Outstanding Personalities at the 40th Hermès Awards Ceremony

Laura Boivin – Career Hermès Award

Laura Boivin is the CEO of Fumoir Grizzly, a company specialized in the preparation and transformation of seafood products. She acquired the producer in 2009 and has since led the company to new heights by developing new markets and innovative products. In collaboration with Université Laval, Fumoir Grizzly has contributed to the development of BacM35, a bio‑ingredient designed to eradicate Listeria from food products.

I have to say that my company’s growth is certainly due to the MBA in Management [for practicing executives] that I had an opportunity to complete here. It is also a result of all of our dedicated, passionate and professional employees, who are rigorous and work their hearts out.

Andrée-Anne St-Arnaud – Career Hermès Award

Andrée-Anne St-Arnaud is an economics journalist who holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from FSA ULaval. Since then, she has been known for her ability to make complex finance, economics, marketing and other topics accessible to the public and explain them effectively. She has been co-hosting the T.V. show Zone Économie on RDI since 2020, has made a mark for herself in a historically male-dominated field, and is inspiring an entire generation of women to become interested in this field.

What I learned during my studies [at FSA ULaval] is that administrative sciences don’t force you into a specific box: it provides you instead with a well-stocked toolbox. This is an environment that makes us grow.

Dominick Gauthier – Hermès Res Publica Award

This Hermès award recognizes dedication to the advancement of a social cause. After a career as an acrobatic ski Olympian, Dominick Gauthier completed a certificate in business administration at FSA ULaval. Since then, he has combined all of his passions to create B2ten, an organization that supports Canadian athletes by offering customized programs to prepare for the Olympics. Since 2006, B2ten had raised over $30 M from the private sector to finance its operations. In addition, through its “Active for Life” initiative, it encourages youth from across Canada to include physical activity and sports in their daily lives.

I remember discussions, sometimes heated, thanks to which we acquire knowledge, a taste for debate, exchange ideas, question ourselves… I did not have the career I was imagining during my stay at FSA ULaval, but it is nevertheless what has served me the most in my career.

Catherine Savoie and Vincent Thériault – Hermès Special Award

The onset of the pandemic was a hard hit for Québec companies, and Surmesur was no exception. Rather than wallowing in a constant state of worry, Catherine Savoie, Director of Finance and Culture, co-founder Vincent Thériault and his brother and fellow co-founder François, decided to transform themselves. Right in the middle of the first wave of the pandemic, the company managed to import 185 million masks and 2.5 million gowns to support health care workers.

This example of effective adaptation and dedication to the good of society has earned Catherine and Vincent a Hermès Special Award. The couple, who met during their studies in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at FSA ULaval, also launched Action_104, a foundation that promotes the fulfilment of young people.

A large part of our business network today was built from what we experienced in our first years at the university, around the IBM room, the Prolo, or even at the Jeux du commerce. In other words, it’s this experience as a whole that has made us into the entrepreneurs we are today.

Vincent dedicated this award to his mother, who had passed away in recent weeks.

Jacques Renaud – Hermès Award for Teaching Excellence

Jacques Renaud has received a host of titles in his 20-year career at FSA ULaval. He is the originator of many courses in supply chain management and is responsible for creating the bachelor’s degree concentration. He is greatly appreciated by his students, as evidenced by his 12 Socrates Awards, which are given out on the basis of student evaluations. With the 135 dissertations he has supervised since the start of his career, there can be no doubt about his passion, his involvement and his ability to share and develop knowledge.

What comes to mind is a mug that my daughter Marianne bought for me [that bears the inscription] “We train the leaders of tomorrow.” Today, these words take on their full meaning when we see what the people who have gone through the Faculty have become. And we can’t help but think that there just may be a little bit of ourselves in there.

Nizar Souiden – Hermès Award for Research Excellence

Nizar Souiden is well-known in the field of international marketing. Recognized around the world for the quality and influence of his research, he has, since 2000, 80 publications to his credit, including 47 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is also an associate editor and guest editor for several leading journals in his field. His many contributions to the scientific community and the impact of his work made him a natural choice for this Hermès award.

I am obviously delighted to receive this Hermès Award for Research Excellence, a crowning achievement for several years of ongoing effort and perseverance […] I’ve also realized that I recently reached 1,000 citations in Web of Science. I am very happy to be included in the list of professors at FSA ULaval who have reached this milestone.

Hermès Student Recognition Award

Hassan Dia is currently completing an MBA in Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility. Sports, and especially paracycling, have always been a central part of his life. His positive attitude, his desire to make things (and people) move, and his involvement in the sports community have made him a prime candidate for this Hermès Student Recognition Award. From his very first days at FSA ULaval, and even before, he has raised community awareness about parasports and served as an ambassador for inclusion.

For his part, Philippe Paquin-Piché completed the Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting program. He has since been working on a DESS in accounting. Philippe became the president of the Association des étudiants en sciences de l’administration de l’Université Laval (AÉSAL), just before the start of the pandemic. Despite the difficulties this created, he mobilized the students during this period through moral support activities. His extensive involvement at FSA ULaval, his leadership qualities, his proactiveness and his willingness to contribute to the well-being of his peers have earned him this Hermès Student Recognition Award.