Andrée-Anne Bouchard is Concordia’s new executive director of Employee and Labour Relations
Andrée-Anne Bouchard: “I look forward to continue building on the positive labour relations climate that Sonia (Coutu) has entrusted to me.”
When Sonia Coutu announced her upcoming retirement earlier this year, Human Resources (HR) knew it had to find someone special to build on the work she had done developing a positive labour relations environment at Concordia.
Turns out that someone special was in HR all along. On May 1, seasoned labour relations professional Andrée-Anne Bouchard will settle into her new role as Concordia’s executive director of Employee and Labour Relations.
Carolina Willsher, associate vice-president of HR, notes that Bouchard was the ideal candidate for the position based on her strong collaborative skills and experience working with unions and employee groups.
“Andrée-Anne has a deep knowledge of the university and labour relations, as well as a demonstrated commitment to Concordia and its community,” Willsher says. “I am very much looking forward to working with her in this new capacity.”
‘Couldn’t be more excited’
Bouchard joined the university in January 2001 and has worked in a management capacity for the past 10 years. Prior to her appointment, she was a manager of Employee and Labour Relations in HR.
“I couldn’t be more excited to take on this new challenge in my career at Concordia,” Bouchard says.
“With the support of my colleagues in Employee and Labour Relations, HR, the Office of the Provost and across the university, I look forward to continue building on the positive labour relations climate that Sonia has entrusted to me.”
Bouchard holds a bachelor’s degree in labour and industrial relations from McGill University and a graduate diploma in management from HEC Montréal. She is also a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles agréés du Québec.
Sonia Coutu: “I will miss most the relationships that I have built throughout my journey.”
‘A tremendous colleague and leader’
Coutu’s departure marks the end of a highly accomplished career at the university that started in August 2014.
“Sonia has been key to Concordia’s success in enhancing the employee and labour relations portfolio,” Willsher remarks. “She has been a tremendous colleague and leader and has played a key role in influencing change and establishing best practices in HR.”
After May 1, Coutu will continue working on several initiatives at the university, including Project UNITY, until her retirement later this year.
Looking back on her time at Concordia, she recalls all the positive relationships she built with colleagues across the university and how much she will hold them dear.
“When I joined Concordia, I looked forward to fostering an environment built on mutual trust and respect,” Coutu says.
“Now that I’m leaving, I realize that what I will miss most are precisely the relationships that I have built throughout my journey. I am deeply thankful for the openness, the professionalism, the generosity and the level of collaboration of the individuals I had the pleasure to work with.”
Find out more about Human Resources at Concordia.
