Renée Laflamme - A dynamo
Dynamic and committed, Renée Laflamme is Executive Vice-President, Individual Insurance, Savings and Retirement at iA Financial Group. She spends her days linking meetings, readings, analysis and business trips across Canada. She also dedicates herself to causes that are important to her (social inequality, poverty, disease, etc.), without overlooking her family and her own wellbeing—which revolves around several activities, including running. “Let’s just say that I have a busy schedule; my assistant is a miracle worker!” states the woman who has worked with Denis Ricard, President and CEO, as Executive Vice-President, Individual Insurance, Savings and Retirement, since 2018. “We work hard, we are involved in our business and in our community, but I aim to keep a balance,” says the co-president of the 2022 United Way Québec-Chaudière-Appalaches campaign.
After ten years working at a large accounting firm, Renée Laflamme arrived at iA Financial Group in 1998 and has continued to rise in the ranks. This certified professional accountant (CPA) believes she has taken a "typically iA" trajectory, characterized by increased talent mobility. The first female Executive Vice-President explains: “I had the opportunity to work in different sectors and to learn about each of their unique facets. These experiences have made me confident when faced with change."
This ability is a considerable asset in a market where digital strategies will have a greater presence in the coming years. Since Denis Ricard arrived, we’ve been investing heavily in modernizing our digital infrastructure and systems. “Our success is based on the strength of our distribution and on the quality of the advice and the products we offer. Our challenge now is to transpose this excellence to the world of technology,” assesses the woman awarded the Fellow CPA title in 2017. “I consider this an opportunity, not a hurdle.”
Renée Laflamme’s contagious energy comes from an insatiable desire to be a part of something bigger than herself. For her, supporting the success of iA Financial Group, its 4 million clients and its 50,000 representatives, is what’s essential. It’s not surprising that she was awarded the 2021 TOP Leaders award, winning the “Leaders/Executives in the Financial Industry” category.
“We are all responsible to play a role in our community, to pay it forward and to help, as much as we can, those in need and those who are less fortunate or are facing difficulties,” she emphasizes.