Reinventing borders with connections

Chair of the Board of Directors, CECI

Marie-Claire Dumas has been dedicated to international cooperation and women's rights since the beginning of her career. The former Executive Director of Concertation Montréal, she also served as Executive Director of the Montreal Regional Conference of Elected Officials and worked for nearly 20 years at the City of Montreal. There, she held various leadership roles, including Director of Research and Communications at the Office of Public Consultation, Director of the Bureau of Intercultural Relations, and Head of the Social and Community Development Division. She played a key role in establishing the Congé solidaire program in partnership with Uniterra and developed the initiative On ne joue pas avec les droits in collaboration with Equitas.

A graduate of the Master’s program in Communication at UQAM, she has also worked at the YWCA Montreal and in research and communications, notably as a columnist for Châtelaine, where she wrote the monthly column Women from Here and Elsewhere from 1980 to 1988.

Nutritionist and Agri-Food Entrepreneur

Dr. Valérie Quenum Ndiaye is a nutritionist and co-founder of ESTEVAL, a company specializing in agri-food processing, particularly natural juice production. With 28 years of experience, she worked at the Senegalese Ministry of Health before fully dedicating herself to entrepreneurship.

As President of the Association of Nutritionists of Senegal (ANAS) and the Africa Agro Export Association (AAFEX), she is a key figure in the development of the agri-food sector in West Africa. She has received numerous awards, including the National Quality Award (2014) and the title of Knight of the National Order of Merit (2020). Her company has been ISO 9001 certified since 2024.

Committed to mentorship and women’s entrepreneurship, she participated in the Women Entrepreneurs in Solidarity Program led by CECI. Passionate and dynamic, she embodies innovation and female leadership.

Independent Senator for Quebec (Rigaud)

The Honourable Amina Gerba was appointed Independent Senator for Quebec (Rigaud) in July 2021. Holding an MBA from ESG-UQAM, she has distinguished herself as an entrepreneur and international marketing specialist for over 25 years. As the founder and leader of several businesses, she has served on multiple boards of directors, fostering business development between Canada and Africa. Her social engagement includes key roles in organizations such as Entreprendre ici and UQAM.

In the Senate, she is a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Standing Committee on Human Rights. Actively involved in parliamentary diplomacy, she co-chairs the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association and participates in various international organizations. She is also a member of the Black Parliamentarians Caucus of Canada and the Senators’ Group for Climate Solutions.

A pioneer in promoting African natural ingredients through her companies, Senator Gerba has received numerous distinctions, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the title of Knight of the National Order of Quebec.

Journalist at Téléjournal, Radio-Canada

As a foreign correspondent and special envoy, Sophie Langlois has covered major global events, including the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the avian flu in Vietnam, and conflicts in Somalia, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has also reported on electoral violence in Kenya and Zimbabwe and covered two presidential elections in South Africa, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Nelson Mandela’s passing.

She was the only Quebec journalist to cover the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Langlois has reported from 25 African countries and lived in Senegal while working as a correspondent on the continent. She recently returned to Dakar to cover the 2024 presidential elections.

She has also served as a correspondent in Washington, D.C., covered the Quebec National Assembly, worked as an investigative journalist, and reported on economic affairs. She won the prestigious Judith-Jasmin Award for excellence in journalism in Quebec for her investigation into the nominee scandal at Cinar, a children’s television production company. Langlois holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Carleton University, and a Master’s in International Relations from the Sorbonne in Paris.