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Université de Montréal

Dialogue Cell

A collaborative workshop designed to formulate concrete commitments and collective recommendations for the future of Quebec’s economy.

We will engage in a discussion with leaders from three flagship organizations, recognized for their ambition and exceptionalism, that have successfully innovated over the years and established themselves as inspiring models in Quebec.

Inspiration Panel

• Stéphane Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Micrologic

• Christiane Germain, Co-President, Germain Hôtels

• André Noreau, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, Premier Tech

Moderator

• Véronique Proulx, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

• François Rousseau-Clair, Founding Partner, Aviseo Conseil

• Julie Doré, Managing Partner, Lawyer, BCF Avocats d'affaires