The Association of Québec Women in Finance Celebrated Its 10th Anniversary and its Talentueuses

MONTREAL, April 19, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association of Québec Women in Finance (AQWF) honoured exceptional women working in the finance sector and three finance students tonight during its Annual Finance Award Ceremony, presented by Honorary President Ms. Julie Miville-Dechêne, President of the Conseil du statut de la femme.

This event, hosted by Rebecca Makonnen and followed by a show featuring Grégory Charles, is particularly memorable, as it marks the Association's 10^th anniversary. Nearly 850 finance professionals attended this sold-out Awards Ceremony, whose theme was 10 ans d'éclat, une célébration à ne pas manquer (10 years of achievement, a celebration not to be missed).

"Our Annual Awards Ceremony is a benchmark event honouring women who stood-out within the finance industry, in 2011, said Ms. Andrée Corriveau, Founding President of the AQWF. This year, we took the time to remember the important role and work done by AQWF champions, women who dedicated both their time and energy to breathe life into the association and help uplift women in the finance sector for the past 10 years. I'm proud of this 10^th anniversary, which enabled us to celebrate amongst ourselves and with our New York and Toronto partners, all in the presence of eminent women working in politics, Ms. Céline Hervieux-Payette, Ms. Michelle Courchesne, Ms. Pauline Marois and Ms. Monique Jérôme-Forget."

"Leadership" Award
Ms. Andrée Guy, partner at PSB Boisjoli, was given the "Leadership" Award by Ms. Karen M. Rogers, Partner at Heenan Blaikie, and Ms. Carmela Zampini, Vice-President, Sales - Financial Institutions, Insurance Companies and Nationwide Financial Services, at Bell.

"Reconnaissance" Award
All past and present members of the AQWF's Board of Directors, 35 remarkable women, were given a "Reconnaissance" Award to honour their commitment to the advancement of women in the finance sector. This award was given by Ms. Andrée Corriveau, Founding President of the Association of Québec Women in Finance.

"Inspiration" Award
The "Inspiration" Award was given to Ms. Margarita Lafontaine, Editor and Co-founder of Premières en affaires magazine, and Ms. Stéphanie Leblanc, Co-founder of Premières en affaires magazine and Associate Partner, Consulting and Transactions Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, for their contribution in creating Premières en affaires magazine. This award was given by Ms. Josée Dixon, Regional Vice-President, Business Development, Eastern Canada, Group Benefits and Group Retirement Plans, Sun Life Financial and Ms. Nathalie Tessier, Partner, Certification, Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche.

"Relève" Awards
Lastly, two Desjardins "Relève" Awards, in the form of paid internships at Desjardins, were presented by Ms. Josiane Moisan, Vice-President, Careers, Succession and Talent Acquisition at Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, to two students who excelled in their finance studies, namely Ms. Andréanne Simard, of HEC Montréal, and Ms. Noémi Duguay, of Université Laval. The RBC Dexia "Relève" Award, in the form of an international internship, was presented by Ms. Annie Blouin, Vice-President, Client Service at RBC Dexia Investor Services, to Ms. Allison Lickley, of McGill University, another student who stood-out through her finance studies.

Sponsors
The Association of Québec Women in Finance would like to thank the following sponsors:

Senior Partners: Desjardins, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RBC Dexia
President's Circle: National Bank, Scotia Bank, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Desjardins, RBC Dexia
Platinum: Aon, Bell, Sun Life Financial, Heenan Blaikie, Samson Bélair / Deloitte & Touche
Gold: SECOR, TD Bank Financial Group
Silver: Air France, Laurentian Bank, PSB Boisjoli, Caisse de dépôt et de placement du Québec
Bronze: CIBC, Investissement Québec, KPMG, Lavery, Mercedes-Benz LAVAL
Media Partners: Finance and Investing, La Presse, Premières en affaires
Collaborator: Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations

About the Association
Founded in May 2002, the Association of Québec Women in Finance is comprised of nearly 400 Québec women in finance. It organizes several networking, professional development and international business activities each year and provides its members with privileged access to a major worldwide network of women in finance, including the New York market.

The Association of Québec Women in Finance's mission is to contribute to the national and international outreach of its members by promoting their skills and fostering the development of business relationships throughout Canada and abroad, by nominating women to senior management positions and boards of administrators.

For further information:

Photos available upon request.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Sarah Claude
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
Tel. [phone], ext. 22
[e-mail]