Leadership Montréal = Leadership Montréal, 1 février 2002, Anglais

publication by Greater Montreal Leadership Network I Dmoyerir, jm I .otniij.Chambre ae coin du Montréal mét :Board of Trade j m Metropolitan j /orld 'ontre, Electronic Commerce Institute LEADERSHIP mm suroiii.¦ February 2002 Volume 5 Number 1 Profile Pierre Langelier A strategic manager dedicated to developing electronic business PAGE 9 Dossier Vortals: from net benefits to net profits page 10-11 j PROJEC1 2 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 Representation of women on corporate and INSTITUTIONAL BOARDS OF DIRECTORS: AN ASSET * A STRENGTH • A NECESSITY EQUALITY 2005.ON YOUR MARK! GET SET.GO! By Nicole Ranger, director of the Equality 2005 project The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal's Equality 2005 project seeks to sensitize women to the importance of sitting on the boards of directors of companies and institutions and the need for a more equitable distribution of decision-making positions between men and women.More specifically, its objectives are: mayors, or 25%.As stated in an earlier article, France was the first country to enact legislation to ensure parity in politics, with the result that in 2001, 47.5% of its city councillors were women.In an article appearing in the November 29, 2001 edition of Express, entitled "Douze femmes de pouvoir parlent du pouvoir," Eliane Moyet-Laffon stated: (.) women agree that for everyone's well-being, when women exercise power, they are more friendly, more human and less authoritarian.They espouse the values of the future." opment, the General secretariat and the Online portal.Helen Fotopoulos, of the Plateau Mont-Royal borough, will be responsible for Culture, Heritage and Cultural communities.Louise O'Sullivan Boyne, of the Ville-Marie borough, will oversee Social and Community development and Business centre development.Saluting women participating in the administration of the new City of Montreal ensure the decentralization of responsibilities relating to cultural activities between the central unit and the boroughs.Ms.Laperrière is also charged with developing policies and assistance programs for cultural organizations and overseeing the creation and management of programs aimed at developing the City's network of libraries and cultural centres.Borough administration: Johanne Falcon, borough director, Plateau Mont-Royal.H Louise O'Sullivan Boyn< Stella Guy Johanne Falcon Helen Fotopoulos Francine Sénécal • to facilitate and promote women's access to the boards of directors of large companies and institutions; • to increase the pool of women applying for these positions by stimulating the involvement of both young and more experienced women in their professional milieu; • to prepare and train potential candidates to hold these positions; • to help match potential candidates with the decision-makers at the targeted companies and institutions.The place of women in the political arena of the new City of Montreal On City Council, women hold 25, or 24%, of the 105 positions for elected councillors.Under the former administrations, the proportion was 70 women out of a total of 285 councillors and Saluting women in politics in the new City of Montreal The Board of Trade would like to congratulate the following three women appointed to the 11-member executive committee of the new City: Francine Sénécal, of the NDG/ Côte-des-Neiges borough, who has assumed the position of committee vice-president.Ms.Sénécal will be responsible for Human resources devel- EXPANSION IN THE U.S.Tel.: 514.912.4912 1410, rue Guy suite 20, Montreal [Quebec) H3H 2L7 The Transition Committee's mandate included nominations to the executive committee for the new city and nearing the end of its mandate in December, the Committee appointed the following women.Stay tuned.there's still more to come.The Board of Trade would like to congratulate: Central administration: Stella Guy, assistant director general for borough coordination.Reporting to the director general, Guy Coulombe, the assistant director general will help the 27 borough directors carry out their new mandates.She will harmonize and coordinate the orientations and practices of the departments in the central unit and the boroughs.Ms.Guy will also promote the implementation of the best management practices identified by the Montreal Transition Committee.The assistant DG assumed her duties at the end of September 2001.Rachel Laperrière, assistant general director, Cultural development.Ms.Laperrière reports directly to the director general of the new City of Montreal, Guy Coulombe.Her mandate is to bring together the parties responsible for cultural development and to foster increased citizen participation in the public institutions under her responsibility.Specifically, she will have to Sylvie Mercier, borough director, Mont-Royal.The borough directors will report to the central administration and borough council.Ms.Falcon and Ms.Mercier will be responsible for services provided to citizens in their respective boroughs, ensuring that these services are delivered at the best price/quality ratio.They will also work to reconcile local needs and the corporate orientations of the new City.Their appointments were effective at the end of September 2001.We are advancing step by step in our quest to promote women on boards of directors so as to gradually change behaviour.We are looking for competence, experience, efficiency, complementarity and success.With women accounting for 52% of the population, their presence on a board of directors can only be an advantage, an asset and a strength.Discoveries Chaired by Guylaine Saucier, the joint committee on corporate governance published its final report of recommendations for improving corporate governance by boards of directors.This report can be downloaded from the committee's Website at www.jointcomgov.com CANHM/I IMMIGRATION CANADIAN AND AMERICAN WORKING VISAS BUSINESS Bianca Battistini, MBA Immigration and International Business Specialist www.immigrationcanam.com bbattistini@canamteam.com page 12 ? EDITORIA 3 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 THE TIME HAS COME TO GIVE UNIVERSITIES THE TOOLS FOR THEIR SUCCESS Guy Fréchette The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has long since been concerned with the performance of the Quebec education system.Indeed, speaking before our members on December 13, Tim O'Neill, executive vice-president and chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, stated that Canada cannot hope to improve or even maintain its standard of living without enhancing its productivity.And a sure way to do this is to improve the quality of our workforce through, notably, a system of education that turns out better-trained and better-prepared graduates.The contribution of universities in this regard is critical.At a time when the creation and application of new technologies are at the centre of economic activity, the ability of our universities to train new talent is the key to creating new wealth.Therefore, not only must we worry about the brain drain, but we must also make sure that our universities are able to deliver the talent we need.difficult for them to continue producing graduates of international calibre and that some of our best and brightest are already contemplating leaving even as they begin their university education.This financial insecurity is so longstanding that it has become clear that the government's additional funding alone will not meet the needs of our universities.It is therefore high time for us to contemplate new sources of revenue for them.One of the first measures that could easily be implemented is to increase tuition fees and relax the manner in which way they are charged.No one is gaining from maintaining tuition fees at their current level.While our universities lack funds, wealthier students are paying below their means, and although tuition fees remain a major challenge for less privileged students, the system of financial assistance offers them less than adequate support.Beyond that, there is the risk that the degree obtained will not meet society's growing requirements.A substantial increase in tuition fees could simultaneously ease the funding problem and improve financial assistance to students so as to make a high-quality university education accessible to everyone.Along the same lines, tuition fees in certain programs could be made to reflect the cost of the education obtained, the level of income graduates will earn and the ease with which they find jobs.Student federations have often stated that education is not an expense, but an investment.As such, the government should not be the only investor.The students should invest their time, effort and their money, to become "shareholders" of their own undertaking.As well, it is perfectly natural that this investment be in some manner tied to expected future earnings.Private industry, which also benefits from a solid education system, must find novel ways to become the universities' partner of choice.It already does so by working with universities to organize internships.Such partnerships are profitable, mainly because they allow companies to better communicate their needs in terms of human resources, and should therefore be promoted.Another avenue that should be explored is partnerships with students.Companies are already required to allocate 1% of their payroll to manpower training.Why not include their young employees' student loan repayment in the expenses eligible for this program?To face its challenges, the Montreal economy needs a university network with the means to be one of the best in the world.It goes without saying that everyone must do their share: the private and public sectors, as well as students.Government support alone cannot meet current needs, so much so that if tuition fees are not unfrozen, it is difficult to foresee the "spring" renewal that the university system has so long been waiting for.¦ Guy Fréchette Président Published by Greater Montreal Leadership Network LEADERSHIP Montréal 5 Place Ville Marie Plaza Level, Suite 12500 Montreal (Quebec) H3B 4Y2 Tel.: (514) 871-4000 Fax: (514) 871-1255 Web site: www.btmm.qc.ca E-mail: info@ccmm.qc.ca President Guy Fréchette Editor-in-chief and Managing editor Madeleine Murdock Collaborators Charles Bourgeois Jean-René Caron Joëlle Ganguillet Maurice Kaspy Marie Marchand Nicole Ranger Nicole Savoie Rémi Thibault Linda Tremblay Production and advertising assistant Sylvie Paquette Advertising Johanne Gagné Réginald Godin Design and production Talengo Design inc.Printer Imprimeries Transcontinental inc./ Division Transmag Subscription fee $25 (9 issues) + taxes Front page photograph: Mario Beauregard ISSN 1480-4638 Legal deposit National Library of Québec National Library of Canada To this end, the Board of Trade has long since advocated that university funding be significantly increased and was obviously pleased with the recent announcement by the Landry government that it would fully respect its commitment made at the Youth Summit.Flowever, our satisfaction is relative: given the current needs of universities and the government's limited financial resources, funding concerns remain all too real.Just like companies in the Montreal region, our universities must compete with their counterparts in the rest of the world to attract the best professors, researchers and students.In this context, it goes without saying that our universities' financial troubles are a serious handicap in this race, with the result that it is becoming increasingly gSgjgp SONY Captivate! Fixed or 2000 ANSI tu«WKS XGA-4,9kg IP- addressable Optional wireless Ethernet Network connectivity 3500 ANSI lumens XGA -10.5 kg Web browser Memory storage Ultra-compact 900 ANSI lumens XGA - 2.5 kg possibility of PC-iess presentations CEV A New Class of ’ Smart Projectors” SALES - RENTALS - SERVICE 3055 Adam Street, Montreal.QC H1W3Y7 • Tel : (514) 521-8253 • Toll-free 1 800 337-8835 » WWW.cev.ca FROM THE 4 EDITOR'S D ESK Leadership Montréal - February 2002 LIFE AFTER THE MERGERS The countdown is over.The Island of Montreal is now a city - one large city.As the new year gets underway, its managers begin to tackle the myriad adjustments required by the merger of 28 municipalities: legislative and place name changes, the harmonization of labour relations, the integration of public services, questions related to urban planning and transportation, and much more.The task is enormous.Some services will remain the responsibility of the individual boroughs, while others will be managed jointly.The administrators of the new city must constantly bear in mind the realities of the former municipalities and, while standardizing legislation, take into account their unique characteristics and regional identities, which must be maintained.For there's no denying that some realities are different and not everybody is the same.The Montreal Transition Committee wound up its activities on December 31 and was therefore disbanded.With the committee's work done, its permanent staff members were suddenly back on the market - including Isabelle Hudon, who, for the past year, headed up the Committee's communications department.The Board of Trade therefore called upon Ms.Hudon to place her experience and knowledge of the business and politi- cal worlds at the service of its members.As you read these lines, she will have just joined the Board of Trade's communications team as its director.We know Isabelle will be an enormous asset to our association, and we are pleased to extend a very warm welcome to her.So what can we expect to dominate the headlines in early 2002?Stay tuned! In this issue In the wake of a speech presented to Board of Trade members by Tim O'Neill, executive vice-president and chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, Mr.Guy Fréchette, president of the Board of Trade, expresses his concerns regarding the performance of Quebec's education system, reiterating a demand the Board of Trade has been making for a long time: a significant increase in university funding to allow them to achieve their goals.Our editor, Rémi Thibault tackles the vast question of Web portals -those new electronic business places "that are currently the most multiform concept around." Whether serving the general public or users sharing common business interests, and whether thematic, comprehensive, or specialized, do information and service portals really provide easy access to information?Are they a passing fad or are they here to stay?Find out more on page 10 and 11.With the focus on portals and e-commerce, Joelle Ganguillet presents an interview with Pierre Langelier, president and general manager of the Electronic Commerce Institute, who talks about his beginnings in the field of e-commerce and his vision of the future of this IT sector.The article from the Electronic Commerce Institute further explores this timely subject.For his part, Jean-René Caron stresses the importance and relevance of content to attract and interest visitors, encouraging them to return to your site.Despite restructurings, job losses, an economy in recession, and a difficult year for the IT industry, the latest performance indicators confirm Montreal's position as a North American technology hub.Charles Bourgeois gives us the latest figures in his report from Montréal TechnoVision.Nicole Ranger continues her Equality 2005 campaign with a report on the place of women on the new City of Montreal's political landscape, noting that their numbers have dropped significantly compared to former administrations.She also draws a parallel with the current situation in France and congratulates those women who are making a name for themselves in municipal politics.Finally, in his article on the services offered by Info entrepreneurs, Maurice Kaspy provides an update on electronic tools covering all aspects of the export market; these are offered either directly by Info entrepreneurs or through its federal or provincial partners.Activities of interest Several activities of interest are also presented in this issue: High Technology and Perspectives breakfast meetings, a cocktail party, and a seminar on developing business relations.In addition, the annual Networking Dinner is in the planning stages, and it's not too early to reserve your seat for this important event.This year's theme: "Under a blanket of stars." We hope to see you at one or more of these activities.In the meantime, happy reading! ¦ Your World Business Network World Trade Centre Montréal www.wtcmontreal.com ii t* i «r * « Development of Export Strategies Ti ssions PARTNEI 5 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 CONTENT, CONTENT AND MORE CONTENT: SPRUCING UP YOUR WEB SITE By Jean-René Caron Information director.Electronic Commerce Institute While the Internet is a powerful sales tool, it raises many concerns among consumers, mostly the fear of misclicking while on a site.It is therefore essential to provide customers with clear and sufficient information to guide them.Disseminating information on the Internet doesn't only involve content, it also extends to its presentation.What this means is that you must pay attention not only to legibility aspects such as type and header size, line length and layout, but to content comprehension as well.From surfer to buyer TO LOYAL CUSTOMER When a user finds an e-commerce site of interest, he often encounters navigation problems once on the site.The desired product or service is almost never available on the home page, requiring the consumer to search through site much like in a bricks-and-mortar store.Whether he is just browsing or determined to buy, the user visits the site to obtain information that will ultimately allow him to decide whether or not to make a purchase.Browsing must be effortless if you want your customers to return.If this aspect alone is not enough to make them to buy, it is nonetheless a pre-requisite that cannot be ignored.A pleasant experience will encourage them to come back again.In fact, it has been shown that surfers make repeated visits to the same sites and only occasionally try out new ones.Moreover, when customers experience a pleasant shopping environ- ment, they tend to remember the site, thereby increasing the chances that they will come back.An unpleasant visit is usually associated with a poorly organized site where the customer has a hard time finding what they are looking for or running into security problems.Because reading on screen is slower than on paper, requiring greater effort, make sure your Web pages are easy to read and provide quick access to information.Site legibility First, clarity is essential to making a site user friendly.You must evaluate this aspect by putting yourself in the user's shoes and not looking at it from the point of view of an entrepreneur and even less so from the perspective of a writer.You must understand why people come to your site in the first place.Are they coming to learn, obtain information, update their knowledge or learn how to do something?The relevance of the content may be evaluated based on, among other things, the company's e-commerce strategy.In terms of the site's structure, the proposed content must correspond to the associated titles and headings.Then, it must be relevant in terms of the company's communication strategy and meet your set objectives.Does the content address the right clientele?Does it respect legal standards in effect, such as intellectual property, respect of privacy, consumer protection?The information you provide must also be innovative and exclusive.Competition is fierce online.Visitors have no interest in returning to a dated site.However, content originality can pertain to the information itself, i.e., highly specialized and detailed, or to the way it is treated, for example, original opinions.A firm's credibility is closely tied to the credibility of its online content.This means validating your sources of information.Information is not accurate simply because it comes from the media or other Web sites.Indeed, the speed and abundance of information has resulted in new phenomena, one of which is "circular reference," meaning that an article bases its legitimacy on another article that discussed the subject, which found its sources on a Web site whose sources came from a discussion forum that in turn.Clarity is so much better In general, an online text should contain half the words of a printed document—but never at the expense of clarity.The text should be broken down using titles and sub-titles.Conciseness can be achieved by keeping sentences short and simple, presenting one idea per sentence, using clear, short, relevant words, allowing readers to get a sense of the entire content.Most surfers only scan the Web pages they access.The information should therefore be presented in such a way as to support this technique.Important information should be found at the beginning of sentences and important sentences at the beginning of paragraphs.Institut du commerce électronique Electronic Commerce Institute Navigation, terminology and style should be consistent throughout.A given subject dealt with differently will not have the same drawing capacity with the consumer.Important communication parameters such as how close the event or information is to the reader, its impact and its originality determine the extent to which a visitor will consider the information interesting.While avoiding sensationalism, it is a good idea to develop techniques that will hold visitors' attention.The text should of course be free of grammatical and spelling errors, poor syntax and typos.While readers are not always attentive to these details, these kinds of errors leave a bad impression on those who do notice them.Lastly, in a context where service tends to supersede information, content is nevertheless a useful consumer good in that it ultimately leads to the acquisition of the service.It is therefore crucial to ask yourself the purpose of the information presented.By keeping this question in mind, you will end up with a site geared to its ultimate target: the customer! ¦ Let wisdom guide your business Professional formation Transform time into results Working harder was once considered the key to spectacular performance, but it inevitably leads to costly repercussions.Transform time into results by developing a "smarter, not harder" attitude.TEST.To evaluate the quality of your life, click www.institutchabot.com (514) 521-3171 linn y ï CHAU 0 1 LIFE MANAGEMENT COLLABORAT!) R 6 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 TECHNOLOGY POLE, MONTREAL STAYS THE COURSE By Charles S.Bourgeois, EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT Despite a trying year for tech industries and an economic recession, Montreal and its surrounding region held steady in 10th place in terms of total jobs in technology sectors, but advanced to 4th place in jobs per capita.These are the results published by TechnoVision of the 2001 performance indicators on Montreal as a technology pole in North America.Employment in technology companies in major North American cities Private sector companies with 100 employees and more 2001 Jobs per capita* : Montreal 4th 1.San Francisco / Silicon Valley 2.Seattle 3.Boston 4.Montreal 5.Dallas ^Fifteen largest metro areas 400 000 350 OOO 300 000 250 OOO 200 000 150 000 100 OOO 100 000 Special Offer 95$ /month Limited time offer Sales Management Online always available to you and your sales teams around the globe • Sales forecast • Track schedules and leads • Close more sales • Manage opportunities • Manage accounts • Real time access from everywhere No software or hardware to buy Free Team Site 1 Month.Limited time offer For more Info contact us www.net-village, ne t info@nei-viilage.net (514) 847-2242 Despite a loss of over 4,000 jobs in tech industries, Montreal ranked ahead of 1999, with nearly 110,000 jobs in companies with 100 and more employees.The impact of the tech slowdown was tempered by our region's critical mass of companies (2,750) and jobs (over 150,000) as well as the diversity of sub-sectors, all of which together cushioned the economic shocks of 2001.In the IT sector, the major restructuring at Nortel Networks translated in part by a shift of activities to other local suppliers such as Primetech, acquired by global industry leader Celestica, and C-Mac, acquired by Solectron, another key industry player.In aerospace, despite cuts announced on the heels of September 11, Bombardier called its employees back to work sooner than expected and its backlog has remained constant.Pratt & Whitney Canada announced a contract of over US$3 billion with Dassault Aviation while CAE and several other companies in this sector pursued their expansion both here and abroad.The bio-pharmaceutical sector, for its part, remained stable, with staff reductions in pharmaceutical firms offset by job growth in the biotech industry.SMES TAKING UP THE REINS OF GROWTH In the IT sector alone, over 500 companies grew 20% and more between 2000 and 2001.Most of these companies are SMEs but a number of large companies should emerge from this group in the next few years.The software industry in particular distinguished itself, expanding 6%.Promising applications include security, biomedical and in some telecommunications niches.Montréal TechnoVision inc.Financing - BIOTECHS ARE MAKING INROADS The total value of venture capital granted to technology companies in Quebec was $1,059 million in 2000, out of a total of 379 investments.This value and number dropped some 30% in 2001 compared with 23% in the rest of Canada.In the bio-pharmaceutical sector, the sustained vitality of research, venture capital and the mentoring of entrepreneurs translated into remarkable results.Montreal ranked 3rd among the major North American cities, behind San Francisco and Boston, for the number of IPOs in this sector.Thanks to the vigour of such groups as BioQuébec, Pharmavision, Rx&D, and to unifying events such as BioContact and the Carrefour des biotechnologies, the partners in this sector are entrenching Montreal's position as an industry leader in Canada.The bio-pharmaceutical community took a major step to increase its visibility by launching www.biopharma-montreal.com.an industry information portal that seeks to promote networking and attract leading researchers.Progress continues ON THE EDUCATIONAL FRONT The number of graduates in technology disciplines increased 4.5% between 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, a net increase over the 2.2% recorded in 1990-1991 and 1999-2000.Masters and PhD graduates advanced 10% at the end of the period (1998-1999 and 1999-2000), against 2.8% for Bachelors graduates.With respect to the IT disciplines targeted by the 2IT plan (computer sciences and electrical engineering, including computer engineering) and the measures implemented in 1999 by the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec, enrolment in undergraduate programs advanced 9.1% between Fall 1998 and Fall 2000 along with 8.3% in graduate programs.This growth will make it possible to come closer to the objective of doubling the annual number of graduates in these programs.page 14 ?Breakdown of technology companies according to job growth - Montreal Companies off all sizes in the private sector 2000 - 2001 Over 20% 10% -19% Stable Decrease PARTNEi 7 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 € Institut du commerce électronique Hectronic Commerce Institute Pierre Langeiier President and general manager, Electronic Commerce Institute E-BUSINESS CONSULTING SERVICES More than ever before, e-business forms an integral part of the operations of large companies, and increasingly, SMEs.The focus is no longer solely on advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) but now includes e-business to support all the company's activities: strategy, planning, management, law, operations, logistics, marketing, communications, human resources and Still, more than a few corporate leaders are wondering just how to integrate e-business by using ICT, including the Internet, which would be adapted to their needs so as to optimize their business procedures.And there are many questions.For those who have not yet taken this step, how prepared is their company for e-business?As for the others, how do they combine e-business and results to ensure their company's future?How can suppliers, partners and especially customers be integrated into the new business model?And finally, how can a company benefit from the experience of others who have already made their mark and set themselves apart in their market?All these questions are relevant.To offer a new distribution channel to your customers, to diversify how you communicate with them and with suppliers and partners, or to benefit from the advantages of an industry portal, e-business allows us to create and take advantage of many opportunities to increase profitability.Many resources are available to support SMEs and large companies in their efforts.The question is to find the ones best suited to our specific needs and objectives.The Electronic Commerce Institute offers e-business consulting and mentoring services to companies, including: • help and support programs; • drafting calls for tender for e-business services; • evaluating e-commerce service offerings; • validating e-business strategies.This service is aimed at all companies, including manufacturing SMEs: • in operation at least 2 years; • with between 10 and 250 employees; • with sales ranging from $500,000 to $15,000,000; • that export or have export potential; • with a strong interest in e-business.The Institute's consultants are available in, among other places, Montreal, Laval and Longueuil.They work closely with senior management to facilitate setting up an e-business and its integration into the company's business model.Their input is designed to help achieve concrete results that will have a direct impact on the company, yielding both tangible and intangible benefits in terms of electronic procurement, bank and financial management in real time, after-sales service to ensure customer satisfaction and employee training, among others.The Institute's e-business consulting and mentoring services are sponsored by Canada Economic Development as part of its e-business strategy.Call our consultants at (514) 840-1299 to help launch or optimize your e-business.¦ Electronic Commerce Institute - Training and certification program APRIL 2002 TO MAY 2002 April 5 to May 7 Professional certification program in E-business (in French) April 17 to May 30 (3 university credits; recognized by professional associations; 8 courses over 6 weeks) Location: Montreal and Quebec City Information and registration: institut@institut.qc.ca Tel.: (514) 840-1297 THE BEST RUN E-BUSINESSES RUN my SAP.Com MONTREAL TRANSITION COMMITTEE Thanks to the business community tor \jour support during the Committee's mandate throughout zooi.ixX^lLei-v- Monique Lefebvre President Montreal Transition Committee The Electronic Commerce Institute is supported by: Canada Economic Development, ministère de l’Industrie et du Commerce du Québec, ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole and also the Conseil du trésor.LES TUQUES BLEUES Thursday, February 28, 2002 Time : 5:00 p.m.Place : Mount-Royal Park Registration deadline : February 21“, 2002 For information and registration : (514) 843-8240 ext.239 www.i emon troyal.qc.ca/lesam is Organrkd by Les Amis de la montagne COl.UBORAIORS Centre de la montagne ~ A/ft Bomhter Forest Products mmmm AssocutienofCaMâa \jij20r CGI ACTIVITIES 8 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 NEW PERSPECTIVES - THE NETWORK FOR EARLY RISERS Philip O'Brien On Thursday, February 7, the Board of Trade will host a breakfast meeting at the Inter-Continental Hotel.Our guest speaker will be Mr.Philip O'Brien, chairman and CEO of Devencore Ltd.as well as Board member of the McGill University Health Centre Development Corporation.Healthy opportunities for Montreal The construction of the McGill University Health Centre's (MUHC) new FLASH hospital is a remarkable opportunity for Montreal on many levels: patient care, intellectual synergy, international outreach and a revitalization of the urban fabric.Clearly, the immediate and most obvious advantage is the improvement in the delivery of health care that will be realized by bringing together the many outstanding health-care professionals who currently work at the MUHC and by providing them with a modern and flexible physical space.Patients will benefit at every turn, from ease of access to reduced waiting times to improved delivery of care.The new hospital will also be a catalyst for positive change in the overall healthcare network.It will have the very real consequence of attracting and retaining the best and the brightest medical, research and health-care talent to the city.McGill University's Faculty of Medicine will realize tremendous opportunities in terms of research and teaching through the construction of this health centre and its affiliated Research Institute.The MUHC Research Institute will bring together the country's largest critical mass of medical researchers, equipment, technology and patients.As such, it will generate discoveries and attract joint ventures with the private sector, ensuring that Montreal continues to build on its leadership role in the knowledge economy, with particular emphasis on the bio-pharmaceutical and bio-informatics industries.This project also presents an excellent opportunity for the redevelopment of Montreal's urban fabric through the judicious reuse of the MUHC's current sites and the construction of a comprehensive health park on the edge of downtown Montreal.Bringing these benefits to Montreal's economy will promote the city as a vital and vibrant place to work and live.It will uphold Montreal's stature within the international community and provide further incentive for businesses to invest in the city and for people to choose to come here to raise their families.A conference not to be missed ! A question period will follow the presentation, which will be made in French.¦ Information and registration: (514) 871-4000 THE NEXT "AFTER HOURS".AT THE HÔTEL EUROPA Networking in a restorative atmosphere.what more could you ask for.On February 5, the Board of Trade will host its next Tuesday "After hours" cocktail at the Hôtel Europa, 1240 Drummond Street, Montreal.Unique From our Restaurant Terra's Mediterranean fusion cuisine and the Cités d'Asie's culinary tour of the Far East through to the retro-futuristic Acqua Lounge and our Arabian Nights lobby; the Hôtel Europa is un paralleled.For Board of Trade of Métropolitain members only Admission is free upon presentation of your membership card.Reservations are required Beverages and a light snack will be served.Door prizes.¦ Information: (514) 871-4000 Tr-I HÔTEL A EuropA News about our members A WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM The partnership program between Moisson Montréal and Kraft Canada is both humanitarian and ecological! Indeed, this became apparent during a breakfast meeting organized by Moisson Montréal last fall to announce this alliance.Not only commendable from a social and environmental perspective, the program has already generated significant savings for the company in terms of management and storage costs, because quality products that cannot be sold due to incorrect labelling or damaged packaging are being put to good use.In its fight against hunger and poverty, Moisson Montréal is aiming for support from all our local food companies throughout the year—not just during the holiday season—to meet the needs of 275 community centres.It's a gesture where everyone benefits.**** Municipal mergers: do we need to CHANGE OUR ADDRESSES?In early January, Canada Post sent a message to Quebecers stating it was too soon to start making changes to addresses following the municipal mergers.When the time comes, municipal authorities will decide on the changes to be made to street names and confirm them with Canada Post.Until then, no changes must be made either to mailing addresses or to those of our counterparts living in cities also affected by the municipal mergers.To avoid mail delays, keep the status quo.**** Montreal's winter festival: CELEBRATING ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY! The City's largest open-air carnival: a not-to-be-missed event during the weekends of January 26 to February 10.Spectacular celebrations, many celebrities, toboggan runs, snow games.and all kinds of surprises.Join the fun.Admission is free.**** La Fondation du maire de Montréal awards grants Founded by Mayor Bourque at the beginning of his mandate, La Fondation du maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse awarded in December 22 a total of $154,900 in grants to young Montreal entrepreneurs and artists.The Fondation' mission is to offer financial support to low-income young people to help them start a business and provide them with long-term technical support.Hailing from many different sectors, the winners in 2001 included artists, craftspeople, restaurateurs, merchants, communicators, educators, designers and multimedia technicians, to name just a few.To find out more about the winners and why they were awarded a grant, or just to offer a few encouraging words, visit the Fondation's site at: www.fondationdumaire.qc.ca **** Do YOU KNOW Boomerang Tracking?This Montreal company markets and distributes the eponymous system that makes it possible to locate stolen vehicles, heavy equipment and valuable objects.To date, over 1,300 vehicles and heavy equipment have been successfully recovered by Boomerang Tracking, which has received the support of several insurers and policemen across Canada.The company recently launched Boomerang 2, "the intelligent tracking system." An instant answer to theft, the system immediately notifies tracking technicians of any unauthorized vehicle movement, thereby reducing the teams' intervention turnaround.The system will be sold by authorized retailers in Quebec and Ontario.A NEW CHAIRMAN AT THE FONDATION du Musée de Pointe-à-Callière Gilles Ouimet, president and chief executive officer of Pratt & Whitney Canada, was recently appointed chairman of the Fondation du Musée d'archéologie et d'histoire de Montréal, Pointe-à-Callière."Mr.Ouimet's leadership in the business community and his experience will no doubt allow the Musée to complete a critical stage of its development," stated Francine Lelièvre, director of the Musée.Created in 1992, the Musée de Pointe-à-Callière seeks to inform and win people over to the Montreal of yesteryear and today through its educational, conservation and research initiatives on Montreal's archeological heritage and history.**** Let us know what's happening in your company: a product launch, new acquisitions, prizes, recent investments.We'll mention it right here, space permitting.¦ PROFILE 9 Leadership Montréal - February 2002 PIERRE LANGELIER A STRATEGIC MANAGER DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING ELECTRONIC BUSINESS Pierre Langelier is president and general manager of the Electronic Commerce Institute of Quebec, an organization founded by the Board of Trade in 1990 to promote the use of e-commerce technologies.His vast experience in finance, telecommunications and high technology have enabled him to grasp the issues faced by managers and entrepreneurs embarking on the road to electronic commerce.A skilled strategist, innovator and seasoned manager, Pierre Langelier is steering the Electronic Commerce Institute on the path to certain growth.We met up with him at his office in the Maison des hautes technologies, a business complex that houses non-profit organizations offering complementary services in the IT sector.The following are some excerpts from our interview.ON HIS ACADEMIC CAREER: JUGGLING WORK AND SCHOOL By Joëlle Ganguillet skills I developed served me well when I later joined AT & T, formerly Unite/.First, I worked in finance and accounting, followed by a mandate to develop a new e-commerce business unit, and then responsible for recommending corporate strategic orientations and negotiating strategic agreements.In 1999, I became president and general manager of the Electronic Commerce Institute of Quebec.What appealed to me about the Institute was the fact that this organization was filled with potential and new avenues of development to explore.ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE Electronic Commerce Institute When it was created in 1990, the organization was referred to as the EDI Institute.Its mission was to encourage companies to exchange computerized documents over private networks.EDI technology allowed, among other things, to exchange purchase orders, acknowledgements of receipt and invoices, and to transfer payments from computer to computer.However, its disadvantage was the huge investments required in both time and money to set up the system, investments that held few benefits for small suppliers.However, this technology is indeed very efficient.The companies that implemented it in the early 1990s still use it today.Like many young people, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do in terms of a career.So in CEGEP I enrolled in an administration program, which I found very interesting and practical.I then started working as a customer service representative for Bell Canada and then as an administrative manager at a Bank of Montreal branch while, for about five years, taking university courses at night in administration and accounting.It was while working that I decided on my professional goals, and that gave me the impetus to continue my studies until I obtained my CPA and B.A.ON HIS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES: FROM ACCOUNTING TO MANAGEMENT Once / finished my studies, I joined Johnson & Johnson as a controller.In this position, I helped develop strategic plans for the company's business divisions and analyzed and recommended investment projects.And it was there, working closely with all of the company's sectors of activity that I developed an affinity for management.The managerial With the evolution of technology and proliferation of the Internet during the '90s, the EDI Institute changed its mission.In 1998, it became the Electronic Commerce Institute and shifted its focus to promoting all aspects of electronic commerce by increasing awareness among corporate managers of the issues associated with the adoption of new technologies to conduct business.By changing its mission, the Institute broadened its clientele.Our target clients now include presidents and vice-presidents of sales, marketing and procurement, as well as project managers.We want to help corporate leaders understand how electronic commerce can help companies become more competitive and how it can be used to access new markets .ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING: A PRIORITY FOR THE INSTITUTE As soon as / arrived at the Institute, we realized that the serious dearth of competent resources and strategic training in the field of electronic business.To address this shortcoming, we implemented training programs aimed at managers, and in so doing, killed two birds with one stone: we responded to the needs of those planning to implement e-business projects while at the same time allowing the Institute consolidate its financial base.Our training program consists of three options.First, we offer à la carte training, in other words, lectures on specific topics.We also provide customized training to companies looking to train their management team.And the third type of training offers professional certification to managers, professionals and IT employees .ON IMPLEMENTING A UNIQUE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM We realized that managers needed more in-depth training and so we spent 18 months working with HEC, Quebec's three accounting associations and the Secor Group to develop a professional certification program in electronic business, which to our knowledge is the only one of its kind in Canada and the United States.Following the eight-day training period, participants have a clear understanding of what is involved in electronic business, in terms of strategic planning, re-engineering business procedures, transactional activities, legal issues, logistics or customer relationship management.In addition to being very well received by the participants, our program is recognized at the university level for three credits.ON COMPANIES BEING RELATIVELY SLOW TO ADOPT ELECTRONIC BUSINESS It's a fact that e-commerce remains marginal in Quebec.According to surveys, only 6% of companies conduct electronic business on the Web, either by way of portals or private sites.However, if you consider that not too long ago there was no e-business at all in Quebec, this progress is still substantial.Moreover, in light of the current economic situation, managers are exercising caution before investing.Because of the economic slowdown, businesses are taking a wait-and-see attitude; decision-makers want to be sure of the return on their investment, a return that is difficult to measure.To help managers, the Institute has developed a decision-making tool specifically for electronic business that makes it possible to evaluate the tangible potential spin-offs and also takes into consideration the intangible elements of e-business investment projects.Electronic business isn't the be all -end all and to conduct e-business.you must first do business! Two-thousand-one was a difficult one for e-commerce because dotcoms were often built on unproven concepts.I am still convinced that companies will continue integrating e-business into their procedures and as a result, enable them to improve their productivity and competitiveness.page 19 ?I >'