Jacques-André Dupont
President and CEO, C2 International and C2 Montreal
Based in: Montreal
How I got here: Prior to joining the C2 team, Dupont spearheaded some of Canada’s most notable events including the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, FrancoFolies de Montréal and Montréal en Lumière. Most recently, he was president of L’Équipe Spectra and executive vice president of Groupe CH. He also co-founded and led X3 Productions for several years.
Greatest career accomplishment: “I have to say the C2 2020-2021 pandemic turnaround! I started my position at C2 on March 3, 2020. Within days, our revenues plummeted, and we had to make some extremely difficult decisions in a very short amount of time—decisions that would impact our colleagues and their families. Without a doubt, it was one of the toughest moments in my career. The subsequent months led to countless challenges, attempts and failures, but also victories—both big and small. Our teams excelled and produced large-scale projects from low revenues in April 2020 to significant growth in 2021.
Since then, C2 has participated in 17 RFPs and won 14 new clients. Again, I list this as a great accomplishment, but this was a vast and complete team victory.”
A specific improvement I've made: “Outside of the rebound strategy, I am proud of what we have in the plans for C2 Montreal 2021. Our digital transformation is a great tool to help bring the C2 Montreal impact to help create tomorrow's entrepreneurs. Additionally, since its inception, C2 Montréal has provided a platform for innovative business leaders to learn, connect and drive significant financial impact and global exposure their way.
For our 10th anniversary, driven by C2's commitment to advancing both business and society, we are launching a long-term philanthropic initiative designed to expand our attendance to be more inclusive of young people from Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC); female entrepreneurship; and LGBTQ2S+ communities.
Alongside charitable partners, our goal is to celebrate, elevate and grow a community of creative young business leaders by distributing 6,000 online passes to 18- to 35-year-olds who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend a business event of C2 Montréal's caliber.”
What I do outside of work: “I am a passionate and very active wildlife photographer. It has been a great way to create balance in my life, and, of course, I get to visit some of the most amazing places in the world. I particularly love Africa, where I try to go once or twice a year. My work has been recognized in photo competitions and published in National Geographic, Paris Match, La Pravda and China News. I'm currently hosting my first photo exhibition at the National Photography Museum in Drummondville, Quebec.”
What I'd tell my younger self: “'Do not shy away from tough conversations. Until you get the courage to do so, you won't be a successful leader.”
Connect with Dupont on LinkedIn.
