Sarah Beaumier, pictured at her 2005 graduation with classmates Daniel Shields (left) and Adam Yaworski.
Sarah Beaumier first ran for office in 2018, in Montreal's Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Beaumier, who gave her valedictorian address at Concordia in four languages — English, French, Chinese and Arabic — to thunderous applause, embarked on her path towards her current career at the university’s Student Advocacy Office.
“Concordia gave me a really good job as a student advocate, helping people who had issues with the code of conduct,” she says. "I did that for two and a half years and it was a great experience.”
‘It really helped my confidence’
Beaumier transferred to the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) after spending one year at York University, where she studied political science.
“I was constantly asking myself questions about the economy, business and marketing in relation to wealth and power,” says Beaumier. “If I wanted to eventually be in politics and make a difference, I needed to understand that balance of power.”
As a student, Beaumier was inspired by a number of Concordia professors including Mark Haber, Jordan LeBel, Harold Simpkins and Gad Saad. Following graduation, she went on to pursue a master’s degree in marketing at HEC Montréal, though maintains that her time at the JMSB was seminal.
“I think it’s where everything got consolidated, in a way. It’s where I started doing a lot of public speaking through all of the case competitions,” she explains. “Concordia was a leader among the universities in getting students involved in case competitions and they made us feel like rock stars wherever we went. They set us up to win, which really helped my confidence.”
Driven to succeed
Beaumier pursued an internship at the Consulate General of Canada in New York during her master’s at HEC followed by an internship and eventual job at Merck, in marketing. Craving more diversity, Beaumier eventually moved on to Touché media agency.
In 2012 — a year after the party was formed — Beaumier joined the CAQ, then ran for office in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in 2018. Her current mandate as president began in November 2020 and lasts two years.
“My big beef with politics in Quebec was the never-ending fight between separatists and people who didn’t want to separate,” she says. “I feel like my entire life as a young adult was spent talking about whether or not there was going to be a referendum.
“When the coalition formed and said they were done talking about separation, that really got me. In 2018 I thought, ‘I can do this,’ and drove to the party’s office in Montreal, saw the person at the front desk and said that I wanted to be a candidate. That’s how it started and I haven’t stopped since.”
Know a Concordia grad with an interesting story? We’d love to hear it. Email us at magazine@concordia.ca.
