A venerable institution that has mentored some 3,000 entrepreneurs each year since 1980, the Mentoring Network has a new chairman to head its board since Thursday: Hopper CEO and co-founder Frédéric Lalonde.
Mr. Lalonde, who has been with the organization since 2019, takes over from businessman Charles Sirois, who has held the position for nine years. “The pandemic was two years when mentoring was more difficult in person,” says Mr. Lalonde in an interview. I got to know the Mentoring Network through the good years and the tough ones, I was completely knocked down by the quality of the organization and its individuals. »
Himself at the head of a successful Montreal company, valued at more than 5 billion and active in the fields of travel and financial technologies, the new president wants to better “connect” the Mentoring Network with the world of techno. Its guideline is “customer obsession”, in this case entrepreneurs who find themselves supported by volunteer mentors who guide them in the growth of their project.
“We’re doing it, and it started in 2019, this obsession with what the entrepreneur needs, how do you measure progress. We have the opportunity to reinvent that. »
It also wishes to help raise awareness of the Mentoring Network, stemming from the Fondation de l’entrepreneurship created in 1980, which counts on the support of the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy, the Banque Nationale, Desjardins and a dozen leading partners.
“The Mentoring Network is truly unique in Quebec, I have no comparable,” says Mr. Lalonde. The fact that it is less well known shows that we have work to do. »
“Frédéric will take over the presidency of an organization that has a clear mission, financial sustainability, and which can face the challenges of the future,” outgoing president Charles Sirois said in a statement. Frédéric is from a new generation, he will be able to take the Mentoring Network to the next stage of its development. »
For the first time, it is also a woman who has been appointed to the general management. This is Karyne Alstream, who held the position of Assistant General Manager and Senior Director of Mentorship Programs. “We are at a crossroads and we have the talent and resources to go even further,” Ms. Alstream said in a statement. I am proud that the Mentoring Network supports nearly 3000 mentees per year, but we must do better, considering the existing pool of entrepreneurs and the economic and demographic issues facing Quebec. »