Charles Milliard succeeds Gil Desautels
Montreal, 24 January 2017 – The board of directors of Festival TransAmériques wishes to announce a new chairman of the board. Some 20 years after joining the board, of which he has been president since 2014, Gil Desautels handed the reins over to Charles Milliard during the annual general meeting on Tuesday, December 13, 2016.
“Our sincere thanks to Mr. Desautels, who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment by sitting on the FTA board of directors since 1999, actively participating in several committees and, in recent years, implementing a new management structure with the co-executive directors Martin Faucher and David Lavoie. But above all Gil Desautels has been a keen spectator who attended numerous FTA performances, conveying his passion for contemporary dance and theatre with ardent enthusiasm. Today I am extremely proud to follow in his footsteps and those of Paule Leduc, who actively supported and accompanied FTA founder Marie-Hélène Falcon for 20 years. As the Festival’s management plan for 2017-21 is about to be implemented, I am pleased to be among those fervent admirers of the FTA who can play an important role in ensuring that its mission continues to be promoted and upheld.” – Charles Milliard
Charles Milliard, an impressive career
A pharmacist by training, Charles Milliard joined the Uniprix Group in 2002. After obtaining his MBA at the HEC business school in Montreal in 2007 he rose rapidly in the corporation, taking on various responsibilities and playing increasingly important roles, first as director and then vice-president of professional services. He became vice-president, pharmaceuticals and governmental affairs, and then from 2013 to 2016, executive vice-president of the largest association of independent pharmacists in Quebec. In conjunction with his rise in the world of business, capped by the “Relève d’affaires HEC Montréal” award, large business category in 2015, he has worked as a health affairs analyst for a number of television programs and was a board member with various organizations such as Pharmacists without Borders and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
He began attending the FTA in 2001 and joined the board of directors in 2010, heading the financing committee from 2014 to 2016. His determined commitment was acknowledged with a Arts & Business Volunteer award in 2015 from the Montreal Arts Council and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Montreal.
The co-executive directors of the FTA, Martin Faucher and David Lavoie, are thrilled with Charles Milliard’s appointment and are convinced that he will prove to be a dynamic partner who will deftly channel the strengths and commitment of all members of the board of directors.
