Le Cabinet Créatif is a project developed by the City of Montreal and Air Canada for companies. Its objective is to support creative and cultural companies and organizations in the development of their new international market. Initiated in 2019, the first cohort is composed of 15 creative companies. This initiative aims to strengthen the growth of these companies while reducing the risks associated with their first export efforts.
As part of Chromatic, Catherine Lareau, co-founder of Le Cabinet Créatif, will lead a workshop dedicated to the international development of cultural structures. At a time when bridges are multiplying, when international collaborations are becoming more and more frequent and when the Montreal creative and cultural ecosystem is shining throughout the world, what solutions exist for Montreal's cultural structures in terms of support and funding?
Catherine is an economic development commissioner for the City of Montreal, specializing in economic development, partnership management and creative and cultural entrepreneurship. Her training in territorial and cultural economy, combined with her communication skills, enable her to develop innovative solutions in strategic and entrepreneurial development. She is committed to the effervescence of Montreal’s young creative companies.
Executive Director at Mangrove, Nathalie Ouellet holds a Master's degree in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from Católica-Lisbon University and a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from HEC Montréal. Having worked and studied in various countries, she adapts effectively in different contexts and has excellent intercultural communication skills.
After starting her career in Marketing, she quickly focused on strategy, entrepreneurship, and international development. Leaving Canada for Australia, she supported an Australian company in exploring its exportation opportunities in Canada. She then completed her Masters degree in Portugal, while working as a research assistant for the Lisbon Smart City Innovation Lab where she focused her research efforts on smart cities, digital transformation, smart energy systems and electric vehicles. However, it is in Brazil that her passion for entrepreneurship materializes when she develops a monetization strategy for a Brazilian startup.
With Mangrove, she promotes collaboration between innovative ecosystems around the world. In concrete terms, Mangrove collaborates with governments in the organization of trade missions and with companies in their international business development strategy. One of their motivations is to favor a positive and ambitious narrative for the export of Quebec companies. To this date, they have collaborated with organisations such as Global Affairs Canada, Telefilm Canada, Export Quebec, The City of Montreal, Montreal International, Technomontréal, The City of Laval, The City of Rimouski.