Get to know us | Team

All paths that lead to social innovation are inevitably unconventional. Melanie’s path was rooted in one of the life sciences: biology. This is probably where she developed her ability to keep both the immensely large and the infinitely small – the systemic and the local – in perspective. Her studies in biology, her career in the socio-environmental milieu and her involvement in social innovation have led her into a variety of situations where she has developed her ability to act and interact with people with different intentions and languages. Naturally empathetic, she has the ability to listen, which is essential for building positive human relationships and generating change. Since 2013, she has been involved in the Québec and Canadian social innovation ecosystems and she understands their various languages ​​and perspectives. In this diversity of visions, she finds a wealth of ideas necessary to resolve our most glaring issues.

A challenge ? « TO HELP STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SOCIAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM, WHATEVER THEIR VISION OR APPROACH, FORGE TIES AND STRENGTHEN THEIR CAPACITY TO COLLECTIVELY RESOLVE COMPLEX CHALLENGES. »

After completing a master’s degree in anthropology and doctoral studies on the theory of complexity, Patrick began a career in innovation in the medical sector, then with a variety of organizations. He co-directed the research department at the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) for six years and founded Umvelt Service Design, an open innovation consulting firm behind several collaborative projects involving SMEs, community organizations and territories. His experience has made him a key player in the emergence of a community of living laboratories and the development of communities in social innovation in Québec. Executive Director of the MIS, his ability to “go from an altitude of ten thousand feet to twenty thousand leagues under the sea” in a fraction of a second, according to the team, represents an essential strength in the design projects supported by the MIS and allows for a rapid understanding of their key issues, from both a conceptual and a practical point of view.

A challenge? « TO HELP AGENTS OF CHANGE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COMPLEXITY AND DISCOVER THE IMPACT MECHANISMS OF THEIR SOCIAL INNOVATION PROJECTS. »

Even when she was young, Stéphanie loved numbers, columns and calculations, but also saw order as the proper state of affairs. With her Cartesian nature, she pursued studies in administration and accounting, and began a career that led to the Autorité des marchés financiers (the French Financial Markets Authority). For more than fifteen years, she navigated between accounts payable/receivable, billing, collections, and the management of disputes with client and supplier accounts. Bank reconciliation, a real headache for some, is child’s play for her (even if we do not tell her that!). The MIS’s mission and its human scale were like love-at-first-sight for Stéphanie, convincing her to revolutionize her long-standing career to join the team as coordinator in administration and logistics. Since then, she has pivoted between numbers and logistics, calculation and action, accounting and coordination, and represents a true pillar on which the team relies with confidence and affection.

A challenge? « To PROVIDE AGILITY TO SUPPORT THE MULTITUDE OF MIS PROJECTS, WHICH CONTINUally helps me to become more open and gives meaning to everything I DO. »

From an early age, Laurence chose to see the world through a critical and engaged lens. At university, her multidisciplinary studies in the humanities trained her to analyse social justice issues and to understand relationships of all kinds in a systematic way. Driven by her love of logical and rigorous thinking as much as by the importance she places on social issues, Laurence went on to complete a master’s degree in feminist philosophy. At the frontier of feminist epistemologies, the philosophy of science, and ethics, her dissertation considers the concept of objectivity as a posture of integrity from which to approach the development of knowledge and the sciences. One of her great strengths is to perceive how a person thinks, then to help them express their ideas in a way that brings out their richness and relevance. By nature pedagogical and empathetic, she strives to find modes of communication that speak to the particularities both of personality and situation. It is with a strong desire to apply her knowledge pragmatically that Laurence joins us in 2021, putting her writing and communications skills on full display for the benefit of all of MIS’s projects!

A CHALLENGE? “To communicate complexity in an accessible way.”

Passionate about history, literature and sports, it was through her studies in political science and literature that Elena discovered her fascination for those who write history, even more than the events of history themselves. Before joining the MIS, she spent several years in an organization that uses innovative technologies to make television content accessible to the hearing-impaired. When she wasn’t doing live captioning of a hockey game or a parliamentary session, she was responsible for recruitment, training, and even organizing all special events. This gave her the opportunity to refine a wide range of skills which, according to the team, is an important quality that she adds to her expertise in multitasking. In 2019, Elena joined the MIS team with a sincere desire to form closer ties with agents of change who are “writing history every day in their own way.”

A challenge? « To FIND available SPACE IN THE DIRECTION TEAM’ calendars! OTHERWISE, to CONTRIBUTE TO THE RELEVANCE AND ADDED VALUE OF MIS PROJECTS BY SUPPORTING THE TEAM MEMBERS EVERY DAY. »

Virginie has always been touched by the vulnerability and resilience of living beings and she has been working for more than twenty years in her search to find a positive balance between human beings and nature. Specializing in environment and sustainable development, then in territorial planning and socio-economic development, she experimented with regional approaches to consultation in the public sector and explored how education, technologies, design and the animation of collective intelligence could be used as levers to solve contemporary societal problems. She then decided to make the leap into the entrepreneurial world to support the innovation of organizations and communities, cofounding a living laboratory for the rehabilitation of agroecosystems in Montérégie. It became a reference in the implementation of complex projects, linking research, actors in the field and citizens. At the MIS, she guides and equips the team and partners in their reflections, designs, adaptations and in the management collective projects.

A challenge? « To STIMULATE THE ADAPTATION OF INDIVIDUAL PRACTICES AND MODELS OF COLLECTIVE PROJECTS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR CAPABILITIES IN ACCELERATING THE ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION SPECIFIC TO THE REALITY OF EACH COMMUNITY. »

Having grown up in the city, Pénélope has always been sensitive to urban realities. As an undergraduate at McGill, she explored the different ways in which social inequalities are manifested in urban environments. She then moved to London—rich terrain for experiments in her chosen field—where she continued her studies for a master’s degree in City Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Since then, she has been working with municipal, institutional, and community actors in London and Montreal on projects at the intersection of urban research and local development, notably on the protection of cultural spaces, the social value of civic infrastructures, and the revitalizing of heritage sites for collective use. Given that there are no boundaries for her, but rather third spaces that make room for interdisciplinary approaches, it is not surprising to see her begin, concurrent with her work at MIS, a certificate in creative writing. It’s a medium that gives her insight into how others express the same reality. Penelope excels in the art of unpacking problems by bringing clarity to that which is fuzzy and conceptual—a strength in social innovation!

A CHALLENGE? “Creating an alignment between the objectives and complementary expertise of different stakeholders invested in projects that bring about change.”

What makes a person an agent of change? And how can we best empower them to reach their full potential and create solutions to structural challenges in society? These are the questions Sarah has always been passionate about. After receiving her master’s degree in management with a specialization in entrepreneurship, she worked in France and Switzerland, within the Ashoka network, to develop her expertise in the fields of social innovation and community support. In Montreal, Sarah has engaged with both local and national mobilization projects. She has joined MIS to expand these incubation programs and to support projects with socio-environmental impact. A good listener, determined and articulate, Sarah knows how to identify and connect the needs and strengths of individuals to create effective and creative collaborations.

A CHALLENGE? “Creating a fire from the spark in the hearts of those who dream of changing the world by giving them the tools to bring their vision to life.”

Driven by her curiosity and the discovery of new disciplines, Nathalie is constantly expanding the field of vision of the kaleidoscope of her professional life. A lawyer by training, she began her career in the cabinet of a minister of a French city before coordinating projects to build shelters. Upon her arrival in Montréal, she held the position of Head of Administration and Finance at an NGO in crime prevention and a non-profit organization. Fascinated by the innovative potential of the Agile philosophy applied to social impact projects, she is now completing a master’s degree in project management, in parallel with her professional mandate to improve the management of an international human rights education program. Joining the MIS is Nathalie’s was the next logical step in her professional career, offering the opportunity to consolidate her interests in and passions for social innovation, continuous process improvement and management of collaborative projects.

A CHALLENGE? « TO CONNECT THE DIFFERENT HUMAN AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY perspectives AND MOBILIZE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF STAKEHOLDERS TO SUPPORT THE EMERGENCE OF INNOVATIONS WITH HIGH SOCIAL IMPACT. »

Élisabeth has 20 years of experience in strategic communications, media relations and marketing, in both the public and private sectors. She draws her idealism from her studies at the Sorbonne and McGill, and her entrepreneurial spirit and her confidence from an organization she founded to support artistic creation. Democratizing art outside of galleries and museums instills in her a passion for societal communication. She is now embarking on a communications and marketing career in the public sector, where public finances, the environment, states of civil emergency and housing offer her unique insights into the challenges of living together as a society. In 2018, she brought her realism, warmth and commitment to the table with the goal of going further in the resolution of societal issues. She joined the formidable MIS team to democratize, this time, social innovation.

A challenge? « TO DEMYSTIFY SOCIAL INNOVATION TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND THUS ACCELERATE CHANGE. »

Timothée likes to juggle with digital tools and put them at the service of inspiring projects. After ten years in IT support in France and in Québec, and a stint organizing musical events, a desire to write resurfaced one fine morning. Creating a positive impact from the local café – isn’t that the mission of a modern “geek”, with one hand on the keyboard and a latté in the other? Always seeking to understand deeper social issues, themes such as fair trade, the circular economy and social initiatives resonate most with her reflections on social challenges and current environments.

A CHALLENGE? « TO AWAKEN THE AGENT OF CHANGE THAT LAYS DORMANT IN US ALL. »

As long as he remembers, Hugo has always been drawn to riddles, puzzles and other thinking games. This fascination for solving complex problems first attracted him to the field of science, then to the field of management, where he worked for ten years as a consultant in strategy and innovation. This experience allowed him to discover within himself the joy of helping people to learn and excel, something he achieves through teaching at university and coaching project leaders. At the MIS since its foundation, his role as director of social entrepreneurship lets him combine his two main motivations – problem-solving and coaching – in the service of positive impact.

A challenge? « To MOBILIZE THE APPROACHES AND TOOLS OF THE ENTREPRENEURIAL sector AND DEMOCRATIZE THEM within THE SOCIAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM TO INCREASE THE IMPACT OF PROJECTS. »

Sensitive to inequalities, injustices and of an empathetic nature, Maud quickly became interested in municipal affairs, an area of pooling and confrontation by excellence. The social issues that are raised therein and the cultural diversity that enlivens the urban environment challenge her. After a bachelor’s degree in urban planning in France, she studied public relations at UQÀM and discovered the many possibilities in the field of communications. Maud worked as a project manager for more than six years in a communication, event organization and marketing agency and then worked as a communications consultant.
Eager to work as a team member for an organization that shares her values, in 2016 she joined the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), which advocates the vision of a mixed and inclusive city. Concerned about the finality of projects and their concrete and direct impact on people, Maud enthusiastically joined the MIS team in early 2020, determined to democratize social innovation, encourage innovators to emerge and help them implement their projects.

A CHALLENGE? « To find the angles and tell the stories that will make more people understand what social innovation is and its power to change our lives. »

An economist by training, Ghyslain began his career in the cultural sector before moving to the private sector in the entertainment industry. He has held several positions in project management, as general manager and as a strategic consultant, in Paris and Montréal. He then joined the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) in the administrative department and as co-director general. After 12 years at the SAT, he is now enthusiastically committed to the MIS project, passionate about contributing to the deployment of this young NPO. Eager to align the team’s ambitions with the human and financial resources available to the organization, his colleagues recognize him as “the man who says no before saying maybe!” Nevertheless, his ability to mobilize private and public stakeholders around exciting projects is undeniable and his agility to do much with little contributes to the vitality of the MIS.

A challenge? « To Identify the most cost-effective human and financial resources to support the development of social innovation actors throughout the Québec region. »

With a ready and radiant smile, Marie-Hélène’s enthusiasm is contagious; she sees the positive in every situation, an essential quality in her work. With sharpened political instincts, she is not afraid to tackle complex issues. She knows how to navigate troubled waters to bring teams and their social innovation projects to fruition. (No wonder she is an accomplished athlete in swimming!) For almost 15 years, she has been connecting, inspiring and stimulating collaboration between a variety of socio-economic actors. Her training as a political scientist and her work experience, particularly within a regional development organization, make her an indispensable ally for any organization or community that wants to strengthen its ability to adapt to ever-changing social and political conditions. She is called upon for her expertise in design, open innovation and participatory research, must-have skills for project design and the implementation of solutions.

A challenge? « TO GENERATE CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE AND EVOLVING COLLABORATIONS, WHERE EACH PERSON STRENGTHENS THEIR CAPACITY TO REINVENT AND FINDS NEW SOLUTIONS TO THEIR CHALLENGES, ACCORDING TO THEIR RESPECTIVE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS. »