Compensation ExpertsOur experts

A graduate in industrial relations from Université Laval, Hélène Bourcier has worked in human resources since 25 years. A member of the AVRH team since 2000, she has been a senior partner for the past 10 years. Her specialty? Compensation and pay equity issues, for both unionized and non-unionized organizations in the public, parapublic, municipal, and private sectors. Those who know Hélène Bourcier know that her positive attitude, open-mindedness, and commitment to finding harmonious solutions for all stakeholders are her trademark.

Before founding AVRH in 2000, André Valiquette honed his skills with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Quebec for many years. Negotiation files were his specialty. Negotiating salary structures and implementing performance appraisal plans hold no secrets for this consultant, whose career also includes negotiating major collective agreements with Crown corporations. He is credited with implementing innovative—and always highly respectful—methods in participatory management, consultation, and problem-solving.

Today, the master transmits his knowledge by acting as a strategic advisor, speaker, mentor and trainer in order to ensure the sustainability of his unique philosophy in human resources both within AVRH and with clients.

André Gauthier, a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Management and a certified technician, has worked in the field of human resources for 35 years. He joined the AVRH team in 2010 after a remarkable career with state-owned companies – notably Hydro Quebec – where his various roles led him, both here and elsewhere in Quebec, to develop his skills in labour relations, application of collective agreements, compensation, pay equity, benefits, working conditions, employment equity, staffing, workplace safety and management of workplace accidents.

He is also responsible for setting up and managing a human resources department for the James Bay Energy Corporation. His profile reflects the professionalism of someone who is responsible, reliable, respectful of his clients, and capable of adapting to all situations.

A graduate in international hotel management from the University of Nantes (France), Manon Etoc has held various positions in luxury hotels in Montreal, where she quickly distinguished herself through her professionalism, organizational rigor and reliability.

She thus spent nine years working in the finance departments, where she notably contributed to the analysis and implementation of new payroll systems.

Driven by her passion for operations and her innate sense of customer service, she moved into HR generalist roles before taking the helm of the human resources department at the Westin Montreal.

In this role, which was both strategic and hands-on, Manon participated in two rounds of union negotiations, the reorganization of jobs post-pandemic, the analysis of salary scales, and the famous pay equity exercise! She also led various projects related to recruitment and talent development, training, recognition, health and safety, the implementation of HR policies and regulatory compliance, while ensuring a healthy and sustainable culture.

A resource person for compensation and benefits for eight years, she is proficient in various systems and is always on the lookout for optimizations to simplify administrative processes and free up time for managers so that they can fully dedicate themselves to human resource management.

Dominique Malboeuf holds a university degree in microbiology and worked for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) for many years. Serving as a union officer and a member of the National Executive, she has proven herself in various workplaces across Canada. This former union advisor possesses extensive knowledge of labour relations, negotiation, and dispute resolution.

A long-time specialist in job evaluation, she helped develop evaluation plans that still serve as models for pay equity today. As an arbitration lawyer and trainer in job evaluation and pay equity, she developed new tools and win-win salary structures for both employers and employees, and she also revisited the principle of harmonious collaboration among all stakeholders. Dominique Malboeuf joined the AVRH team in 2006.

With a bachelor's degree in business administration, Michel Michaud has worked in human resources for 30 years. Throughout his career, he has participated in professional development sessions on new approaches in labour relations, organizational development, pay equity, project management, and more.

This human resources generalist has experience in all areas: job evaluation, salary preparation, staff selection interviews, benefits, performance management, and labour relations. Michel Michaud's field expertise, particularly at Hydro-Québec, has allowed him to work on developing working conditions adapted to specific situations, implementing pay equity legislation, negotiating collective agreements, and providing strategic advice to managers, both unionized and non-unionized. He is known for his creativity, adaptability, and talent as a trainer. Michel Michaud joined the AVRH team in 2010.

With a degree in administration and human resources, Roger Samson quickly gained access to management and human resources positions for Hydro-Quebec where, since 1990, he has been using his human resources knowledge on both the operational and corporate side.

On the operational side, he possesses extensive experience in staffing and job evaluation, as well as compensation and benefits. He is skilled in interpreting collective agreements and oversees performance management and training. On the corporate side, he served for many years as a senior advisor in staffing, compensation, and working conditions, negotiating with unions, conducting numerous salary surveys, and participating in many bargaining sessions. Roger Samson was responsible for several pay equity files, refining his mastery of the concepts and procedures. An accomplished trainer and speaker, Roger Samson has also distinguished himself in organizational development, recruitment, executive coaching, and employee engagement. He has been a member of the Ordre des conseillers en relations industrielles agréés (Order of Certified Industrial Relations Advisors) for over 25 years. He has been part of the AVRH team since 2010.

With a bachelor's degree in public administration and training in law, Normand Lague has worked in all three levels of parapublic organizations: federal (Canada Post), municipal (STM), and provincial (Héma-Québec). It was labour relations that gradually led him into the world of total compensation. Initially a specialist in job evaluation and later in pay equity in unionized and non-unionized contexts, he subsequently developed innovative approaches to performance management, direct compensation, and working conditions.

Over the past 6 years, significant mandates in group insurance and pension plans have consolidated his expertise.

By joining AVRH in the fall of 2015, Normand brings with him his creativity and above all his passion for compensation.

A graduate in Industrial Relations, Sylvie Jones worked for 25 years at the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Specializing in compensation and pay equity, she works in various sectors, including universities, municipalities, Crown corporations (public and parapublic), telecommunications, and other private sector organizations.

In particular, she participates in the development and implementation of tools enabling compensation management, such as evaluation plans, compensation structures, pay equity programs as well as the procedures for monitoring them, all while respecting the various stakeholders and maintaining harmonious relationships.

As a trainer in job evaluation and pay equity, she helps develop knowledge and skills in these areas.

Marie-Claude Lessard, a graduate in industrial relations from Laval University, is passionate about everything related to human resources management.

She had a career in the federal public service for almost 30 years, holding various management positions at both the manager and director levels.

Throughout her career, Marie-Claude has been involved in several aspects of human resources management: job evaluation, job descriptions, staffing, classification, performance management, and labour relations. She has also worked on the adoption of various laws related to the Canada Labour Code.

Having recently retired from the public sector, Marie-Claude joined the AVRH team in January 2023.

Marie-Josée Huot is the driving force behind AVRH, and she knows her way around the business. An assistant director since 2009, Ms. Huot is also responsible for marketing and managing the IT infrastructure. Because she's a whiz with numbers, AVRH has entrusted her with the company's accounting, including tracking accounts payable and receivable. Marie-Josée Huot is also the voice of AVRH as its first point of contact. With her, things run smoothly. Because she's involved in every decision, she's familiar with all the files and loves prospecting when her schedule allows.

A graduate in Operations Research from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, Michel Daigle has worked in the IT field for over 35 years. His background combines business administration with computer science and mathematics. A member of the AVRH team since 2014, he designed the foundations of the Balance RH system by creating a prototype in Excel. His strength lies in his ability to understand the needs of Balance RH users and then communicate them in the technical language of programmers. He is tenacious in the face of technical challenges and enjoys sharing his knowledge.