Germain Lamonde of EXFO has been named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2018 Québec winner

November 6, 2018

Germain Lamonde, President and founder of EXFO – a developer of smarter test, monitoring and analytics solutions for fixed and mobile network operators, webscale companies and equipment manufacturers in the global communications industry – is this year’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Québec winner.

“Germain exemplifies determination and perseverance,” says Daniel Baer, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Québec Program Co-Director. “From $100 in his pocket and an idea for creating a world-class optical communications business, he has succeeded in building an organization that is recognized today as the leader in optical testing and the world’s technology leader in service assurance.”

His success stems from using innovation to confront uncertainty and find solutions for the market’s problems. Germain foresaw that optical fibre would become the medium of choice for telecommunications networks, a bold vision seen as risky during the 1980s. Today, EXFO is present in over 35 countries and boasts a 40% global market share and over 2,000 employees.

“Germain was able to identify a business need and position his company on the world stage through his leadership, his sense of innovation and his desire to help his clients keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies in the telecommunications industry,” says Luc Charbonneau, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Québec Program Co-director. “He’s demonstrated agility and leadership in developing innovative technological solutions that meet the business needs of his clients.”

In addition to his activities in the entrepreneurial community, last year Germain made a personal donation of $1 million to Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, enabling the university to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, create scholarships and support technological entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, EXFO is listed as a Great Place to Work, has earned recognition from Forbes as one of Canada’s top employers and proudly claims more than 100 honorary awards.

What’s next?
As the Québec region’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, Germain Lamonde will compete with the top entrepreneurs from the Pacific, Prairies, Ontario and Atlantic regions for the national honour of Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, to be presented at a gala celebration on 29 November 2018 in Toronto. In June 2019, Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 will move to the world stage to compete with more than 50 country winners for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year.

More information
Follow @EYCanada, #EOYCanada and #EOYQuebec on Twitter for the latest event updates

Visit ey.com/ca/EOY for more program details and a complete list of category finalists and gala dates in the regions.