Catherine Gentilcore Appointed New President and CEO of Numana, a Quebec-Based Non-Profit Dedicated to Serving as a Macro-Accelerator for Technology Ecosystem Projects

Gentilcore is a highly respected and experienced marketing executive. In previous roles with Le Devoir, Opéra de Montréal and C2 Montréal, she made a name for herself through her commitment to the brands she represented, her sales and marketing strategies, her leadership acumen and her gratitude toward her employees. Along the way, she received several prestigious industry honours from the likes of the Boomerang awards and the North American Digital Media Awards. Her strategic vision and in-depth understanding of the market make her the ideal choice for moving Numana forward in the fulfilment of its mission.  

“My interest was immediately piqued when I learned about the exciting challenges on the horizon for Numana in the coming years,” said Gentilcore. “What Numana has excelled at thus far, including the deployment of a quantum communication test bed, its commitment to local enterprise and the support it provides to changemakers in liaising with public- and private-sector partners, are all things that made me want to put my expertise and my passion to work for the organization.”  

Key projects 

Numana serves as a technology macro-accelerator, creating business opportunities and opening up dialogue between end users, business stakeholders and the tech community. The organization’s mission is to be a catalyst for the growth of Quebec-based enterprises by leveraging technological innovation in order to put impactful projects in place that accelerate technological innovation and improve Quebecers’ quality of life. 

The new President and CEO’s core responsibilities will include overseeing the deployment of the quantum communication test bed serving Montreal, Quebec City and the DistriQ innovation zone in Sherbrooke. This project, which was announced in the fall of 2023, represents a joint investment of $10 million by the Quebec and federal governments. The benefits for the private sector are expected to be significant, and quantum communication is poised to have a profound impact on Quebec and Canada as a whole.  

Action plan and priorities for 2024 

Gentilcore will lead Numana into a new age of growth and innovation, guided by four key thrusts, namely promoting, catalyzing, accelerating and building. 

The think tank’s efforts in terms of “promoting” and “catalyzing” will include studies on empathic neighbourhoods, the metaverse, next-generation networks, preventive health care and technology (entrepreneurship and AI). 

Among the cutting-edge projects to be advanced in the next few years will be a network of living labs for health issues and an aging population, involvement in the development of resilient, forward-looking cities in Quebec, Numana Circles (regional development communities of practice), the KIRQ quantum communication test bed, the promotion of 5G+ connectivity and the development of the SymbiotiQ platform.  

Passing the torch 

“Passing the torch to Catherine marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for Numana,” said outgoing President and CEO François Borrelli. “I am convinced that her dynamic leadership style will be instrumental in taking the organization to new heights, and I am delighted to be able to continue working on some of the strategic initiatives that will shape our future.” 

The Board’s take 

“Everyone on the Board of Directors is pleased with this transition and trusts that these changes will help raise Numana’s profile among stakeholders and target audiences alike,” said Jean-Philippe Paradis, Chair of Numana’s Board of Directors. “We believe that this appointment will help provide a clear strategic path forward. We are grateful to François for his tremendous leadership, and we are looking forward to working with Catherine to ensure a prosperous future for our organization.”   

About Numana
At Numana, we’re a macro-accelerator for technological ecosystems. With our partners, we bring innovative people together to create more value for the technology industry and for Quebec as a whole. Founded in 2007, Numana is a non-profit organization that makes significant contributions to economic and social vitality by bringing stakeholders from the private, institutional and public technology sectors together around common goals and joint initiatives. To learn more, go to https://numana.tech/. 

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To arrange an interview with Catherine Gentilcore or obtain a copy of Numana’s 2024 action plan, please contact: 

Simon Falardeau 

514-755-5831
falardeausimon@hotmail.com