Martine Turcotte to chair the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal's board of directors for 2015-2016

MONTRÉAL, Nov. 19, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Following its annual meeting today, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is pleased to announce the appointment of Martine Turcotte, Vice Chair, Québec, at Bell, as Chair of its board of directors for 2015-2016. Ms. Turcotte, who was the board's First Vice-Chair during the past year, succeeds Kim Thomassin, Managing Partner, Québec, McCarthy Tétrault.

"I am honoured to serve as Chair of the Board of Trade for 2015-2016, and look forward to working hand in hand with my fellow directors and the Board of Trade team," said Martine Turcotte, the new Chair of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. "There will undoubtedly be many challenges in the year ahead and I am eager to tackle them, building on the excellent work of Retiring Chair Kim Thomassin over the past year."

"The Board of Trade plays an essential role in Québec's economy, and we will continue to work hard to defend our members' interests," Ms. Turcotte said. "We will be at the heart of efforts to stimulate our city's economic growth and the prosperity of local businesses."

As Chair for 2015-2016, and then as Retiring Chair the following year, Ms. Turcotte will play a strategic role with Board of Trade senior management and be a constant presence at activities. During this period, she will also sit on the Board of Trade's executive committee.

As Vice Chair, Québec, at Bell, Martine Turcotte drives the company's business, government and community investment initiatives across Québec. Ms. Turcotte, who assumed her current role in July 2011, is an accomplished manager who, over the course of more than 20 years at Bell, has achieved a great deal in strategic, legal and regulatory matters.

In 1999, Ms. Turcotte was the first woman to be appointed Chief Legal Officer for Bell and the youngest person to join the senior management team. Ms. Turcotte is a member of the boards of governors of McGill University and Montréal en Lumière and a member of the boards of directors of Empire/Sobeys and CIBC. She is also Chair of Théâtre Espace Go.

Martine Turcotte received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian General Counsel Awards in 2005. She was also named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2008. She was named Advocatus Emeritus by the Barreau du Québec in 2009 for her professional excellence and successful career.

The following are the members of the board of directors for 2015-2016:

Chair of the board: Martine Turcotte, Ad. E., B.C.L., LL.B., MBA* Vice Chair, Québec Bell	Mélanie Dunn* President and CEO Cossette Chairman Vision7 Quebec
First vice-chair of the board: Pierre Pomerleau, ing, MBA* President and CEO, Pomerleau Inc.	Sean Finn Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer CN
Retiring chair of the board: Kim Thomassin* Managing Partner, Québec Region McCarthy Tétrault LLP	Éric Fournier Partner and Executive Producer Moment Factory
Treasurer: Alain Côté, ICD.D, FCPA, FCA* Partner Deloitte LLP	Anne-Marie Hubert, FCPA, FCA, LLD Managing Partner, Advisory Services EY
Stéphane Achard Senior Executive Vice-President and General Manager Business, Card and Payment Services Desjardins Group	Normand Lebeau President Mandrake Vézina Lebeau
George Alexopoulos Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Belden Inc.	Michel Leblanc President and CEO Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Nathalie Bernier, FCPA, FCA Senior Vice President, Strategic and Business Planning and Chief Financial Officer PSP Investments	Tony Loffreda, CPA (Illinois)* Regional Vice President Commercial Financial Services, Western Quebec RBC Royal Bank
Michèle Boisvert Executive Vice-President Business Outreach Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec	Michel Patry Director, HEC Montréal Full Professor, HEC Montréal
Gabriel Bran Lopez President, Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal Founding President, Youth Fusion Co-founder, FIRST Robotics Quebec	Mario Rigante Senior Vice-President, Quebec Division Canadian Personal & Commercial Banking BMO Bank of Montreal
Eva Carissimi President and Chief Executive Officer Canadian Electrolytic Zinc Limited	Gilbert Rozon* President Founder Just For Laughs Group
Pierre-Luc Desgagné* Vice President – Corporate Affairs and Secretary General Hydro-Québec	Alan Shepard President and Vice-Chancellor Concordia University
Pierre Dion President and CEO Quebecor Inc.	Claude Séguin Senior Vice-President, Corporate Development and Strategic Investments CGI Inc.
	Marie-Hélène Sicard Senior Vice President Corporate Services for all of Canada Sodexo Canada Ltd.
* Members of the executive committee

Board member bios and photos can be found on the Board of Trade website.

About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of over 7,000 members. Its mission is to be the voice of Montréal's business community and to promote the city's prosperity. It is involved in key areas of economic development, advocating a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration, and innovation. The Board of Trade also offers a range of specialized services to individuals and to businesses of all sizes to support them in their growth at home and abroad.

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SOURCE Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

Image with caption: "Martine Turcotte, the new Chair of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. (CNW Group/Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20151119_C7830_PHOTO_EN_549897.jpg

Guillaume Bérubé, Advisor, Media Relations, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Phone: [phone], extension 4042, [email protected]