France Alumni Day 2024
In 2024, the Embassy of France to Canada’s World Alumni Day celebrations in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax and Moncton, brought together more than 350 participants. The common theme for each of the events was employability: What added value does academic experience in France bring to the Canadian job market? Alumni panels were put together to answer the question. The renewed partnership between France’s Occitanie region and Air Canada made it possible to win 2 return plane tickets between Canada and Toulouse and rail passes on the Occitan rail network.
Calgary – May 14, 2024
A France Alumni reception was held for the first time in Calgary, with the invaluable assistance of Andrea Jung, an alumna and co-chair of the E. Catherine Barclay Scholarship Committee.
The event, held at the Calgary Alliance Française, had more than 50 attendees: alumni, students about to leave to study in France, researchers and international relations officers from the University of Calgary and the Alberta University of the Arts.
Testimonials from alumni of Sciences Po Paris and Lille, and an HR representative from Colas Canada Inc., highlighted the benefits of French academic experience for students and their potential future employers.
Toronto – May 15, 2024
At the University of Toronto’s Hart House, nearly 130 attendees heard testimonials from alumni about their experiences in France: Karen Bozynski (KS2 Corp, president of the INSEAD alumni association in Canada) and Anna Adamis (Schulich School of Business).
A panel discussion, moderated by Tiffany Wong (CIBC, representative of the alumni community in Toronto), featured Samvit Dutta (RBC), Karolina Devesen (Loyal VC) and Pierre Rolland (Alstom), and was followed by a networking session to discuss the advantages of experience in France for employability in Canada.
Vancouver – May 16, 2024
The France Alumni reception in Vancouver brought together some 60 people, including alumni from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University, as well as future alumni of French institutions.
Several powerful speeches highlighted the benefits of French academic experience:
- The regional president of RBC Bank, representing the institution that hosted the event, shared his own experience;
- France Alumni Vancouver representative Eden Solarik, a graduate of the UBC-Sciences Po dual degree program, highlighted the benefits of her time in France;
- Researcher Johan Foster (UBC) spoke about the growing importance of student mobility for integrating into a largely international research world;
- Finally, Anne-Laure Brault (head of recruitment at Egon Zehnder) emphasized the added value for companies of hiring people with proven flexibility.
Ottawa – May 21, 2024
The Alumni Day evening event was held on May 21, 2024 at the Embassy of France in Ottawa and brought together more than 50 people.
A round table discussion was moderated by Elisabeth Richard, Sciences Po alumna and honorary representative of alumni in Ottawa. Rose Rong Liu, private investor and Sciences Po alumna; Félix Meunier, Director General of Civil Aviation at Transport Canada and ENA alumnus; and Abhishek Sharma, Sales and Marketing Director at Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary training institute, accompanied by Le Cordon Bleu’s executive chef Yannick Anton, spoke about the important role their university experience in France played in their careers.
Halifax and Moncton – November 26 and 28, 2024
Two events were organized with Dalhousie University and the University of Moncton to highlight the achievements of alumni and bring together the academic community from both Nova Scotia and New Bruswick.
