Sylvain Lafrance named Allié des femmes 2023

Sylvain Lafrance, Adjunct Professor at Executive Education HEC Montréal, and Director of Pôle médias HEC Montréal and Gestion, was named Allié des femmes 2023 (Ally of Women) during the 23^rd benefit gala of Allia, the alliance of women in creative industries. This honour was conferred upon him for his unflagging efforts towards not only making the media industry an inclusive space for women, but for also boosting the status of women in general.

Alongside the 2023 winners – Véronique Cloutier, host; India Desjardins, author and screenwriter; Marie Collin, President and CEO, Télé-Québec; Marya Zarif, designer, author, filmmaker; Valérie Daigneault, Director, Secretariat of the Audiovisual Cluster of the Quebec Film and Television Council –, he received this award with great pride:

“I am very pleased to have been able to contribute to the advancement of women in our industry. Thank you, Allia!”

About Sylvain Lafrance

Sylvain Lafrance is a well-known figure in the communication world, both at home and abroad. He had a lengthy career with the Société Radio-Canada (the French network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), where he directed all French-language radio, television and internet services from 2005 to 2011. He was also the driving force behind the merger of the various divisions in the corporation, and initiated a number of new offerings, including the TOU.TV platform. In October 2011, he left the Société Radio-Canada to join the faculty at Executive Education HEC Montréal and Pôle médias. Since 2016, he has been Director of the French-language business management journal, Gestion.

He chairs the Executive Board of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. He is a member of the Order of Canada, a Knight of the Order of the Pléiade, a Knight of France’s Order of Arts and Letters and a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. In addition to having been the honorary patron of the Femmes d’Affaires du Québec Award in 2018, he was one of its jury members in 2023.