Marie-Josee Gagnon, Casacom
Marie-Josée Gagnon is a recognized by peers and clients alike as one of Canada’s most progressive public relations experts. She helps CEOs and executive teams improve their positioning and increase their impact in their markets. She is known for her clear and ambitious vision as shown by the unique positioning of CASACOM, the integrated PR and communications firm she founded in 2001.
Headquartered in Montréal with an office in Toronto, CASACOM provides strategic counsel to support the business strategy of renowned brands in various industries, such as Expedia, Toyota, Aeroplan, Kiewit and Agropur. An Alumni of Harvard Business School’s Owners/Presidents Management program, Marie-Josée brings innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial flair into all she does. Marie-Josée began her career first as a journalist (Montreal La Presse) and then as the press attaché at the Québec Government. Thereafter, she held several key positions within major organizations (Quebec General Delegation in Paris, Laurentian Bank of Canada and AXOR).
She sits on numerous boards notably the Fondation Montreal Inc (young entrepreneurship support), IRCM (fundamental and clinical biomedical research center) and Entrepreneurs Organisation. She is actively involved in her community, notably through the Garde-Manger pour tous, a Montreal charity that distributes nutritious school lunches to kids. Over the years, she received many awards whether from the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, Women of Influence, EY Quebec Entrepreneur’s Grand Prix Final, Profit Top 100, RBC or the communication industry associations, to name a few.
In 2017, in order to involve herself even more in the women’s success cause, Marie-Josée launched Brave, a series of interviews with women who dared recorded during networking events and broadcast in podcasts. By exposing their stories, as inspiring as they are true, Marie-Josée aims to encourage women and men to live the life they are meant for. So far, the interviews have included Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, Danièle Henkel, Christiane Germain, Manon Brouillette, to name a few.
Marie-Josée is married to Louis-Martin O’Neill, a corporate litigator, and is the mother of two boys, Philippe and Henri.