SHERBROOKE, QC, April 24, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The Université de Sherbrooke announces the appointment of Catherine B. Bachand as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation of the Université de Sherbrooke, as well as the University's Alumni Relations Services.
The University's President, Pierre Cossette, is pleased that Ms. Bachand will be taking on this highly strategic position : "Ms. Bachand will be putting her outstanding experience and skills to work for the University's Foundation. Her appointment will allow us to dare and innovate in our philanthropic actions and in our relationship with our alumni across Quebec as well as elsewhere in Canada and worldwide. This appointment reflects our determination to acquire the means to support our projects and the original solutions proposed by our University in response to society's growing needs."
Serving a University in Full Growth
Recognized for her visionary and engaging leadership, Ms. Bachand has a vast experience in public affairs, philanthropy, and business development at the national and international levels.
"I am proud to join the Université de Sherbrooke, which has not only achieved the largest increase in its research activities in the last ten years, but also ranks first for student satisfaction according to Maclean's 2019 survey of Canadian universities. With the support and ingenuity of all the stakeholders—our university community, alumni, corporate partners, volunteers, and donors—we can ensure that this culture of entrepreneurship and innovation will boost the Université de Sherbrooke to ever higher heights. I'm looking forward to putting all my energy and perspective to work for the institution."
According to the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation Luc R. Borduas, there is no doubt that Ms. Bachand is the ideal person to meet these stimulating and mobilizing challenges for the University's benefit. He stated that "the appointment of Catherine B. Bachand is in keeping with the University and the Foundation's determination to open the way to new and major strategic and innovative partnerships on the national and international levels. This novel philanthropic approach will contribute to developing our mission," he concluded.
Before heading up the Philanthropy and Social Impact practice of NATIONAL Public Relations, she was Chief Executive officer of ONE DROP, an international nongovernmental organization created in 2007 by Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil. Ms Bachand ran the international organization, as well as its American and European entities and microfinance fund. Under her leadership, ONE DROP received many prestigious awards, including the United Nations' award recognizing best practices in the water and sanitation sector.
As the Chief of Staff of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Head of the Transition Team for the Canadian Olympic Committee, from 2004 to 2011, Ms. Bachand spearheaded many strategic issues for these organizations and for Canada.
Prior to that, she served in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Department of the Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. She embarked on a career in federal politics in 1998 in the Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. As part of her duties, Ms. Bachand worked on several sensitive issues of national import as well as in organizing major global events, such as the Summit of the Americas and the G8 Summit.
For more information about the University's Foundation
For more information about the alumni network of the Université de Sherbrooke
SOURCE Université de Sherbrooke
Geneviève Lussier, Media Relations Officer, Communications Department, Université de Sherbrooke, 819-821-8000, extension 65472, [email protected]
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