L'équipe de Porte parole, May 2023.
The Porte Parole team, May 2023.
Annabel Soutar - Porte Parole

Annabel Soutar

Artistic Director

Annabel Soutar is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Porte Parole, whose reputation and work has helped introduce documentary theatre to Quebec audiences. Her plays and dramaturgical collaborations include Novembre, Sexy béton, Fredy, J’aime Hydro, The Assembly, Tout Inclus et Rose et la Machine.

In 2015 Annabel was named one of Canada’s Artists of the Year by The Globe and Mail, and in 2022 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University for her exceptional contribution to both her field, and to society.

Favourite play – Rwanda 94

Causes she is passionate about – Polarization, civic engagement, and democracy.


Amandine Gauthier - Porte Parole

Amandine Gauthier

Executive Director

Combining her managerial skills and social values as Executive Director of Porte Parole, Amandine Gauthier has worked as a director of arts organizations and strategic planning consultant for the past fifteen years. Prior to moving to Montreal and joining the Porte Parole team in March 2020, Amandine was previously at the helm of Quebec City theatres Le Périscope and Le Trident. Outside work, you will typically find her at the theatre when she is not hiking or travelling with her two children.

Favourite play – 887 by Robert Lepage

Causes she is passionate about – Social pediatrics and climate change


Alex Ivanovici - Porte Parole

Alex Ivanovici

Artistic Associate

In 1997 Alex met playwright Annabel Soutar and together they founded Porte Parole. For the past 25 years they have been developing and producing documentary theatre projects that attempt to stimulate a nuanced public discourse on complex contemporary issues. Alex also works as a bilingual actor in film, television, video games and theatre. He also has 30 years of experience as a director and documentary playwright in Montreal.

His favourite play – Bettroffenheit by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young

A cause he is passionate about – Civic engagement


Line Noël

Line Noël


Merissa Tordjman - Porte Parole

Merissa Tordjman

Director of Production

Normand Vincent- - Porte Parole

Normand Vincent

Technical Director

Normand Vincent has worn many hats throughout his 40-year career, working in both the French and English-speaking worlds across Canada. The versatility he acquired both on stage and behind the scenes, both artistically and technically, has led him to collaborate in the creation and national and international tours for productions of prestigious companies including: 4dart lemieux.pilon (Ceci est une sphère, Anima, La Tempête, Norman), PPS Danse (Bagne, Pôles, Strata), Montanaro Danse (Ned angl sed angeli). In 2014, he joined Porte Parole, contributing his expertise to the development and dissemination of many shows by this innovative company.   
 
Favourite play – The 1987 production of Les Feluettes, directed by André Brassard

Causes he is passionate about-  Social justice in all its forms


Maxime Bertrand- Porte Parole

Maxime Bertrand

Director, Philanthropic development

From backstage of the men’s ready-to-wear industry in Paris and London to the backstage of documentary theatre, Maxime Bertrand was previously a Project Manager and entrepreneur in the luxury industry before a pivot to philanthropy. A graduate of top business schools, he is keen to implement best practices to ensure the sustainable development of the organisation. Giving the Porte Parole team the means with which to achieve its ambitions has been his personal mission since he fell in love with documentary theatre as a vehicle for social impact. Outside work, Maxime has many passions related to culture and adventure.

Favourite play – Rose et la machine by Maude Laurendeau

Causes he is passionate about – The conservation of land and the protection of watersheds, particularly in Lake Memphremagog and Castle Creek.


Anne-Sophie Ducloux - Porte Parole

Anne‑Sophie Ducloux

Communications and Marketing Manager

Anne-Sophie graduated from NYIT with a BFA in communication and media production, and from EFAP Paris with a Master’s degree in communications and audiovisual production. Passionate about the entertainment industry, Anne-Sophie previously worked on the web editorial team at Allociné, and as a Community Manager at Métropolitan Films. Before flying to Montréal, where she joined the h264 team, Anne-Sophie worked on the Cinando team at the Cannes Film Festival. Anne-Sophie counts music, Asian culture and cinema amongst her interests.  
 
Favourite play – Thé à la menthe ou t’es citron? By Patrick Haudecoeur

Causes she is passionate about – Feminism and LGBTQ+ rights


Saskia Rolland-Bezem - Porte Parole

Saskia Rolland‑Bezem

Operations Manager

Saskia joined Porte Parole in January 2022. Passionate about the performing arts, (theatre in particular!), Saskia has always worked in cultural field, both in her native England as well as in Quebec. Most notably she was previously part of the team at BBC Arts, where she worked on arts documentary programming across BBC television and radio, and upon her arrival to Canada in January 2020 held the position of Administrative Director at Festival Bach Montréal. Outside work, Saskia can mostly be found at the theatre and the cinema, or working on drawings for her illustration business.

Favourite play – Too many to list! But Consent by Nina Raine and Beginning by David Eldridge

Causes she is passionate about – Climate change, and accessible healthcare


Sara Karel Chiasson - Porte Parole

Sara Karel Chiasson

Documentary Hub Coordinator

Sara Karel is a graduate of the ÉTP program at Collège Lionel-Groulx. In addition to acting and writing, she has a passion for sewing and creates her own costumes for theatrical and television productions. A multidisciplinary artist from Ville-Marie in Témiscamingue, Sara Karel has more than one string to her bow, and pursues artistic project creation in all forms, from writing, scriptwriting and playwriting to stand up comedy.  
 
Favourite play – Des arbres à abattre by Thomas Bernhard, directed by Krystian Lupa

Causes she is passionate about – Feminism and social injustice



Board

Matthieu Sauvé

President

Matthieu Sauvé holds a Master’s degree in communications, beginning his career in the field in the early 1980s.  

He has worked in both the public and private sectors, as well as in consulting, notably with the public relations firm NATIONAL, before co-founding the agency Zone franche in 2010. A member of the College of Fellows of the Canadian Public Relations Society, he received the Yves-St-Amand Award from the Société québécoise des professionnels en relations publiques for his contribution to the advancement of the profession and was also the receipient of the Reconnaissance Award from the Faculty of Communications at Université du Québec à Montréal.  

Passionate about culture, Matthieu previously chaired the Board of Directors of the Château Ramezay Museum for four years and now chairs the institution’s Board of Trustees. He has chaired Porte Parole’s Board of Directors since 2019, a commitment motivated by his deep conviction of the relevance of the company’s mission.  

Fortunat Nadima Nadima

Secretary

Fortunat Nadima has been practising as an intellectual property litigation and dispute resolution lawyer in Montréal since 2019. He represents and advises companies of all sizes and in a variety of fields in matters involving patents, industrial designs, copyrights and trade-marks, as well as advising on regulatory issues. Prior to practicing in this area, he gained experience in regulatory affairs in Ottawa and in international arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.  
 
Passionate about arts and culture, he is involved in the Governance and Ethics Committee of Porte Parole’s Board of Directors, as well as for other Montreal cultural organisations.  

Mary Dailey Desmarais

Administrator

Chief Curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts since 2020, Mary-Dailey Desmarais leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to enriching, enhancing and preserving a collection of more than 45,000 works and objects dating from Antiquity to the present day.  

Since joining the museum in 2014, she has curated the exhibitions À plein volume: Basquiat et la musique (2022), Adam Pendleton: Ce qu’on a fait ensemble (2022), Combien de temps faut-il pour qu’une voix atteigne l’autre (2021) and Il était une fois… le western: une mythologie entre art et cinéma (2017), whose catalogue won two awards.  

Her texts on subjects ranging from Impressionism to modern and contemporary international art have been published in a number of scientific journals, exhibition catalogues and art magazines.  

Originally from New York, Mary-Dailey holds a PhD in art history from Yale University, an MA from Williams College and a BA from Stanford University.

Mathieu Johnson

Administrator

Mathieu Johnson joined Hydro-Québec serves as Vice President – Strategy, Corporate Evolution and Development. In this capacity, he is tasked with establishing Hydro-Québec’s overall business strategies and spearheading its transformation in light of the rapidly changing energy sector and new market needs, with a view to helping bring about Québec’s energy transition in an optimal manner. His mandate also includes the implementation of changes in Hydro-Québec’s regulatory framework and rate structure. In addition, he is responsible for partnerships and investments concerning renewable energy infrastructure related to generating options other than hydroelectricity, such as wind power.

Previously, Mr. Johnson was Director of Renewable Gas Strategy and Development at Énergir (formerly Gaz Métro). Earlier in his career, he worked as a strategy consultant with KPMG and Roland Berger, in Canada, Europe and United-States. Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from HEC Montréal

Julie Pilon

Administrator

Julie Pilon has been working in the marketing communications agency industry since 2007. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from HEC Montréal, with a specialism in marketing and finance.  

She began her career at FCB Montreal, where she assisted brands such as Fido, Loto Québec and Molson Export with their brand and communications. She then joined LG2 in 2013, where she later became a partner. She works with organizations including Hydro-Québec, Bell, Beneva and Boréale, accompanying them in various transformations and brand evolutions.  

Julie chose to get involved with the Board of Directors of Porte Parole because she firmly believes in its mission, its raison d’être and its power to advance our society. 

Alex Ivanovici

Administrator

In 1997 Alex met playwright Annabel Soutar and together they founded Porte Parole. For the past 25 years they have been developing and producing documentary theatre projects that attempt to stimulate a nuanced public discourse on complex contemporary issues. Alex also works as a bilingual actor in film, television, video games and theatre. He also has 30 years of experience as a director and documentary playwright in Montreal. 

François Prénovost, CPA, CMA

Treasurer 

François is an executive and entrepreneur with extensive experience in finance, management and corporate governance.   
 
François is a theatre enthusiast and has served on the board of Porte Parole since 2017. Also passionate about public policy, he previously sat on the Board of Directors of the Westmount Municipal Association between 2013 and 2015.  
 
François holds a Bachelor’s degree in management accounting from the Université du Québec à Montréal and has been a chartered accountant since 1992. He was co-owner and responsible for operations and business development at RailTerm between 1999 and its sale to Siemens Mobility Limited in 2021. He is now Executive Vice President of Siemens Mobility Limited.  
 

Lili de Grandpré

Administrator

A seasoned consultant and administrator, Lili specializes in corporate governance, talent management and succession planning. A recipient of several awards for her professional achievements and philanthropic work, she has held executive positions in Canada and the UK.  
In 2019, she joined the Intel:Talent team as Senior Associate, Governance and Talent. In 2005, she founded a specialized consulting firm, CenCEO Conseil. Previously, she led the Canadian practise of Mercer Management (now Oliver Wyman) and the Marketing and Product Development (Treasury) group at the Bank of Montreal.  
Lili has served on numerous boards including McGill University, the National Circus School, Brain Canada and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. From 1992 to 2001, she was a lecturer at the Executive Development Institute at Queen’s University. 
Lili holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Montreal, a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Western University and an MBA from McGill University. She is also a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors. 

Anne Vanhaeverbeke

Administrator

Anne Vanhaeverbeke is a Belgo/Italian national; grew up in Washington DC, Brussels, Athens, Lake Como and Spain; went to University in Edinburgh, then lived and worked 15 years in various small, medium and large arts organisations in London.  She speaks French, English and Italian fluently.  In 2008, Anne moved to the Eastern Townships in Quebec, with her four daughters. Since 2021, she is business owner of the renowned kitchen store and foodie’s paradise, Atelier Bouffe in Sutton, Quebec.  

Previously, her 15 years in London’s cultural sector started with the semi-governmental body, Arts and Business, whose aim is to encourage business sponsorship of the arts, followed by her role as Development Director of the trailblazing Artangel, commissioner of ‘extraordinary art in unexpected places’.  Anne then became Development Director at the internationally renowned Serpentine Gallery, overseeing the newly created ‘Serpentine Gallery Pavilion’ commissions and launching the ‘Limited Editions’ series.  From there, she joined the Senior Management team at the South Bank Centre, facing a 15million pound capital campaign to renew the Royal Festival Hall.  With a newly appointed Artistic Director and Board, the SBC team developed a 5-year, multi-level strategy to raise awareness, funds and popular support.  

Anne is passionate about the arts and its capacity to jiggle the very atoms of our daily existence and has worked and volunteered her entire adult life in the cultural sector. 

François Le Moine

Administrator

François Le Moine is a lawyer, practising art and cultural heritage law with the firm Règles de l’art. He also teaches intellectual property law at the Université de Montréal, is President of the International Literary and Artistic Association for Canada and co-presides over the Commission permanente d’art public de Culture Montréal. He holds degrees in History from the Sorbonne, in Philosophy from the School for Advanced Studies, Paris, and in Law from McGill University.

Annabel Soutar

Administrator

Annabel Soutar is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Porte Parole, whose reputation and work has helped introduce documentary theatre to Quebec audiences. Her plays and dramaturgical collaborations include Novembre, Sexy béton, Fredy, J’aime Hydro, The Assembly, Tout Inclus et Rose et la Machine.  

In 2015 Annabel was named one of Canada’s Artists of the Year by The Globe and Mail, and in 2022 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from McGill University for her exceptional contribution to both her field, and to society. 

Porte Parole is grateful to our donors for their support.

Conseil des arts du Canada / Canada Council for the ArtsConseil des arts et des lettres du QuébecConseil des arts de Montréal