Montréal, June 20, 2019 – The Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ Montréal has made an investment in CARTIER Communication Marketing, a Montréal-based advertising agency in business for almost 28 years, to support an ownership transfer in order to ensure the company’s future.
Founding president Benoit Cartier and his partner of the past 20 years, Michel Lagacé, began succession planning for their agency in 2017. The goal was to keep the company solidly entrenched in Québec and identify the best talent to take over the reins. Instead of focusing on a single individual, they chose to pass the mantle to four people with complementary expertise who had expressed an interest in taking up the challenge of running the company. In May, the agency officially announced the appointment of four new partner owners: Luis Areas, Executive Director, Channel Planning and Business Development; Audrée Couture, Executive Director, Account Services; Victor Dagenais-Benoit, Executive Director, Strategy; and Sébastien Pelletier, Executive Creative Director.
“We were courted by foreign groups but having our own employees take over allows the agency to remain 100% Québec owned. It also enables us to remain agile and quickly adjust to market needs. When it comes to succession planning, there are many aspects to consider and the emotional side can sometimes get in the way. We’re grateful to the FRS de Montréal team for diligently helping us throughout the process and for sharing our vision to reach this positive conclusion,” said CARTIER President Benoît Cartier.
“CARTIER is an agency on a human scale, and it is this humanity that drives its growth and development. To their credit, Benoît and Michel put a lot of careful thought into this process. We’re proud to partner with such dynamic and visionary entrepreneurs. We wish the agency continued success and are bullish about their future as the new owners will be able to benefit from their predecessors’ expertise in the years ahead and build on their legacy,” said Emmanuelle Héroux, Investment Director, Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ Montréal.
About the Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ
The Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ have been participating in the economic development of Québec’s regions for the past 23 years. An integral part of the Fonds de solidarité FTQ network, the Fonds régionaux have invested $918 million in 1,434 projects since their inception in 1996, helping to create, maintain or protect 51,846 jobs.
About CARTIER
Founded in 1994, CARTIER offers integrated communications and marketing services, including content creation, design and marketing, mobile marketing, relational marketing, strategic planning, brand positioning and branding, sponsorship, social media, print, digital and video production as well as comprehensive media services. The agency’s slogan summarizes its philosophy of exceeding customer expectations: At CARTIER, we are rigorously inventive.
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