Despite successive crises, they use their talents and energy to improve the world around them. For the second time, La Presse presents its selection of the real influencers of the year, a dozen personalities who dream big and see far. You were selected by a jury of journalists and columnists from the hundreds of applications you submitted to us.
Posted at 5:00 am.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is definitely an influencer. Through his artistic choices, his unifying leadership, and his rule-defying looks, the man considered one of the most gifted chefs of his generation leads us at the forefront. And we’re not complaining.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin was born in Montreal in 1975. His training took place in particular at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec and at Rider University in New Jersey. In 2000 he was appointed artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchester Métropolitain.
From 2008 to 2018 he conducted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2012 he became music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2018 he succeeded James Levine at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
He has won three Grammys: Florence Price with the Philadelphia Orchestra (2022), Fire Shut Up In My Bones with the MET (2023) and Voice of Nature – The Anthropocene (2023). He’s up for two more Grammy awards before the gala next February.
He is the leader of two orchestras on two different continents as well as one of the most renowned opera houses in the world – the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Who other than him has ever been named “lifetime” conductor of an orchestra (an honor bestowed on him by the Orchester Métropolitain)? His career makes him a model of success and an inspiration.
Alexandre Vigneault, journalist
Léa Clermont-Dion and Annabel Soutar
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Léa Clermont-Dion and Annabel Soutar
A generation separates them, but they belong to the same community of spirit and values. Annabel Soutar and Léa Clermont-Dion both decided to raise their voices and create works that denounce the unacceptable in order to get things and people moving.
Born in Rawdon in the early 1990s, writer and director Léa Clermont-Dion has a PhD in political science from Laval University. Today she is a postdoctoral researcher at Concordia University. She was most notably co-director with Guylaine Maroist on the documentary “I salute you bitch” and on the series “You’re just to file a crime” with Gianluca Della Montagna. The legal process for settling complaints of sexual violence is discussed. We partly follow his journey.
Annabel Soutar was born in Montreal in the 1970s and studied playwriting and directing at Princeton University in the United States. In 2000, she founded the company Porte Parole with actor Alex Ivanovici, which focuses on documentary theater. More than 75,000 people saw Christine Beaulieu’s play J’aime Hydro, produced by the company. The Polytechnique project currently on display at the TNM is also a creation of Porte Parole.
Through her talent as a communicator and her intelligence, Léa Clermont-Dion has become an essential face of feminism in Quebec. With her documentary film about misogyny and her book about the trial of her sex offender, she sheds light on violence against women and stimulates difficult but important discussions in the public space.
Alexandre Pratt, columnist
If documentary theaters like J’aime Hydro have made progress, it is largely thanks to Annabel Soutar and her company Porte Parole. For more than 20 years, they have been digging into reality with the consistency of the most experienced journalists in order to take a critical and sensitive look at the world.
Alexandre Vigneault, journalist
Sasha Luccioni and Ravy Por
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Sasha Luccioni and Ravy Por
Are you overwhelmed or worried about the spectacular advances in artificial intelligence? Our big opportunity: We have experts in Quebec who master this technology and use it vigilantly. Including two rising stars in this ecosystem: Sasha Luccioni and Ravy Por.
Sasha Luccioni was born in Ukraine in 1990. She has lived in Montreal since she was 21. In 2016, she completed her PhD in Cognitive Computing at UQAM.
His models? “I come from a long tradition of women in science. My mother works in mathematical statistics, my grandmother was a chemist, my great-grandmother was a geologist. It is a culture of researching women that inspires me a lot. »
Ravy Por was born in Quebec in 1985 to Cambodian parents. In particular, she holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Montreal and is currently completing a part-time master’s degree in industrial engineering at the Polytechnique Montréal.
His models? His father and his mother. “What they went through, whether it was the genocide in Cambodia, arriving in a new country in the winter without speaking French or English, surviving, helping people in the community, helping their families in Cambodia… I say me that I wish were just as resilient and humble as my parents. »
The jury members did not debate for long about the candidacy of Sasha Luccioni from Hugging Face. Her remarkable career, international influence, environmental concerns, and social activism make her a must-see on our list.
Philippe Mercure, columnist
Ravy Por not only impresses with her educational and professional background despite a childhood in a disadvantaged environment, but she is also very socially committed. It opens the world of finance, mathematics and technology to as many people and in a variety of ways. She also founded the NPO Héros de chez nous and created a web series.
Marie-Eve Fournier, columnist
Stephanie Jecrois and Laurent Levesque
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Stephanie Jecrois and Laurent Levesque
Some people are better than others at tackling the problems around them head-on. Can students no longer find accommodation? Laurent Levesque is betting on building thousands of houses. Is there a shortage of women in entrepreneurship and technology? Stéphanie Jecrois edits hundreds of them. Portrait of two inspiring entrepreneurs.
Stéphanie Jecrois was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1973. She has degrees in marketing and business administration. She is co-founder and general manager of Technovation Montreal.
Laurent Levesque was born in Montreal in 1988. He has degrees in urban planning and social innovation management. He is co-founder and managing director of UTILE, a social economy company specializing in the construction of student housing.
By “reprogramming” generations of young girls to take the plunge into technology and entrepreneurship, Stéphanie Jecrois, through her company Technovation Montreal, has made an undeniable positive impact on society. The jury saw her mentoring program as a tremendous source of inspiration for teenage girls who are called to write the new codes of our world.
Rima Elkouri, columnist
Within three years, 3,000 students will be able to find affordable accommodation thanks to the social enterprise UTILE he founded. A concrete initiative that improves the quality of life of thousands of young people.
Alexandre Pratt, columnist
Farnell Morisset
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE/PHOTO PROVIDED BY FARNELL MORISSET
Farnell Morisset
Parents and teachers show his videos to teenagers, and older people recognize him at airports. However, Farnell Morisset relies on facts rather than opinions and deals with complex issues such as immigration, democracy and abortion.
Farnell Morisset was born in Quebec in 1988. He is an engineer with a degree from Laval University, a bachelor’s degree in law from McGill University and a master’s student at the London School of Economics and Political Science. A lawyer who is a member of the Ontario and New York Bar Associations, he worked in the New York office of the Goodwin Law Firm for nearly five years.
His videos in French on social, political, and economic issues are followed by more than 59,000 subscribers on his TikTok account. As he strives to present Quebec’s perspective in English, he runs an English-language TikTok account, which is followed by almost 9,000 subscribers.
By intelligently and calmly addressing current issues on social networks, Farnell Morisset struck us as an influencer doing genuinely useful work at a time when social networks are plagued by disinformation and polarization. It does an excellent job of stimulating debate and reflection.
Rima Elkouri, columnist
Ernest Jr. Edmond and Karine Gravel
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Ernest Jr. Edmond and Karine Gravel
She lives in Saguenay and he is a Montrealer of Haitian descent. She looks after small children, he looks after teenagers. But what they have in common goes beyond the rest: each, in their own way, supports the adults of tomorrow to make them engaged citizens. Highlight the behind-the-scenes commitment of Karine Gravel and Ernest Jr. Edmond, two influencers who care about the well-being of young people.
Ernest Jr. Edmond was born in Port-au-Prince in 1989 and came to Quebec at the age of 6. He holds a bachelor’s degree in modern languages, a minor in commerce, and a certificate in philanthropic management. He is the co-founder and general director of Ballons Intensifs, an organization dedicated to strengthening the engagement of young people in disadvantaged areas through basketball, and is also a basketball coach.
Karine Gravel was born in the Laurentians in 1982. A tourism technician, she also holds a degree in management from the National School of Public Administration. As the founder and general director of Garderie Nature and a mother with a passion for nature, she is one of the pioneers of early childhood nature education in Quebec.
Helping hundreds of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to discover themselves through basketball: that is the mission that Ernest Jr. Edmond set himself with Les balloons intensives almost 15 years ago. Since then, he has worked in secret to promote social and cultural engagement among young people from Montreal to Gatineau.
Léa Carrier, journalist
With her nature daycare center, Karine Gravel has a huge influence on a relatively small number of children. It is no less admirable, on the contrary. For the children who visit the habitat she creates, the positive impact will be lasting, with the first years of life being crucial. It’s not for nothing that other childcare facilities are inspired by it.
Marie-Eve Fournier, columnist
France Labelle and Benoît Robert
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
France Labelle and Benoît Robert
Sometimes influence comes from simple ideas that meet obvious needs. It is only years later that those who carry them – and those who see them go – realize the importance of the role they played. The co-founder of the youth center, France Labelle, and the founder of Communauto, Benoît Robert, can confirm this.
France Labelle was born in Montreal in 1955. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history education from the University of Quebec in Montreal and a master’s degree in psychoeducation from the University of Montreal. She is co-founder of the youth center and has been managing director since 1992.
Benoît Robert was born in Montreal in 1964. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Quebec in Montreal and a master’s degree in land use planning and regional development from the University of Laval. In 2022, he was appointed to the Order of Canada “for his contribution to the development of the car sharing industry and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Since she co-founded the Montreal Youth Shelter almost 35 years ago, her hard work has enabled more than 20,000 homeless and struggling young men to find support, comfort and help. with dignity.
Alexandre Pratt, columnist
Benoît Robert is an entrepreneur driven by a true social mission. His baby Communauto brings benefits for the environment and mobility as well as for the quality of life of citizens. Its impact on Quebec is concrete, growing steadily for 30 years and in line with the greatest challenges of our time.
Philippe Mercure, columnist
Discover our jury
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The jury that selected La Presse’s 12 real influencers of 2023 consisted of journalists Alexandre Vigneault and Léa Carrier and columnists Philippe Mercure, Rima Elkouri, Alexandre Pratt and Marie-Eve Fournier. This jury evaluated each application based on the positive impact, influence, sustainability and innovative nature of their actions as well as the quality of their journey.