Pleasure and Passion

LOUISE ANN MAZIAK
Pleasure and Passion event Honorary Chair
Louise Ann Maziak holds a Master’s degree in business administration from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, as well as a Master’s degree in bioorganic chemistry from the Faculty of Science at McGill University. For over 25 years, she has developed a strong background in financial services at the Royal Bank of Canada, the National Bank, the Société générale de financement du Québec and the TD Bank. In addition, she gained knowledge in the field of biomedical research while working as a research associate at the IRCM in the 1980s. She is chair of the Blue Metropolis board of directors and a member of the board and chair of the audit committee of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute Foundation.

DOMINIQUE BÉLISLE
Dominique is a partner in KRB’s Real Estate Group. She brings over thirty-five years of experience in leading national and international transactions across multiple practice areas, including real estate, financing, project development and financing, venture capital funds, corporate and commercial law, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Dominique’s negotiation and team management skills, combined with a highly practical and business-focused mindset, enable her to effectively synthesize and manage complex legal and transactional matters while skillfully leveraging internal resources. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers Canada as a leader in the energy sector in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and was named one of Quebec’s eight “must-know” lawyers in the legal special edition of Premières en Affaires magazine.

JULIE GIRARD
Julie is a partner in the Dispute Resolution practice group. With extensive experience accumulated over the years before courts at all levels, Julie advises clients from diverse backgrounds on a wide range of commercial disputes, with a particular focus on defending them in class actions. Julie takes a creative and efficient approach to resolving complex litigation. Clients also turn to Julie for her strategic thinking and strong advocacy skills. Julie is a member of the Talent Management, Professional Development, and Workplace Harassment Prevention committees, as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Council.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS LEDUC
Jean-François Leduc was Vice President and Chief Information Officer at GardaWorld from 2012 to 2024. He oversaw the direction of technology strategies, including the development of information technology and its protocols, the implementation of infrastructure and technology services, information security systems and their compliance, administrative systems, client support, governance, and IT policies, as well as the allocation of IT resources. He continues his philanthropic involvement, much to our delight!
Jean-François began his information technology career in 1984 with Atkinson Tremblay & Associates, a Montreal-based Software Engineering consulting firm while pursuing a parallel career as an adjunct professor to the Science Faculty IT Department of the Université de Sherbrooke. Over the years, he has occupied various IT management positions within large companies such as Alcan, Urgences-Santé, Bell Canada, Avestor and Iscopia.
Jean-François holds a Bachelor’s degree in IT Management from the Université de Sherbrooke. He is still involved with his alma mater as adjunct professor at the IT Training Centre at the Longueuil campus. In 2001, he received the title of Ambassador of the Université de Sherbrooke.

CLÉMENTINE SALLÉE
Clémentine specializes in infrastructure projects, public-private partnerships, development, project financing and management, public procurement, and sustainable development. She has extensive experience advising private and public entities and national and international financial institutions on infrastructure projects across various sectors, including social, health, and cultural infrastructure, as well as transportation and renewable energy. Recently, she has expanded her practice to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, policies, and procedures, as well as compliance with new legal and regulatory requirements. She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

SILVANA TRAVAGLINI
Ms Travaglini has been Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Stella-Jones since 2020. Ms. Travaglini served as Treasurer and Vice-president, Investor Relations of Resolute Forest Products from 2017 to 2019 and served as its Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer between 2011 and 2017. Her earlier experience included roles as Vice-President and Corporate Controller at Société Générale de Financement du Québec, Manager of Group Accounting at Canadian Pacific Limited and Senior Auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers. A Chartered Professional Accountant, Ms. Travaglini holds both a graduate diploma in Public Accountancy and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accountancy and Finance) from McGill University.

CLAUDE GRAVEL
Honorary President of the Blue Metropolis Foundation Annual Campaign 2026
Since being admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1984, Me Claude Gravel has dedicated his practice to labour law and labour relations, with a particular focus on collective agreement negotiations. After working with major law firms for several years, he founded Gravel² Avocats in 2015, a firm exclusively dedicated to labour law and pension plans.
Throughout his career, Me Gravel has gained extensive experience as a chief negotiator and strategic advisor for numerous employers in both the private and public sectors. He is frequently called upon to intervene in crisis situations and resolve complex labour disputes. His commitment and exceptional ability to propose creative solutions have earned him significant trust within the labour relations community, making him a highly sought-after negotiator.

EMILY ORMOND
Emily Ormond is a bilingual writer who divides her time between Montreal and the beautiful Laurentian region with her husband, Alexandre. After teaching English for a few years, she wrote her first novel while taking courses in creative writing. With a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology, Emily considers herself privileged to have grown up in Quebec, amid its rich cultural traditions.

Laurie Propeck
Laurie is a Senior Associate in KRB’s Business Law group, with a practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and complex corporate transactions. She actively assists KRB’s clients with most of their corporate and commercial legal needs, including those related to purchase and sale transactions, corporate governance/reorganizations, and the preparation and negotiation of other commercial agreements and transactions.

WILLIAM ST-HILAIRE
A trained harpsichordist, William St-Hilaire holds a professional diploma in public relations management from HEC. She began her career as an impresario, managing artists such as Bob Walsh and the Arthur-Leblanc Quartet, before being appointed Executive Director of I Musici de Montréal. She then spent 10 years at Société Radio-Canada as part of the communications team.
Ms. St-Hilaire has served on the boards of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), Salle Pierre-Mercure, and the Association pour la création et la recherche en électroacoustique du Québec (ACREQ). In addition, she has authored eight books, with Les femmes planètes (VLB, 2010) being her first novel. In the spring of 2015, she was awarded the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec.
She has been President and Artistic Director of the Blue Metropolis Foundation for nearly 15 years.