Montreal businesswoman Isabelle Hudon has been appointed to the newly created position of president of Marketel, effective Nov. 3.
Jacques Duval, Marketel’s founder and principal shareholder, will continue to act as chairman and CEO.
Since October 2004, Hudon has been president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal which, under her leadership, took strong positions on a number of socio-economic issues affecting Greater Montreal, Quebec and Canada.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to lead a top Montreal-based organization in an industry that not only fascinates me, but is also in constant evolution,” said Hudon, in a release. “However, what really drove me to take the helm at Marketel was its reputation as a strategically insightful agency with a highly talented creative team.” (In a short video on Tuesday, Hudon greeted visitors to Marketel.com, introduced herself and explained why she joined the agency.)
At Marketel, Hudon will be responsible for the creative, media, strategic and account services divisions, including business development.
Before joining the Board of Trade, Hudon held influential positions in the communications departments of Bell Global Solutions, the Canadian Space Agency, and BCE Media, and for various federal cabinets and departments.
She is currently chair of the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Société du Havre de Montréal and the Fondation les petits trésors of the Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital. She is also a member of the board of Aéroports de Montréal and Holt Renfrew Canada.
Duval said Hudon’s appointment will allow him to explore other business opportunities which he couldn’t do before.
“I’d like to explore the branded entertainment business, because I think it’s the future of our industry,” he said. “That’s what the networks are selling us and what the entertainment industry is looking at, and the model is not well established.”
Duval got interested in branded entertainment a few years ago when Marketel created the rebranding strategy for Air Canada featuring the hit single “You and I were meant to Fly,” by Celine Dion.
“In one week we generated over $30 million worth of PR with that relaunch and no other agency in Canada has created anything close to it, and I want to be at the forefront of this new business opportunity.”
