Biographical note - Isabelle Hudon

Isabelle Hudon is executive chair, Sun Life Financial Quebec, and senior vice-president, client solutions, Sun Life Financial Canada. Her mandate is to provide strategic input and support to the president, Sun Life Financial Quebec, and to continue representing the company in the community. Ms. Hudon has significant national responsibilities as senior vice-president, client solutions. In this role, she leads the national growth strategy for a pivotal and innovative business that differentiates Sun Life Financial in the Canadian marketplace.

From August 2010 until September 2015, Ms. Hudon was Sun Life Financial’s Quebec president. Under her leadership, Sun Life Financial experienced impressive growth in all business lines in Quebec and returned to a place of prominence in the community.

Isabelle Hudon is well known as a businesswoman with outstanding leadership skills. Her strong business experience, boundless energy and deep community involvement have made her the centre of many networks. From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Hudon was president and chief executive officer of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, where she contributed to expanding the organization’s influence and confirming its relevance. She then served as president of Marketel until joining Sun Life Financial.

In March 2016, Ms. Hudon was awarded a Medal of the National Assembly for her commitment to the cause of women’s ambition. In 2015 and 2016, Finance et Investissement [finance and investment] named Ms. Hudon to one of the first five positions in its annual ranking of the top 25 in Quebec’s financial industry. She has been named to the list of the 100 most influential women in Canada several times and received the Réalisations [achievements] award from the Réseau des Femmes d’affaires du Québec [Quebec businesswomen’s network] in 2014. She is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work in raising awareness of the importance of culture in Canada.

Ms. Hudon is very active in the business community, sitting on the boards of a number of organizations, including Hydro-Québec, the Mount Royal Club and Groupe Marcelle. She is enrolled in the corporate governance program at the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés [college of corporate directors], which is affiliated with Laval University, and completed the financial literacy program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Isabelle Hudon is a past member of the federal government’s advisory council created to promote the participation of women on corporate boards. She is also the co-founder of L’Effet A [the A effect], a movement that aims to help women achieve their professional ambitions.