Sommet Influence : Technologie et créativité responsables | 3rd Edition

Philippe Beaudoin, PhD, Co-founder and CEO, Numeno.ai

Philippe Beaudoin is a researcher and entrepreneur constantly seeking ideas that benefit society. In 2020, he co-founded Waverly, where he and his team developed the technology powering AI-native software. This new paradigm allows users to control key aspects of their experiences using natural language, enabling seamless and secure personalized interactions.

Previously, Philippe co-founded Element AI, where he led the research team. He also managed engineering teams at Google, holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Université de Montréal, and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia.

Philippe is committed to promoting and advancing technology in various fields and serves on the boards of organizations that share this mission, including the Montreal Science Centre Foundation, the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, Printemps Numérique, and the International Centre of Expertise in Montreal on Artificial Intelligence.

Valérie Bécaert, Director of the Research Group and Scientific Programs at ServiceNow Research

Valérie is the Director of the Research Group and Scientific Programs at ServiceNow Research, where she leads fundamental research teams and applied research labs. She previously served as Director of Fundamental Research at Element AI until its acquisition by ServiceNow in January 2021.

Before joining Element AI, Valérie was the Executive Director of IVADO from its inception, where she worked to build the community and team while securing partnerships and funding. She played a key role in launching several initiatives, including the Data Philanthropy Hub and SynapseC.

She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal and began her career as a researcher, spending 15 years in the field of sustainable development. She was the Director of CIRAIG (International Reference Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes, and Services) and co-founder and Director of CIRODD (Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Sustainable Development Operationalization) before transitioning to the world of artificial intelligence.

Her somewhat unconventional career path now enables her to approach AI development in a sustainable and responsible way with her team.

Florent Daudens is Press Lead at Hugging Face, the open-source AI development platform. Passionate about AI and journalism, he has steered the digital evolution of major Canadian media over the past 15 years, notably as news director at Le Devoir and Radio-Canada. He has overseen the creation of AI-based products and contributed to the creation of ethical guidelines for their use. He is a trainer for several newsrooms. He is also a mentor for the AI Journalism Lab at the City University of New York, and teaches AI and journalism at the École supérieure de journalisme de Lille and the Université de Montréal.

Florian Roulle is currently Vice-President, Sustainable Finance, at Finance Montréal, Quebec’s financial cluster. He plays a key role in leading the organization’s initiatives to promote sustainable finance. With his team, he works to mobilize members and partners, aiming to establish Quebec’s financial marketplace as a center of excellence and innovation in sustainable finance in North America.

In addition to his sustainable finance duties, Florian is also responsible for advancing Finance Montréal’s financial entrepreneurship and asset management strategy, contributing significantly to the international recognition of Québec’s financial industry.

Since 2018, Florian has been an active member of the Conseil régional des partenaires du marché du travail de Montréal, representing the corporate sector. He has served as its president since June 2022, emphasizing the importance of the region’s socio-ecological transition and striving to make the CRPMT a local, inclusive and positive-impact council.

An economist by training, Florian has over 15 years’ experience in socio-economic research, strategic planning and government program evaluation, with a particular focus on economic development.

JD St-Martin is President of Lightspeed – the unified POS and payments platform for ambitious entrepreneurs to accelerate growth, provide the best customer experience and become a go-to destination in their space. JD joined Lightspeed in May 2019 through the acquisition of Chronogolf, a SaaS company he co-founded in 2013. During his tenure at Lightspeed, he helped to grow their global Go-To-Market department through his numerous positions, from Senior Director of Global Account Management to Senior Vice President of Global Sales to his current role as President.

Prior to founding and growing his own company, Mr. St-Martin accumulated five years of experience in Venture Capital and Private Equity at Teralys Capital in Montreal and GE Equity in London, UK. Mr. St-Martin holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business from the University of Ottawa. 

With over fifteen years of experience in international trade, SME support, and partnership development, Erandi Motte Cortés is a trilingual professional (French, English, Spanish). She holds a degree in international business from Tec de Monterrey in Mexico and an MBA from HEC Montréal. Throughout her career, she has been involved in internationally focused projects.

In Mexico, she began as a trade auditor for a customs broker before working as an import analyst for a German multinational. After arriving in Québec in 2011, she joined the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, where she first served as an advisor and international commissioner within the Business Services department. Since 2016, she has led the Chamber’s export assistance team and spearheaded various initiatives aimed at helping entrepreneurs and SMEs acquire new skills and diversify their markets.

Passionate about economic development, Erandi brings creativity and commitment to all her projects. She has helped establish and grow numerous collaborations with public, private, and nonprofit partners from a wide range of sectors. She has also led trade missions in several countries, including France, Germany, Israel, Dubai, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.

In addition to her international work, Erandi currently serves on the boards of Zú, C2 Montréal, and Indie Asylum.

Since 2009, Francis has been a consultant specializing in strategic planning and leadership development, as well as conducting economic analyses, particularly in the real estate, financial services, creative industries, and retail sectors.

He has extensive international experience, having undertaken strategy, coaching, and training assignments across Europe, Asia, and North America. As an author, blogger, and speaker, he has published numerous studies on regional economy, media economics, digital transformation, economic inequalities, and social mobility.

Francis is also an economic columnist at Qub and Journal de Montréal in addition to contributing to the magazine Premières en affaires and the Futur and Médias sections of the Canada Media Fund. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.Sc. in International Business and has a university certification in corporate governance (ASC).

Olivier Quenneville is Chief Executive Officer of Réseau Capital since July 2022. In that role, he’s in charge of the implementation of the organisation strategic plan and he’s the spokeperson for the private capital industry in Quebec. Olivier is also managing the development of partnerships with the broader economic development ecosystem in Québec and he’s overseeing the public and government affairs of Réseau Capital. Before being promoted to CEO, Olivier was Vice-president, Business intelligence and development at Réseau Capital.

Before joining Réseau Capital, Olivier was Senior Manager, Public and Government Affairs at CN, where he was overseeing the public and government affairs team across every province where CN is operating. He was also in charge of the Public inquiry line, the first point of contact for citizens having questions regarding CN’s operations in North America.

Prior to join CN, Olivier was Senior political advisor to the Quebec minister of Finances where he was
managing questions related to economic development and business fiscal policy.

She is the Chair of Lawyers Without Borders Canada. She is also the co-founder of Women in Climate Finance, a pan-Canadian organization that encourages women to be agents of change within the climate finance ecosystem. In this role, she received the Clean50 Project Award for her leadership in climate action. She serves on the boards of organizations focused on sustainability and climate transition, including Finance Montréal’s Sustainable Finance initiative, Cycle Momentum, and Concordia University’s Volt-Age program (Electrification of Society). She also acts as an advisory committee member for policy-driven initiatives such as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Green Finance Committee and Canada2020.