Former Impact player Gabriel Gervais is the new president and CEO of CF Montreal.
The club announced this Monday morning in a press release. Gervais will be introduced to the media on Tuesday at a press conference that owner Joey Saputo will also attend.
Gervais, 45, was until recently a partner at Deloitte in Montreal. He succeeds Kevin Gilmore, who left office last November. He will take office officially on April 4.
“We are very proud and excited to find Gabriel once again within our organization,” Mr. Saputo said in the letter sent on Monday. A prominent figure in the team’s history, he will put his experience as a player and manager to good use, his qualities as a crowd leader as well as his great passion for football and Montreal. »
“During the selection process, we met several highly qualified and competent candidates, but Gabriel stood out, among others, for his depth, values, humility and team spirit,” the owner added. It will surely contribute to the continued development of the organization and build success in the years to come. »
On the field, Gervais wore the Montreal Impact colors from 2002 to 2008. He was named Team Defender of the Year three times and represented USL Defender of the Year. He also represented Canada on the international scene from 2004 to 2007. He is one of three former players, along with Nevio Pezzolito and Greg Sutton, whose name appears on the wall of Saputo Stadium.
He holds a master’s degree in engineering from Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from McGill University. He started his career at Saputo Inc. in 2003 and joined Deloitte in 2009.
The challenges that await him in his new position are numerous. Among other things, Gervais will have to rebuild relationships that broke down with a large fringe of the club’s supporters after Gilmore’s identity change, which went so far as to ban subscribers from an entire division before he left. Reconciliation with these supporters, including members of the Montreal Ultras group, appears to be a priority task for the new president.
Gervais will also have to oversee the complex file of updating the Saputo Stadium, which must be updated in order to allow CF Montreal to stay competitive in the ever-evolving MLS ecosystem.
Olivier Renard’s short-term future should also be on Gervais’ agenda. A few weeks ago, 98.5 FM reported that the sporting director’s contract will expire next September.
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