1st inductions into the university competitions hall of fame
Patrice Bourbonnais, René Gendreau and Anne Bourhis felicitated
December 19, 2023
Patrice Bourbonnais, René Gendreau and Anne Bourhis have become the first honorary members of HEC Montréal’s University Competitions Hall of Fame for their unparalleled commitment to such activities.
Patrice Bourbonnais: A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and MBA graduate from the School, he headed the founding committee of the Jeux du commerce (JDC) in 1988. This initiative, which has become the leading interuniversity competition in Eastern Canada, has also developed throughout Canada. Since 2003, the trophy awarded to the winning team has borne his name.
René Gendreau: After a long career in marketing, he became a Guest Professor at HEC Montréal in 1998. From then on, he coached teams representing the School in interuniversity competitions, especially for the JDCs. Owing to his experience and the numerous victories of his delegations, the position of head of university competitions at the School was specially created for him, and one which he held until his retirement in 2020.
Anne Bourhis: A Professor in the Department of Human Resources Management, she has been involved in case study competitions for over 25 years. In addition to having been the main coach of the debate and human resources management teams for HEC Montréal’s delegation to the JDC since 1999, she was also René Gendreau’s second-in-command. She has been the Academic Director of HEC Montréal’s University Competitions Service (UCS) since its creation in 2020.
“If our competitors are able to stand out on the international scene today, it is all thanks to these three people,” said Jean-François St-Pierre, Administrative Director, UCS, during the induction evening that took place on November 23, 2023, in the presence of nearly 200 guests. In addition to these honorary awards, the UCS also bestowed the René-Gendreau Award upon BBA student Tomy Pelletier, for being the best presenter in 2022-2023.
Every year, over 1,500 students from HEC Montréal take part in around 50 local, regional, national, or international university competitions. More than 500 volunteer coaches and experts provide them with support.
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