Françoise Bertrand, (born 1948) is a Canadian business personality. She is the first woman to head a North American television network, as CEO and president of

Télé-Québec The Société de télédiffusion du Québec (; en, Quebec Television Broadcasting Corporation), branded as Télé-Québec (), is a Canadian French-language public educational television network in the province of Quebec. It is a provincial Cro ...

, and the first, and so far the only, woman to serve as chairperson of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), a position she held from 1996 to 2001. Bertrand was inducted into the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...

in 2008 and appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 2013. She has served as president and CEO of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (Québec's Federation of Chambers of Commerce) from 2003 to 2016, the first woman to hold the position. She is currently the first woman to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

Canada Inc., a position she has held since April 2017.

Education

Born in Montreal, Bertrand holds a sociology degree from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

and a master's in Environmental Studies from Toronto's

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Career

From 1980 to 1988, she held many positions at the

Université du Québec à Montréal The Université du Québec à Montréal (English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Qué ...

, including dean of resource management. She was then president and CEO of

, becoming the first woman to head a North American television network. Her leadership received praise for "redirecting its educational and cultural programming to reflect the realities of Quebec society". In 1996, Bertrand became the first, and so far the only, woman to serve as chairperson of the CRTC. During her tenure, the "opening ftelephone service to competition" took place, as did a major May 1999 decision on "New Media" that gave the CRTC jurisdiction over certain content communicated over the Internet, such as audio and video, but not primarily alphanumeric content such as emails and most webpages. She served as chair until 2001, when David Colville succeeded her as CRTC's interim chair. From 2003 to 2016, she served as the president and CEO of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Québec's Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the first woman to do so. From 2001 to 2018, she served on and chaired numerous boards, including but not limited to

Quebecor Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Québec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in F ...

(chair, 2011-2014), the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (board member, 2007-2017), and the United Nations Association in Canada (board member, 2016-2018). In November of 2016, Bertrand became President of the International Board of Directors of Proaction International, and in April of 2017, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc. Today, she is also Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of Concordia University since 2015 and has served on the Board of Osisko Gold Royalties since 2013.

Honours and awards

Bertrand has received numerous awards and honors, including an honorary degree from Concordia University. Bertrand was granted the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 2001. In 2007, she was named in Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 by Women's Executive Network (RFE). In 2008, she received the insignia of Chevalier of the

(NQO). In June 2013, she was appointed an Officer of the

for "her contributions to corporate governance as an administrator and role model for women". In November 2019, Francoise Bertrand was awarded the Prix Réalisations (The Achievements Prize) by the Reseau des femmes d’affaires du Québec, a non-profit organization and network of women business professionals “contributing to the leadership, economic development and professional fulfillment of its members”. This prize “pays tribute to a Quebecoise (woman from Quebec) whose exceptional career, compelling achievements, drive and influence both locally and internationally have set her apart in business world”.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertrand, Francoise Businesspeople from Quebec Living people Canadian women in business Canadian chief executives Chairpersons of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Université de Montréal alumni York University alumni Canadian chairpersons of corporations Canadian corporate directors Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the National Order of Quebec Officers of the Order of Canada 1948 births