The Association of Québec Women in Finance Celebrated the 8th Edition of the Talentueuses Award Ceremony

MONTREAL, April 25, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association of Québec Women in Finance (AQWF) honoured talented and exceptional professional women last night, as well as students, all of which excel in the finance world. Ms. Dana Ades-Landy, Chairperson of the Board of the AQWF, presided this event of nearly 600 guests.

Since its founding in 2002, this association of talented, enterprising women has played a key role in Québec's economic development. The Talentueuses Award Ceremony highlights the achievements of professional women within the finance sector through awards in several categories.

"Through its Talentueuses Award Ceremony, the Association of Québec Women in Finance created an ideal venue to showcase its commitment and evolution," said Ms. Dana Ades-Landy, Chairperson of the AQWF. "This 8^th edition featured the creation of two new award categories, namely the "Grand mentor" and "Étoile montante" awards, which reward the women who encourage the evolution of our members and excellence among the next generation, respectively. We also unveiled our new Mentorship Program. This program developed and stewarded by the John Molson Women in Business Club, will be offered as of September 2013."

Furthermore, in recognition of the role played by AQWF founder Andrée Corriveau, it was announced that the "Inspiration" Award will henceforth be known as the "Inspiration - Andrée Corriveau" Award.

Winners of the 8^th edition of the Talentueuses Award Ceremony

"Inspiration - Andrée Corriveau" Award (presented by the Board of Directors of the AQWF):
Ms. Guylaine Leclerc, Managing Partner, Accuracy

"Leadership" Award:
Ms. Maarika Paul, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

"Grand mentor" Award :
Ms. Madeleine Chenette, Partner and Head National Strategy Advisory Services, KPMG s.r.l./s.e.n.c.r.l.-SECOR

"Étoile montante" Award:
Ms. Nancy Paquet, President, Direct Brokerage, National Bank of Canada

"Relève RBC" Award:
Ms. Arielle Desforges, HEC Montréal

"Relève Desjardins" Award:
Ms. Andréanne Dubé, Université Laval

"Relève Desjardins" Award :
Ms. Claude Côté, Université Laval

Grant Collège des administrateurs de sociétés
Ms. Françoise Lyon, Senior Vice-President, Pembroke Private Wealth Management Ltd

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

Senior Partners: Desjardins, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RBC
President's Circle: National Bank, Scotia Bank, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Desjardins, RBC
Platinum: Aon, National Bank, Sun Life Financial, Heenan Blaikie
Gold: CPA (Comptables professionnels agrées du Québec), TD Bank Financial Group

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.

Photos available upon request.

SOURCE: Association des femmes en finance du Québec (AFFQ)

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or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Christine Tourigny
Massy Forget Langlois Public Relations
514 842-2455, ext. 21
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