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.
To contact Annabel Soutar, please write to Adèle Benoit at [email protected]
Adèle Benoit
Adèle Benoit has been an arts administrator for 20 years. Before joining Porte Parole in September of 2025, she was the Managing Director of Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) since 2005. Originally from Ottawa, she holds an MBA with a specialization in Marketing and Nonprofit organizations from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business. Her work has allowed her to participate in dozens of new theater productions and collaborate with nearly a hundred emerging artists. She has also volunteered for numerous local arts organizations including the METAs, Conseil québécois du théâtre and the Black Studies Centre. She is a current a member of the committee for the HEC Chair de gestion des arts Carmelle et Rémi-Marcoux.
Alex Ivanovici
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
David Syncox
Merissa Tordjman
![Portrait - Pascale Chassé - Directrice du développement philanthropique par intérim [Porte Parole]](https://porteparole.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHO_Pascale-CHASSE_siteweb.jpeg)
Pascale Chassé
A seasoned professional in philanthropic development and strategic communications, Pascale Chassé has more than 30 years of experience in the cultural, philanthropic, and business sectors. After more than 20 years at Cossette, she served as Director of Communications at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts from 2014 to 2021. Since 2021, she has been assisting cultural organizations in developing and implementing their private fundraising strategies, engaging major donors, and building philanthropic partnerships. In addition, she is leading the Théâtre de Lac-Brome’s major $5 million fundraising campaign. She is now applying her expertise and in-depth knowledge of the cultural sector to support the growth and sustainability of Porte Parole.
Normand Vincent
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
Sara Karel Chiasson
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
Alexanne Malenfant
With a degree in advertising and a passion for strategy and social media, Alexanne has chosen to pursue a career in philanthropy and communications, while currently completing an AEC in event planning. Her background in public relations and talent representation has allowed her to cultivate a passion for connecting with people and building authentic relationships. Curious and attentive, she loves bringing projects that resonate with her to life. Outside of work, she enjoys playing music or reading a good book.
Sandy Caron
A graduate of the École de théâtre in St-Hyacinthe in 2012 with a degree in production, Sandy Caron has primarily worked in the field of theater as a stage manager, assistant director and production manager. She has worked on many productions with Théâtre du Rideau Vert, Théâtre Prospero, Les Deux Mondes, Encore Spectacle, PÀP, La Fondation Evenko, L’Escadron Création and on tour as stage manager and tour manager. She has also worked in event coordination for C2 Montréal and the Montréal Complètement Cirque Festival, among others. Since 2015, Sandy has also worked as production assistant and stage manager for the Festival international de la littérature. In December 2019, Sandy joins the La Messe Basse team as general coordinator. Outside of work, she participates in several running sports events and travels extensively.
Her favourite play: Les filles du Saint-Laurent by Rébecca Déraspe in collaboration with Annick Lefebvre
A cause she is passionate about: Cancer research
Board
Mathieu Johnson
President
Senior Vice President – Partnerships and Development
Hydro-Québec
Mathieu Johnson was appointed Senior Vice President – Partnerships and Development in July 2025. In this role, he oversees the deployment of the new wind power development program, which represents investments of $30 billion. He leads the economic reconciliation initiative with First Nations and Inuit, a cornerstone of Hydro-Québec’s Action Plan 2035, as well as the negotiation of partnership agreements with Indigenous communities in Québec and Labrador. He is also responsible for innovation and research, as well as the energy trading floor, which is in charge of wholesale market operations.
Mr. Johnson joined Hydro-Québec in 2020 and became Senior Vice President – Wind Power, R&D and Energy Trading in 2024. As such, he directed the development of Hydro-Québec’s Wind Power Development Strategy and concluded several partnership agreements regarding the development of wind farms. Previously, as Vice President – Strategy, Corporate Evolution and Development, he spearheaded the development of Hydro-Québec’s Strategic Plan 2022–2026 and Action Plan 2035.
Before joining Hydro-Québec, Mr. Johnson worked in business development at Énergir, a diversified company operating in the energy industry, and as a strategy consultant with KPMG and Roland Berger, both in Canada and abroad.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance from HEC Montréal. He sits on the boards of Electricity Canada and the documentary theatre company Porte Parole. He is also involved with Centraide of Greater Montreal as a member of its campaign cabinet’s Industry and Transportation sectorial committee.
Alex Ivanovici
Director
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.
Annabel Soutar
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.
François Le Moine
Director
François Le Moine is a lawyer, a Doctor of Law, and a professor at the Université de Montréal. He specializes in art and cultural heritage law and is actively involved with numerous cultural organizations. He holds degrees in history from the Sorbonne, in philosophy from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and in law from McGill University.
Mary Dailey Desmarais
Director
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.
Geneviève L’Écuyer
Director
A CPA by training, Geneviève L’Écuyer holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a specialized graduate diploma in public accounting from HEC Montréal. She has been a member of the Order of CPAs since 2000 and holds the designation of Certified Corporate Director (CCD), supplemented by a certificate in corporate governance from Laval University.
Geneviève has more than 25 years of experience in finance, administration, and corporate governance. She began her career in auditing at accounting firms, where she acquired a rigorous foundation in financial auditing and compliance, before serving for 14 years as Director of Finance and then Chief Financial Officer at Première Bobine Inc. and Reel Holdings Inc., managing the financial and operational resources of four companies and sixty subsidiaries operating in three countries.
Since 2017, she has served as Vice President of Finance and Administration, and subsequently as Senior Vice President of Finance at Zone3 and Sphère Média, where she sits on the executive committee. Throughout her career, she has championed process optimization, strategic planning, and financial stewardship as drivers of sustainable growth, earning recognition for both her rigor and her people-centered leadership.
Lili de Grandpré
Director
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.
Julie Pilon
Director
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.
Alexandra Bonnefoy
Chair of the Development Committee
Alexandra Bonnefoy is strategy consultant in the financial sector. Advising clients such as RBC and BDC Capital, she has led multiple major strategic initiatives in venture capital, in private equity and in technology to help entrepreneurs across Canada.
Alexandra has also held several positions at National Bank of Canada where she led mandates ranging from acquisitions to strategic partnerships implementation to financial product management.
Actively involved in the community, she currently sits on the executive board of Quebec Tech leading the governance and HR committee.
Alexandra holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering from École Polytechnique and a bachelor’s degree in applied economics from HEC Montréal. She is also a certified corporate director (ICD.D).
She recently became the chair of the development committee on Porte Parole’s board of directors, actively supporting the organization’s long-term sustainability and growth.
Kevin O’Farrell
Director
Kevin O’Farrell, CHRP, is a specialist in organizational culture, restructuring, and efficiency. His career includes senior roles in applied research, practice lead positions in consulting, and executive leadership in human resources for both national and international private companies. He has also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the MUHC (where he chaired the Human Resources Committee), and has acted as a strategic advisor to the boards of West Island Community Shares, Dementia Canada, and a palliative care residence. Kevin has also been a mentor to economic immigrants and young entrepreneurs, including through Futurpreneur and the Lac-Mégantic economic recovery group.
Félix Turgeon
Director
Félix Turgeon is a lawyer, senior executive, and corporate administrator. He serves as Chief Legal Officer and oversees real estate operations at Alto, the federal Crown corporation developing the high-speed rail project between Québec City and Toronto.
Before joining Alto, Félix was Director General at the Régie de l’énergie du Québec, where he supervised teams responsible for techno-economic analyses, monitoring of the petroleum products market, and compliance with North American electricity transmission standards. Over the course of his career, Félix has held several management positions within Énergir’s Legal Affairs department, where he oversaw the legal direction of numerous transactions. He is proud to have led Énergir’s first action plan on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Félix has served on several boards of directors, including Intragaz, the Centre des technologies du gaz naturel, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Historic Site, and the Fondation de la Compagnie de théâtre Jean-Duceppe. He also took part in the fundraising cabinet established for Juripop’s 10th anniversary.
A member of the Quebec Bar since 2002, he holds a bachelor’s degree in law, a master’s degree in international law and international politics, and the corporate governance certification from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés.
