Hugues Foltz is a partner and the executive vice-president of Vooban, the Quebec City applied AI firm, and has helped companies plan and carry out digital change for more than 20 years (Vooban).
Building Ellicom
In 2002 he founded Ellicom and ran it for nearly 14 years, building it into what Vooban describes as Canada’s leader in online training (Vooban). He then spent nearly two years as vice-president of professional services and innovation at Groupe Optel, and he has invested in, advised, and mentored other technology companies (Vooban).
Joining Vooban
He became a co-owner and executive vice-president of Vooban in 2018 and leads its growth strategy and business development (Vooban). He has given hundreds of talks and training sessions to Quebec managers and writes a monthly column on AI for the business paper Les Affaires (Vooban).
He argues that AI changes jobs more than it removes them: “Yes, some tasks disappear, but above all we see new strategic needs appear, more specialization, and a redefinition of the role of humans in the organization” (Vooban release, translated from French). He also wants Quebec City to keep its AI talent and build an ecosystem that includes startups and service firms alongside research and teaching (Le Soleil).