International Women's Day: The Women Behind the Brand
50% of Senior Vice Presidents and 55% of head office employees at Groupe CH are women
France Margaret Bélanger, the first female president in team history, serves as one of the Canadiens' Alternate Governors at the NHL's Board of Governors and is a member of the League's Executive Inclusion Council. The organization's executive committee, which reports directly to CEO Geoff Molson, includes Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Anna Martini, Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs Patricia Brissette, and Senior Vice President of Talent, Culture, and Diversity, Sandra Petosa.
They're far from the only strong female voices around the table, however, as 50% of Senior Vice Presidents and 55% of employees overall within the organization are women. What's more, 68% of the last 60+ hires in head office positions have been women.
In honor of International Women's Day, get to know more about just a few of the many impressive women behind the brand who help drive the Canadiens' business objectives.
Safia Ahmad
Title:Coordinator, content strategy
Responsibilities:Safia joined the team in January 2021 after having previously worked for the CWHL's Les Canadiennes as well as the Laval Rocket, and is responsible for planning and executing engaging content across the team's platforms, contributing to the production of podcasts, live streams, and the monthly digital magazine in La Presse +, among other projects.
Noala Beattie-Dagenais
Title: Manager, Ticket Systems
Responsibilities: Noala joined the team in February 2009 as a part-time box office employee before earning a permanent position with the organization, where she now manages ticket and CRM administration, integrations, systems and oversees various customer technologies.
Sarah Bergeron
Title: Coordinator, Relationship Marketing
Responsibilities: Sarah joined the Canadiens in June 2021 and is responsible for coordinating multiple digital and Web projects, including the Canadiens' official team App, the 7th player program, and ticket sales and game promotion newsletters.
Caroline Charpentier
Title: Manager, Group and Individual Sales
Responsibilities: After graduating from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Caroline joined the Canadiens in 2017, where she oversees sales initiatives for premium products and group ticket sales.
Helene Cloutier
Title: Coordinator, Social Media
Responsibilities: Helene is responsible for writing, creating and publishing original content on the Canadiens' social platforms based on their day-to-day activities and implementing social media strategies in line with the team's marketing plan.
Marie-Andree Cote
Title: Manager, Creative Services
Responsibilities: Marie-Andrée manages the team of talented and create graphic designers who produce visuals for Canadiens games and the Club's social platforms.
Claudine Crepin
Title: Director, Team Services and Hockey Administration
Responsibilities: With the organization since 1990, Claudine oversees the operational and logistical administration for the hockey operations department, including organizing team travel, training camps, immigration and other off-ice needs within the hockey group.
Sabina D'Ascoli
Title: Senior Director, Luxury Suite Services
Responsibilities: As Senior Director of Suite Services, Sabina provides customer service to both our Bell Centre and Place Bell suite clients as well as the newly opened VIP Space section.
Shauna Denis
Title: Senior Director, Content Strategy
Responsibilities: Shauna joined the Marketing department after leading the McGill Martlet hockey team to a national championship in 2008, where she establishes the organization's content strategy, overseeing the group responsible for ideating, developing, and creating engaging and exclusive social media, editorial, Web, video and digital content as well as in-game entertainment initiatives.
Helene Fortin
Title: Director, Health and Safety
Responsibilities: Since 2019, Helene has provided strategic health and safety recommendations, while ensuring the implementation of tactical solutions for the continuity of the organization's activities in accordance with applicable legislation and protocols.
Vanessa Harrison
Title: Project Manager, Commercial Strategy
Responsibilities: A member of the organization since 2007, Vanessa manages game day activations and special projects for the Montreal Canadiens related to the fan experience, including fan events, activation kiosks, and giveaways.
Bernadette Kajjouni
Title: Senior Director, Finance
Responsibilities: A member of the organization's finance department since 2006, Bernadette leads numerous teams in the finance function to ensure excellence in quality of financial information and governance.
Florence Labelle
Title: Senior Coordinator, Digital Content
Responsibilities: Florence joined the organization in 2013 and has been working as one of the lead creative voices within the digital content team since 2019. In addition to covering Canadiens' activities, she contributes to the ideation, creation, translation, and publication of content on the Club's various digital platforms.
Chantal Machabée
Title: Vice President, Hockey Communications
Responsibilities: A pioneer in the Canadian and Quebec journalism landscape, Chantal joined the organization in January 2022 as Vice President of Communications for the Canadiens' hockey operations following a storied 32-year career with RDS.
Helene Ogleman
Title: Senior Director, Commercial Strategy
Responsibilities: Helene joined the Canadiens in 2020, where she oversees the group responsible for the team's commercial strategy, maximizing revenues for the organization, including sponsorship and broadcast deals.
Geneviève Paquette
Title: Vice President, Community Engagement and Foundation General Manager
Responsibilities: Genevieve joined the company in 1991 as an usher during Canadiens games and shows at the Forum. She climbed the ranks and is now responsible for the Club's philanthropic strategy and community development, as well as the overall direction of the Canadiens Children's Foundation. She also leads all of the Club's community activities and initiatives, minor hockey development and programs designed to grow hockey across the province, in addition to overseeing the team's Ambassadors and Alumni activities.
Cynthia Paquin-Lepage
Title: Senior Manager, Video and Game Entertainment
Responsibilities: Cynthia joined the organization in February 2014 and is an integral part of the Game Entertainment group, working with her video editing team to create magical moments and exclusive content for fans at the Bell Centre and those watching from home.
Luma Saman
Title: Senior Director, Consumer Products
Responsibilities: Following an impressive 14-year career with Aldo, Luma joined the organization in February 2018, where she leads the commercialization strategy, buying, and assortment planning for the consumer products team, bringing exclusive and innovative products to market.
Anne-Kelly Souverain
Title: Coordinator, Fan Development
Responsibilities: Since November 15, Anne-Kelly provides the Club's young fan base with fun and exciting activities through the Canadiens' Fan Club program so they can feel closer to the team. Prior to managing this program, she was a Supervisor for Groupe CH's promo team.
Kim Tran-Viet
Title: Director, Talent, Culture and Diversity
Responsibilities: A member of the organization's Talent, Culture, and Diversity department since September 2019, Kim is responsible for helping the company's leaders maximize their respective team's potential to shape Groupe CH's future.
Claudiane Tremblay
Title: Director, Legal Affairs
Responsibilities: A former varsity soccer captain who was called to the Quebec bar in 2010 before getting her Master's degree in Business Law from Université de Montréal in 2012, Claudiane joined the Canadiens in 2018 and leads the organization's commercial legal team, which supports every aspect of the company's commercial operations and business activities.
Maryne Venne
Title: Manager, Commercial Strategy and Media Planning
Responsibilities: Maryne is responsible for the marketing strategy and media planning of several departments of the Canadiens, providing support for ticket sales, marketing programs, Tricolore Sports, the Fan Club, minor hockey development programs and all Canadiens partner programs. She is also responsible for the Canadiens' customer service and branding team.
