MONTRÉAL, Nov. 24, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - In the wake of Guy Crevier's decision to step away from day-to-day operations at La Presse, André Desmarais, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Power Corporation, today announced the appointment of Pierre-Elliott Levasseur to the position of President, La Presse. Mr. Levasseur, who has played a key role in the company's affairs since 2006, is currently Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Crevier, who presided over La Presse's successful shift to digital, is named Vice-Chairman of the Board, La Presse (Gesca), and will stay on as Publisher.
"A year ago, Guy Crevier told me that he wished to step back from operations once La Presse's transition toward a new digital model was complete," Mr. Desmarais said. "The move from print to digital weekday editions is also now a reality. Pierre-Elliott Levasseur is the natural choice to succeed Guy as President. He has played a frontline role in the company for several years, and brings in-depth media industry knowledge to the table. I know that, with his keen business sense and leadership, Pierre-Elliott will be an exceptional president of La Presse."
Mr. Desmarais continued: "Today I also wish to emphasize how, during his 16 years with the company, Guy Crevier breathed new life into our daily newspaper. When he took on the job of President and Publisher, he had a clear vision of where he wanted to steer La Presse. He then demonstrated remarkable leadership in overseeing the many processes involved in the digital transformation that has brought La Presse recognition as a pre-eminent innovator in news and information media worldwide."
For his part, Mr. Levasseur said: "I am honoured to be entrusted with the role of President of this major news media outlet, to which I am profoundly attached, especially given the fact that La Presse today is a modern company that stands out for being innovative and creative. This is a leading-edge company on all fronts: the way news stories are told, the technology, the advertising and the corporate culture."
And Mr. Crevier stated: "I take great pride in the work accomplished over the past 16 years, and I remain deeply committed to La Presse. That is why I am pleased to remain closely involved with the company. La Presse is a major institution with a singular role to play in our society. Having successfully made the shift to digital, it is now strongly positioned for the future." He added: "Throughout the transition project, the La Presse team showed great determination, a quality that, in combination with Pierre-Elliott Levasseur's leadership, holds great promise going forward."
About Pierre-Elliott Levasseur
Pierre-Elliott Levasseur has worked for La Presse since 2006, and has held various senior management functions with the company in recent years. As its Executive Vice-President, his duties included managing La Presse's digital operations and overseeing all facets of the development and implementation of La Presse+. He is currently responsible for the areas of revenue, finance, sales, and the technology subsidiary Nuglif. He has contributed to every major project developed at La Presse since his arrival, demonstrating finely honed managerial talent in the process. The holder of an MBA from Harvard Business School and a finance specialist, he has, among other things, guided the diversification of the company's activities through acquisitions as well as equity interests and sales of assets. From 1995 to 2006, he worked for Power Corporation of Canada and Power Financial Corporation, where he was Treasurer from 2001 to 2006.
About Guy Crevier
Guy Crevier became President of Gesca as well as President and Publisher of La Presse in 2000. He presided over the company's transition to a new digital business model, exemplified by La Presse+. He arrived at the company in 2000 with a vision to transform its operations. He began by outsourcing the printing of La Presse in 2003, so as to focus entirely on a content-creation strategy and on multiplying La Presse's content-delivery platforms. In the ensuing years, he oversaw diversification of the company's operations into digital businesses, TV production and book publishing. In 2013, he supervised the evolution of the La Presse business model from traditional to digital with the launch of La Presse+. In 2015, he began commercializing the La Presse+ digital platform solution to other publishers, and on January 1, 2016, replaced Monday-to-Friday print editions of La Presse with La Presse+. Before joining La Presse, Mr. Crevier had notably been President of TVA and Vidéotron, a member of the executive team of Telesystem, and President of Motion International, a film and television production and distribution company.
About La Presse
La Presse is a French-language news medium of record in Canada whose content is distributed on several platforms, including a digital edition for tablets, mobile applications, the Web and paper. La Presse is known for its distinctive, rich and diversified coverage of news and current events. The recipient of numerous awards for the quality of its content and its design, La Presse is also recognized for its in-depth series and special reports, as well as for the large amount of space it devotes to discussion and debate. La Presse+, its free-subscription digital tablet edition, fully leverages the multi-function capabilities of tablets to deliver the most comprehensive news and information experience ever from Québec's largest newsroom.
SOURCE La Presse
Image with caption: "Pierre-Elliott Levasseur appointed President of La Presse (CNW Group/La Presse)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161124_C1829_PHOTO_EN_825637.jpg
Marie-Pierre Hamel, Senior Consultant, Communications, La Presse, Telephone: 514 285-7000, ext. 4679, E-mail: [email protected]
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