Members' meeting - AGM of Équiterre 2024

A former senior official of the Government of Quebec, Charles served for seven years as Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs (now MELCC). There, he was primarily responsible for the fight against climate change. His career also took him to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Comité ministériel des affaires régionales et territoriales and the Comité ministériel de la région de Montréal. He was also President and CEO of the Société d'habitation du Québec.

During his career, he has served on various Canadian and international bodies, as well as on the boards of directors of a number of NPOs, including the Institut de recherche et de développement en agro-environnement (IRDA) and the Fonds d'action québécois en développement durable (FAQDD). For three years, he also chaired the board of directors of the Ouranos Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change. Charles is currently a member of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change, which was established by the Quebec government in 2021. He is also a volunteer member of the Board of Directors of Sentiers Québec-Charlevoix and of his municipality's Urban Planning Advisory Committee.

Etienne Ladouceur is an Associate Partner, Pension Administration, with Aon. He has over 20 years' experience in various leadership positions in project management, strategy, organizational change and operations. Etienne has contributed to various environmental causes over the years. He is extremely concerned about climate change and speaks out against inaction in all the various forums. He is the father of two adult daughters, a proponent of buying local, and a passionate skier and urban cyclist.

• Skills Profiling
• Project Management
• Business Strategies
• Organizational Transformation
• Budgeting and Operations

A graduate in Journalism, and holding a master's degree in Environmental Management, Colleen Thorpe has 25 years of experience in environmental advocacy and social change. She has excellent knowledge of sustainable food systems, circular economy and corporate social responsibility. During her career, she has led numerous programs aimed at influencing decision-makers and mobilizing citizens towards an ecological transition.

Colleen joined Équiterre in 2018, first as Senior Project Manager, then Program Director, before becoming General Manager in 2019. Previously, Colleen worked as a journalist for several television channels covering events in Quebec. She is also fluent in German, having worked and studied in Berlin for several years.

Colleen is a trustee of the UPA-Fondaction Agricultural Land Trust and sits on the board of directors of the Maison du développement durable. She was also a board member of the Centre des services partagés du Québec, the Système alimentaire montréalais and the Espace de concertation sur les pratiques d’approvisionnement responsable.

With a master's degree in political science, Marc-André has worked as a political strategist at various levels of government. After an internship at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels, Marc-André worked for several years on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in various capacities, including as senior press officer in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons.

He subsequently contributed to the victory of Valérie Plante, the green mayor of Montreal, and worked as director of communications and senior political advisor. Since joining the Équiterre team in 2019, Marc-André has led the development of political advocacy, regularly making presentations to parliamentary committees and meeting with ministers, elected officials and other political decision-makers.

Passionate about the environment and people, Marie-Eve has made sustainable development a principle of life that she applies to her daily life.

Over the past 10 years, she has worked with several environmental NGOs, handling awareness campaigns on climate change or sustainable mobility, organizing eco-responsible events, or providing training and support.

Convinced that we change the world one action at a time, she is involved in many citizen committees and environmental organizations as a volunteer.

Her academic training in biology and agronomy and, in the 2nd cycle, in agroforestry and integrated rural development, allowed her to meet her need to understand living systems in order to have a bigger view and find solutions to complex problems.

Marie-Eve joined Équiterre in 2015 as a project manager for special events and mobilization. In particular, it organized a symposium on local agriculture, the 2017 Changer le monde benefit race, as well as two climate marches which each brought together 25,000 people in Quebec and Ottawa.

With degrees from the Université de Montréal (communications and public relations) and HEC Montréal (marketing), Marie-France began her career in the advertising sector. She has 15 years of experience in communications and marketing. Before joining Équiterre, she was Vice President, Consulting Services and Strategies for the Terrain Marketing agency (now Ogilvy Montréal).

Concerned about environmental issues, Marie-France decided to put her skills to good use by joining Équiterre, where she serves as Director of Communications and Brand Management. She is also in charge of the key fundraising department. Marie-France believes in the sensitivity and generosity of each individual and in the importance of a personalized, human and dialogue-based approach. By following this principle and establishing rigorous strategies and indicators, she and her team have helped Équiterre's membership jump from 7,000 to 25,000 since her arrival in October 2011. Over the same period, the generosity of member-donors has been demonstrated by a 320 per cent increase in income from individuals and a 360 per cent increase in income from fundraising activities.

Based in the Quebec City office, Marie-France supervises a team of employees and ambassadors in Montreal and Quebec City. With her committed team, she works to develop new markets, to make Équiterre's cause resonate with various audiences and, ultimately, to foster new collaborations (companies, organizations or foundations) whose benefits will sustainably advance the issues and cause supported by Équiterre.

A member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés and with a wealth of experience in the new technologies, sustainable development and social assistance sectors, Thibault has been combining his passion for human resources, innovation and the planet on a daily basis with the Équiterre team since 2015.

With his help, Équiterre became the first Quebec non-profit organization to be certified as a Canadian Nonprofit Employer of Choice, a prestigious distinction that recognizes employers who offer exceptional working conditions and environments across Canada.

Following his promotion to the position of Director, Administration and Finance in 2023, Thibault does not intend to stop there and is working hard to make work conditions and spaces more flexible, pleasant and efficient for employees, interns and the hundred or so volunteers who gravitate around the organization.