CEOVision Association of Quebec Technologies
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Past Editions
2003
 
Speakers 2003
 
Jim Balsillie, Chairman and Co-CEO, Research In Motion
Building a Technology-Based Company
Jim Balsillie is the Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Research in Motion Limited since 1992. He is responsible for directing strategy, business development and finance. He is a Chartered Accountant and a graduate of the University of Toronto and of Harvard University.

Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM and TSX: RIM) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless data solutions. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers around the world to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity. RIM is best known for the Blackberry handheld and has been honoured with awards such as Red Herring 100 (2001), Profit 100 (2000, InfoWorld Magazine's Product of the Year Award (2000) and PC World's World Class for the Best Wireless Communication Device.
Conference
Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, Research in Motion has an impressive award-wining portfolio and has created a standard in the wireless solutions: the Blackberry Wireless Handhelds. However times have not always been easy and Jim Balsillie had to show leadership and management skills to overcome difficulties and succeed in developing a leader in the wireless industry.
 
Stéphane Boisvert, President, Sun Microsystems of Canada
 Innovative Technologies & Relationship, Foundation for Success
Stéphane Boisvert brings more than 17-years of experience in the computer industry to the presidential office of Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW).
In his role as president, he oversees Sun's business operations, market development and investment strategies in the Canadian public and private market segments.
Stéphane's arrival at Sun follows a distinguished career at IBM where he held extensive sales, marketing and operational management positions. His most recent role was WorldWide Executive for a server line of business.
Stéphane's accomplishments were acknowledged when he received the prestigious "Top 40 Under 40" Award for 2000, a national program that honours Canadians who have achieved a significant level of success prior to the age of 40.
Conference
Mr. Boisvert will discuss: Why The Nework is still the Computer. How to turn innovation and relationships into customer value. Infrastructure Solution Practices to deliver industry leading Network Computing Solutions with competitive advantage today and tomorrow. The Operations Challenge, from price/performance to total cost of Service Level.
 
Guy Marier, President, Bell Québec and Executive Vice-President, BCE
Leadership Based on Passion and Action
Guy Marier is an adept communicator and skilled manager who began his career at Bell Canada in 1970 and quickly rose to senior management positions within the company. 
From 1988 to 1990, he headed up Bell Canada International's investments and projects in Saudi Arabia. He returned to Bell where he was named later President of Bell Québec and Executive Vice-President of Bell Canada.
Since taking over as head of Bell Québec, Guy Marier has been successfully overseeing the implementation of the company's strategic plan aimed at positioning Bell as a leader in the new economy.
Conference
True leadership abilities are unveiled when things go bad. Nobody is really prepared to face change, which is unpredictible in essence. An organization's size and complexity don't matter. Managers showing leadership know instinctively when and how to react in different situations. In his talk, Guy Marier will give his views on leadership as follows: looking for a balance between employee motivation, client satisfaction and result achievement.
 
Eliott Noss, President and Chief Executive Officer, TUCOWS
Creating Marketing Messages that will Differentiate your Company
As President and CEO of Tucows Inc. (OTCBB: TCOW), Elliot Noss has played a decisive role in the evolution of Tucows, a leading provider of Internet services to Internet service providers (ISPs) and web hosting companies worldwide. Under Noss' leadership, Tucows has moved from its original focus on software distribution to its current position as one of the largest domain name registrars in the world. An ICANN-accredited registrar with a global network of more than 5,000 resellers, Tucows provides outsourced domain name registrations for generic and county code top-level domains, plus web certificates.
Originally trained as a lawyer, he arrived at Tucows in 1997 as Vice President of Corporate Services after a stint working in the ISP business, and was appointed President and CEO of Tucows Inc. in May 1999. In August 2001, he helped orchestrate a merger with Infonautics, Inc., under the Tucows name. 
Noss, who brings with him more than ten years of legal, financial and Internet market experience, is a seasoned presenter on various industry-related topics, including: web commerce, market trends, ISP development, Internet regulation, privacy, transfer issues and others. Noss has a BA from the University of Toronto and an MBA and LLB from the University of Western Ontario.
Conference
Elliott Noss is recognized for his compelling opinions on a wide variety of industry issues and his dynamic and interactive approach.
He will share Tucows' success stories and strategies, and outline how he helped make Tucows into one of Canada's most rapidly growing companies, turning a software download company into a multi-million dollar Internet services business.
He will also discuss how Internet Service Providers can survive and thrive in today's challenging economy.
 
Richard Payette, Vice-President, Montréal Region, RAYMOND CHABOT GRANT THORNTON
 Governance: A Set of Rules or a New Definition of Leadership?
Mr. Payette joined the public accounting and management consulting firm of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT) in 1982. A Partner since 1992, he became Vice-President of the Montréal Region in 2001. Over the past 20 years, he has been a close business advisor for large Canadian and U.S. public companies. Mr. Payette has developed an expertise in the information technology, financial institution, real estate, engineering and retail industries.

He is the Director of Grant Thornton International's International Business Centre in Montréal and a member of the Board of Directors and the Corporate Finance Task Force. He also sits on the Boards of the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en analyse des organisations (Cirano), Accel Ventures, Techno-Transit et la Fondation du Musée Pointe-à-Callière.
Conference
At a time when corporate governance is on everybody's mind and regulatory bodies are endeavouring to regain market confidence, how should our entrepreneurs and managers behave in order to ensure the success of their businesses in a highly competitive environment?
Is governance simply a question of applying a set of rules or has human «value» become a determining factor?
Richard Payette will share his thoughts on his topic and explain how entrepreneurs in information technology sector can benefit from them.
 
Lars Perkins, Managing Director, IDEALAB
The Creative Process in Developing Emerging Technology Companies
  Lars Perkins is Managing Director of Idealab Boston since December 1999. Prior to joining Idealab, Lars co-founded Webhire where he served as President of the Company and as Chief Executive Officer. He has served as Chairman of the Webhire Board since 1986.
Conference
How do you create an environment that fosters innovation and rewards creativity? Hierarchical organizations and traditional performance metrics can inhibit new ideas from taking root. Lars Perkins explains how idealab approached this challenge, as they worked to create a business whose mission is to create new businesses.
 
Jonathan Seelig, co-Founder, Akamai, Executive in Residence, Polaris Venture Partners
 Case Study: Akamai's Financing Timeline and Strategy
  Prior to joining Polaris, Seelig was Co-Founder and Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development for Akamai. During his tenure at Akamai, he focused on new technology and business initiatives to support Akamai's core business and future growth. Seelig has also worked for ECI Telecom in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
While at ECI Telecom, he led teams in network design, equipment deployment and customer training for international telecommunications projects. Seelig also served as the primary link between ECI engineers and its customer base for system monitoring products. His telecom experience has included projects in more than 30 countries, where he used the four languages that he speaks fluently.
Conference
Mr. Seelig's presentation will show a case study of the financing of Akamai Technologies from its conception to its IPO. Topics will include how to target and select strategically valuable sources of financing, pros and cons of institutional financing and pros and cons of going public. Mr. Seelig will also share his perspective as a current member of a top-tier US venture fund.
 
Mark Skapinker, Founder, Delrina, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Brightspark
Lessons learned; starting, funding and running software companies in good times and bad times
Mark Skapinker is a veteran and a pioneer with more than 20 years experience in software and technology. He has a unique vision and understanding of how to zig and zag in an ever changing - and sometimes unforgiving - market place. For entrepreneurs, Mark offers an insiders view to the scope and magnitude of what it takes to create and build a company from an idea through to a thriving company. 
The proof of Mark's expertise is detailed in his track record: in 1988, he co-founded Delrina Corporation and successfully grew Delrina to annual revenues topping $150 million. Mark was President of Delrina from its initial incorporation, through its public stock offering and listings on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ -- until Delrina was acquired by Symantec in 1995.
In 1997, when the technology market place was yet to recognize the tremendous growth of the Internet, Mark founded Balisoft Technologies Inc. - a company focused on intelligent customer interaction software. Later, in the spring of 1999, Balisoft merged with Boston-based Servicesoft Technologies. Servicesoft became the first major vendor of comprehensive Internet customer service solutions. In September 2000, Servicesoft Technologies was acquired by Broadbase Software Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSW).
Conference
The presentation will cover some of the lessons learned over the last twenty years of starting, funding and running software companies in Canada. The difference between doing this in good and bad times will be compared with many "in the trench" stories and anecdotes. The underlying principal of "zigging and zagging" and "forcing your company to be in the right place at the right time" applies in all markets and the technique of this philosophy will be covered.
 
Bernard Voyer, Explorer and mountaineer
 Step by Step to the Summit
A renowned explorer and mountaineer, Bernard Voyer has 30 years of expeditions and adventures to his credit. He reached the North Pole, the South Pole and he stood on the roof of the world, Mount Everest. Now he has realized his dream of completing a World Tour by climbing the highest peaks of every continent. He received numerous honors including Officer of the Order of Canada, Chevalier of the Ordre National du Québec, the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographic Society of Canada. Inspirational speaker, he has given more than 300 presentations in Canada, in the United States and Europe, meeting more than 100 000 business people. His communication skills and sense of humour will captivate you.
Conference
Companies are making huge changes in their cultures and their ways of doing things these days. Organizations and individuals must adapt quickly to change and work harder than before. It is just these strengths that have been key factors in all Bernard Voyer's expeditions.

Step by step, he has conquered the most inhospitable places on Earth. What motivates him to strive for such difficult goals? Why reach so high and so far? Where does he find the commitment to his goals, and the ability to use teamwork to achieve them? Bernard Voyer reveals the answers, sharing his passion.

 

 
 
CEO Vision is an Association of Quebec Technologies' initiative. AQT is Quebec's most important technology
association. Its mission is to contribute to the prosperity of the technology industry.
To contact us: info@ceovisionpdg.org / 514-874-2667