Veteran sales executive Patrick Jutras has joined La Presse as vice-president of sales, the latest in a series of executive changes for the Quebec publisher. His appointment is effective Sept. 12.
La Presse’s chief operating officer Pierre-Elliott Levasseur described Jutras in a release as a “seasoned manager” with a “more than impressive” sales record for media brands including TSN and RDS.
Jutras is stepping down from his current role as senior vice-president of sales with Bell Media’s Quebec operation, a position he has held since 2014. He has also held positions in management, sales, marketing and business development with companies including Labatt and Nestlé.
He praised La Presse as one of the province’s most iconic media brands, singling out its “gutsy” move to take its Monday to Friday newspaper product entirely digital with La Presse+.
“It takes a lot of guts to go from the traditional print industry and shift your entire product to digital,” Jutras told Marketing. “When I take a step back and look at this, it is just spectacular what they’ve done.”
While acknowledging the enormity of the challenge facing traditional media brands like La Presse, Jutras said he was excited to be joining one of Quebec’s most recognizable media companies.
“The first time I met with these guys I realized I was about to join a high-calibre executive team,” he said. “It was a long process where I felt the seriousness of their approach from the get-go.”
La Presse has made advertising the cornerstone of its business with the free La Presse+ product, but Jutras said he welcomed the challenge. “Our team will be on the spot for obvious and good reason,” he said. “But I intend to provide my team with the proper tools to be successful.
Jutras will oversee advertising sales for various La Presse products, noting the company currently had several “impressive” projects in the timeline. “They’re really innovative people and they want to grow their business, and I want to contribute to that growth,” he said.
As a result of Jutras’s hire, La Presse also announced a new strategic development role for Michel Gagnon, who moved to a sales role from his former role as VP of marketing in March.
In his new role, Gagnon will be responsible for brand management, marketing strategy development and marketing research, with the company saying he will play a “key role” in strategic development projects.
