|
Thank you Rémi and hello everyone.
You will understand that it is an emotional moment for me to be addressing you at our annual meeting of shareholders for the last time. I’ve always greatly enjoyed this event, which I find both stimulating and useful for our managers.
I will leave it to François Olivier, who is officially taking over from me today, to present the review of operations for the past year. For my part, I’ve decided to share some personal reflections with you.
I have just finished eight fine years at the head of Transcontinental.
When I arrived, I strongly hoped that I would be able to apply everything that I had learned, in order to establish the best practices that mark the top companies. The goal was to become Best in Class.
I immediately felt at home at Transcontinental, which is a company that has always been noted for its values and business culture, and which takes the interests of its three pillars –employees, customers and shareholders – into account in all its decisions.
When I was hired in 2000, I was given a dual mandate: to keep Transcontinental growing and to set up a solid succession plan throughout the Corporation. At that time we figured on a timeline of 7 to 10 years to achieve this. Well Rémi, we were right on target!
-- -- --
The organization had grown a lot in the decade before I arrived. So the challenge was to standardize procedures and establish shared values at every level of the company, and to build productive teams.
This led us to initiate business projects that would mobilize and unify our organization.
First there was Horizon 2005, a project focused on structures and social systems, as well as the commitment to continuous improvement that would be implemented throughout the company.
Then there was Evolution 2010, which is a continuation of the good practices that are now part of our DNA and which put new emphasis on innovation and organic growth.
I can assure you that there were many challenges during those eight years, not the least of them being that:
- we soon found ourselves in a highly competitive marketplace;
- we had to deal with the strong rise in the Canadian dollar.
Given the context, I’m proud of the progress we’ve achieved together.
Excluding the impact of the exchange rate, our operating performance puts us squarely in the ranks of the best-performing companies.
To arrive at these results and be in a good position for the future, we had to continue to invest. Which we did, initiating ambitious reengineering projects, upgrading our manufacturing platform, adding value-added products and services and developing our digital media.
I am very confident that we will achieve the global financial objectives of Evolution 2010.
With new major contracts like the ones to print Roger’s magazines and the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper, organic growth and profitability are definitely on the agenda.
-- -- --
So I am leaving with the conviction that I have effectively carried out my mandate since 2000.
We have
- a business project
- a modern and modernized company
- a solid financial foundation
- and, above all, highly qualified management teams
One of the great secrets of the success of our company is our ability to establish leaders at every level of the organization.
So thank you all, executives and members of the Board of Directors, for your support and enthusiasm. It was a great pleasure to work with you. Thank you also to our 15,000 employees, who are the source of Transcontinental’s success.
For my part, at 55, I’m still young. So I’m leaving at a good time! But don’t worry, I won’t get you all to sing “Le blues du businessman,” by Claude Dubois … but not ours, the other one … the singer. Because in any case, I wouldn’t have wanted to be an artist!! The business world is my art and passion and I am greatly looking forward to taking on other major challenges.
Thank you again and good evening.
|
