Isabelle Gagnon

Chief Executive Officer

Isabelle Gagnon has been Æquo’s CEO since 2022. Isabelle Gagnon has over 15 years’ experience in governance, sustainable development and risk management.

After working for more than a decade in sustainable development and climate change consulting at Deloitte and then Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Isabelle joined Desjardins Capital as SME Governance Manager. In this role, which she held for a little over five years, Isabelle successfully positioned governance as a distinct component of Desjardins Capital’s offering in the market. Under her leadership, various innovative initiatives have been launched, including one aimed at board diversity in Desjardins Capital’s partner companies. She also oversaw the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in Desjardins Capital’s investment processes.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in Finance from McGill University, in addition to a Master’s in International Development from Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She also earned a C.Dir. title from Université Laval’s Collège des administrateurs de sociétés.

She is a member of the board of Axia Services, a social economy company whose mission is to offer quality jobs to people living with limitations (physical or psychological), while creating and developing commercial activities.

Daniel Simard

Special advisor to the General Management

Daniel Simard has been a member of Æquo’s Board of Directors since its launch in 2016 until 2023. He also acted as interim CEO from March to August 2022. Daniel is now a special advisor and ambassador for Æquo.

Previously, Daniel was CEO of Bâtirente from 1995 to October 2021, when he became Strategic Advisor to the Executive team until his retirement in June 2022. Just as Bâtirente was one of the first PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment) signatories, Daniel has been a pioneer of responsible investment in Québec and Canada. Among others, he was one of the Asset Owner representatives elected to PRI Association’s first board of directors in 2006, where he served until 2015. He also set up PRI’s Québec Network as well as its Francophone Network.

With over 35 years’ experience in the field of finance, Daniel has also held positions as a pension fund trustee and as an insurance company director. He served for 15 years in various capacities within the CSN, primarily as a negotiator and an attorney.

Daniel holds a Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) from the School of Industrial Relations of the Université de Montréal (UdeM).

François Meloche

Head of Corporate Engagement

François is Director of Corporate Engagement at Æquo. He leads a number of dialogues with companies on various topics. Before helping launch Æquo, he was Extra-financial Risks Manager at Bâtirente for nearly 10 years. François also worked several years at firms specializing in investment, including Sustainalytics, the Groupe Investissement Responsable and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). During his career, he has taken part in research missions to Africa, South America, Asia and Europe to learn more about corporate mining and petroleum practices and their impacts on local communities.

François is a pioneer in sustainable development in Québec and a regular speaker at conferences and events related to responsible investment.

Arnaud Celka

Head of Research

Arnaud has over 15 years’ experience analyzing ESG issues.

He has been head of research at Æquo since the company’s founding, while also being responsible for the methodology and engagement processes. He designed and implemented Æquo’s knowledge management and dialogue monitoring systems. He also leads a number of dialogues.

Arnaud is a specialist in ethics, responsible investment and sustainable development. He acquired his experience through his consulting, training and research activities in this area. His fields of activity and research comprise ethics for private and public organizations as well as risk and opportunity analysis related to ESG factors.

Arnaud has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Université de Montréal and a master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Political Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Furthermore, he has held various research and teaching positions.

Marine Martal

Shareholder engagement advisor

Marine Martal joined Æquo as a shareholder engagement advisor.

Marine initially worked at the Community Futures Development Corporation of Côte Nord (SADC de la Côte-Nord), for SMEs, in circular economy and sustainable development. In that role, she coordinated the development of the circular economy in Quebec’s North Shore region. She also guided companies in their transition to sustainability, by analyzing their environmental, social and governance issues and then proposing solutions to them.

Marine was a member of the Sciences-Po au Féminin association, which helps women develop their careers. More specifically, she was in charge of the association’s funding aspect. In 2018, as president of the Young European Federalists association of Isère, Marine also worked on developing youths’ knowledge about the European Union.

Marine has a master’s degree in Environmental Management (M. Env.) from the Université de Sherbrooke as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Grenoble (France).

Julien Bezombes

Shareholder engagement advisor

Julien holds the position of shareholder engagement advisor.

He had the opportunity to develop his sustainable finance expertise for several years during his various experiences with the Groupe Investissement Responsable (GIR), Impak Finance and Université Laval’s Foundation and mutual fund. Prior to his involvement in the responsible investment world, Julien worked in purchasing and logistics in England.

Julien has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with a specialization in Organizational Social and Environmental Responsibility from Université Laval. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Toulouse Business School (France).

Charlotte Douillard

Shareholder engagement advisor

Charlotte currently holds the position of Shareholder Engagement Advisor at Æquo.

Her professional journey began with project management responsibilities in the environmental sector, notably at Cégep Garneau and Keurig Canada. Driven by a keen interest in energy issues and sustainable transition, she developed a plan to integrate electric vehicles into the Van Houtte Coffee Services delivery fleet. She also conducted a comprehensive comparative study on the costs of electric vehicles versus gasoline vehicles in Quebec with the Energy Management Chair at HEC Montréal.

During her studies, she developed a passion for sustainable finance, which she further refined at impak Analytics, an impact rating agency. For three years, she analyzed the environmental, social, and governance impact of numerous energy sector companies, addressing topics such as human rights and climate.

Charlotte holds a Master’s in Management and Sustainable Development from HEC Montréal, as well as a Bachelor’s in Public Affairs and International Relations from Laval University.

Josée Cavalancia has been a lawyer for over 20 years, with solid experience in civil and commercial litigation and particular expertise in collective actions, for both the plaintiff and the defendant. Throughout the years, she has been called upon to represent SMEs and multinationals from a very wide range of industries, as well as individuals and non-profit organizations for cases related to questions of consumer law, securities, competition, professional or pharmaceutical liability, and personal information and privacy protection.

With a Law degree from the Université de Montréal, a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from HEC Montréal and her extensive background as a businesswoman in the restaurant milieu, Josée is known for her excellent business acumen and global understanding of corporate issues.

Equally passionate about management, strategy and governance, Josée has been active on various boards of directors. In recent years, she has sat on the boards of La Cordée Plein Air Inc., the La Cordée Scout Foundation and the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal.

Josée Cavalancia

President of the Board of Directors

Johanne has worked in the ESG field for more than 30 years. She has been active in both the private and public sectors. Her approach to ESG issues simultaneously addresses the strategic dimension, implementation, performance measurement and accountability. She currently advises mainly senior management in organizations.

She was previously a partner in the sustainable development and climate change practice of a major firm. She has also served as a federal environment and sustainable development commissioner, where she audited the performance of all federal organizations in terms of sustainable development and environment. She has chaired and sat on various boards, including those of RECYC-Québec and Protégez-Vous. More recently, she was CEO of the Crown corporation in charge of leading Québec’s energy transition. Now retired from her government role, she occasionally guides organizations that are determined to make a difference when it comes to ESG. She is still involved in several company boards.

Johanne Gélinas

Member of the Board of Directors

François is an investor and investment team leader with a vast experience in multiple asset classes ranging from fixed income and equities to absolute return and hedge fund strategies. He is founder and managing partner at Nordis Capital, a sustainability-focused investment manager. Throughout his career, he developed expertise across a wide variety of investment subjects. He has been a frequent speaker on asset allocation, portfolio construction, risk management and is now focused on sustainable investments.

François holds a BSc. In Actuarial Mathematics, is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a CFA charter holder and professional risk manager (PRM) where he was co-candidate of the year in 2004.

François Bourdon

Member of the Board of Directors

Éric Filion has served as Bâtirente’s Chief Executive Officer since October 2021. He joined the organization in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer. Éric’s career includes over 25 years’ experience in the financial field, 20 of which at one of Québec’s largest financial institutions, where he held several strategic roles in personal insurance as well as in the pensions sector.

He has a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Mathematics and Statistics from Université de Montréal and is a Fellow of both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.

Éric Filion

Member of the Board of Directors

Colette Harvey has been President of the Regroupement pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RRSE) since 2019.

Colette has more than 25 years of experience in the financial sector as a financial planner, senior advisor in responsible investment, and director of strategic development at the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins.

Involved for more than 15 years in responsible finance, Colette has always been interested in the democratization of knowledge in this field. She produced a “Guide on Responsible Finance” for financial advisors in 2006 and, in 2017, led the development of the first educational game for responsible finance in Quebec Le Responsable. This game is deployed in several educational institutions and is available to the general public.

She is still very involved with the Desjardins Group in training facilitators and disseminating this educational tool.

Colette Harvey holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Université Laval and a certificate in financial planning.

Colette Harvey

Member of the Board of Directors