Québec City entrepreneur targets innovation to conquer the world of optical fibre
MONTRÉAL, Nov. 2, 2018 /CNW/ - Germain Lamonde, President and founder of EXFO – a developer of smarter test, monitoring and analytics solutions for fixed and mobile network operators, webscale companies and equipment manufacturers in the global communications industry – is this year's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Québec winner.
"Germain exemplifies determination and perseverance," says Daniel Baer, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Québec Program Co-Director. "From $100 in his pocket and an idea for creating a world-class optical communications business, he has succeeded in building an organization that is recognized today as the leader in optical testing and the world's technology leader in service assurance."
His success stems from using innovation to confront uncertainty and find solutions for the market's problems. Germain foresaw that optical fibre would become the medium of choice for telecommunications networks, a bold vision seen as risky during the 1980s. Today, EXFO is present in over 35 countries and boasts a 40% global market share and over 2,000 employees.
"Germain was able to identify a business need and position his company on the world stage through his leadership, his sense of innovation and his desire to help his clients keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies in the telecommunications industry," says Luc Charbonneau, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Québec Program Co-director. "He's demonstrated agility and leadership in developing innovative technological solutions that meet the business needs of his clients."
In addition to his activities in the entrepreneurial community, last year Germain made a personal donation of $1 million to Université Laval's Faculty of Science and Engineering, enabling the university to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, create scholarships and support technological entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, EXFO is listed as a Great Place to Work, has earned recognition from Forbes as one of Canada's top employers and proudly claims more than 100 honorary awards.
What's next?
As the Québec region's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, Germain Lamonde will compete with the top entrepreneurs from the Pacific, Prairies, Ontario and Atlantic regions for the national honour of Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, to be presented at a gala celebration on 29 November 2018 in Toronto. In June 2019, Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 will move to the world stage to compete with more than 50 country winners for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year.
More information
Follow @EYCanada, #EOYCanada and #EOYQuebec on Twitter for the latest event updates.
Visit ey.com/ca/EOY for more program details and a complete list of category finalists and gala dates in the regions.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Québec category award recipients:
Food
Copper Branch | Montréal
Onofrio Infantino
Business-to-Consumer
Groupe Filgo-Sonic | Montréal
Michel Lehoux
Business-to-Business
Carrousel Packaging Inc. | Montréal
Brigitte Jalbert
Manufacturing
Plastiques Moore Inc. | Québec City
Marie-Claude Guillemette
Real Estate
Breather Products Inc. | Montréal
Julien Smith
Young Entrepreneurs
Goodfood Market Corp. | Montréal
Neil Cuggy, Jonathan Ferrari and Raffi Krikorian
Services
EXFO Inc. | Québec City
Germain Lamonde
Cleantech
Enerkem Inc. | Montréal
Vincent Chornet
Technology - under 100 employees
Newtrax Technologies Inc. | Montréal
Alexandre Cervinka
Technology - over 100 employees
Cofomo Inc. | Montréal
Régis Desjardins
About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 50 countries. ey.com/ca/EOY
The 2018 Québec independent judging panel consists of Andrew Richardson, President, Targray; Claudine Labelle, President and Founder, Fillactive; Jacques Foisy, President and Managing Partner, Novacap; Jean-Yves Germain, Co-President, Groupe Germain Hôtels; Marie-Anne Tawil, President and CEO, Iron Hill Investments Inc.; Marie Josée Lamothe, President and Founder, Tandem International; and Martin Deschênes, President, École d'Entrepreneurship de Beauce.
This year's program national sponsors are Ici RDI, The TMX Group, The Globe and Mail Inc., Merrill Corporation, Kira Talent, Air Canada, The Printing House Limited and Media One Creative. This year's program Québec sponsors are Bell Canada and Captivate Network.
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
For more information, please visit ey.com/ca. Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada.
EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
SOURCE EY (Ernst & Young)
Sasha Anopina, [email protected], +1 416 943 2637; Victoria McQueen, [email protected], +1 416 943 3141; Camille Larivière, [email protected], +1 514 879 8021
Share this article