Montreal
Montreal Chapter History
The early days of the Montreal Chapter are lost in the mists
of time….
The FMI Montreal Chapter held the first PSMW of the Financial
Management Institute in 1988. It was not called the PSMW at the
time, but rather the Government Directors of Finance Workshop.
The Montreal Chapter
was officially relaunched on June 9, 1999. Launch Committe members
were (l-r) Luc Gauvin, Jean Genest, Denis Pelletier (Chair), Maryse
Charbonneau, Martin Santoire, Sophie de Courval, Mario B. Roy,
Adriana Mastrostefano, and Josée Corbeil. Absent: Chantal
Marcotte.
In 1994, the Chapter hosted a second PSMW. Although the event
was a success for the FMI, it came at a high price for the Chapter,
which ceased its operations for several years.
It was only in 1999 that activities resumed under the leadership
of Mr. Denis Pelletier, who remained as the president until
2001.
From 2001 to 2007, the presidency was assumed by Mr. Mario Roy,
whose dynamism and energy would inspire the members of the board of
directors to excel.
When Mr. Roy left to take up a new challenge, Ms. Johanne Pilon
took on the presidency in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. Mr. Guy
Ménard has been president of the organization since
2009-2010.
Over the past twelve years, several significant events and
milestones have helped to establish the chapter's reputation, and
in particular, to ensure that it enjoys both credibility and an
enviable position.
One of the important milestones was undoubtedly in 2002 when the
Chapter partnered up with the National Bank of Canada, in what
would be the beginning of a new era. The NBC has since become the
Chapter's most loyal sponsor, which has brought a great deal of
credibility to the organization. What is more, the NBC makes its
private dining room available for the Chapter's luncheon
conferences, thereby adding a gastronomic element to our
activities.
Among the more remarkable events, we would be remiss not to
mention the tenacity of André Bérard, who was then president of the
National Bank of Canada. He had agreed to be our conference
speaker. On the scheduled date for his presentation, Mr. Bérard was
hospitalized with heart problems, but he was intent on honouring
his commitment. So his driver picked him up at the hospital to
bring him to the conference. Mr. Bérard gave his speech-with
a catheter in his arm-and when his presentation was over, he
returned to the hospital to continue his convalescence.
From left to right,
Mario Roy, FMI-Montreal, Sheila Fraser, Auditor General of Canada
and Serge Boisseau, FMI-Quebec at a luncheon presentation in March
2004.
We are also very proud of the fact that we hosted Sheila Fraser
as a speaker in March 2004, when she was Auditor General of
Canada. She had just published her "sponsorship" report three
months earlier. This luncheon presentation was a very popular
event.
In retrospect, we can be proud of our journey and have earned
bragging rights for having hosted great speakers, such as a former
premier of Quebec, numerous directors from our major financial
institutions and large Crown corporations, and university
professors from Quebec institutions that have gained an
international reputation.
The current directors of the FMI Montréal Chapter are mindful of
this rich legacy, and they work very hard to reinforce this feeling
of pride and desire for excellence among the new members.
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Visit IGF-Montréal's web pages for full details on
events and activities.
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