TELUS Ventures Board Chairman Francois Côté and TELUS Québec Business Marketing VP Benoît Simard to support Alithya’s growth
Pierre Turcotte, chairman of the board of Alithya, is delighted to announce that François Côté and Benoît Simard are joining the company’s board of directors. Their extensive experience at the head of fast-growing companies in the IT field is a strong asset for Alithya’s growth.
TELUS Ventures Chairman François Côté oversees investment strategy development and implementation and value creation for TELUS. François has held a number of management positions over his almost 30-year career. In 2004, he was appointed President and CEO of Emergis. Following TELUS’s acquisition of Emergis in January 2008, he was appointed President of TELUS Québec, TELUS Health, and TELUS Ventures.Holder of a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from Université Laval, François was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007 in the Turnaround category for the Québec City area. He has served on the boards of the Montreal Heart Institute, Lumenpulse Inc., and EXFO since January 2015. In addition to serving on the advisory board of the McGill Centre for the Convergence of Health and Economics, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of the Dr. Julien Foundation. In June 2013, he was named Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Canadian Force’s 34th Signal Regiment. He is also Vice Chair of the TELUS Fund, an independent organization established to finance the creation of health and wellness content.
As VP Business Marketing at TELUS Québec, Benoît Simard is responsible for strategic planning, developing new services, establishing new partnerships, and marketing activities for all business market segments in Québec and the Atlantic region, including key accounts and SMEs. A member of the TELUS team for over 14 years, Benoît has held many positions in the marketing and business client support groups, and has played a key role in developing the company’s business strategy in Canada. His leadership qualities, dedication, and great understanding of the IT industry have allowed him to make a significant contribution to TELUS’s success in Quebec. He is one of the initiators of the Génération INC. movement dedicated to developing the full potential of Québec entrepreneurs. A Université Laval marketing graduate, Benoît has also completed several senior executives training programs, including at INSEAD and Queen’s University. In addition to his involvement with TELUS, Benoît is a member of the CERCLE marketing network. He has also served on the Québec Technology Association’s board since October 2012.
We are pleased to welcome François Côté and Benoît Simard to our team. We are confident that they will help us pursue Alithya’s accelerated growth strategy with their effective leadership skills and vast IT experience.