Martin Cauchon has had a distinguished career. First elected as a Member of Parliament in October 1993, he has held many positions in the Government of Canada. He has served as Secretary of State (Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec), Minister of National Revenue, and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. In 2013, he was an official candidate in the leadership race of the Liberal Party of Canada. From 2015 to 2019, he was also a shareholder and Executive Chairman of Groupe Capitales Médias, which gave him a better understanding of the challenges facing the print media in a digital world.

Martin Cauchon’s unparalleled experience in government and the private sector has given him a deep understanding of a wide range of issues. As counsel at DS Lawyers Canada, he advises companies on the various issues facing the knowledge economy and the globalization of markets, taking into account geopolitical factors. Mr. Cauchon also facilitates the creation of partnerships at the provincial, national, and international levels.

Having established relationships with several counterparts in China, Martin Cauchon has acquired a good knowledge of that market, which allows him to intervene in projects that are related to the Canada-China relationship.

After obtaining a law degree from the University of Ottawa, Mr. Cauchon became a member of the Quebec Bar in 1985 and completed a master degree in International Business Law in 1991, at the University of Exeter, in England. He was the 2004 recipient of the Equality Forum’s International Role Model Award. In 2015, he received the honorary distinction of “Advocatus emeritus” and “Le Mérite” from the Quebec Bar. He is also Vice Chair, Board of Directors of the Canada China Business Council and President of its Quebec Chapter. He also serves on the board of directors of several companies.

Ponora Ang is a partner at Fasken and the Co-Leader of the Asia Pacific Group of the firm.

He is a manufacturing and product liability lawyer. In addition to his commercial litigation practice, Mr. Ang is well known to companies in the Asia-Pacific region for his legal and strategic advice regarding investment and implementation projects in Canada. He advises businesses from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia in different industries for their operations in Canada.

Mr. Ang counsels and represents clients in the areas of real estate, product liability, manufacturing, sale and leasing, insurance and franchise law. He is regularly asked to represent the interests of manufacturers, producers, distributors and sellers in the automotive, medical, security and aviation industries. In addition, he regularly advises state-owned enterprises, private companies and individuals from Asia seeking to expand their business activities in Canada in a variety of industries.

He also received YBAM’s Lawyer of the Year 2010 award in civil and commercial litigation. Mr. Ang was also recognized in the prestigious Lexpert Rising Star 2021 / Top 40 Under 40 in Canada list for his legal expertise. In addition, in 2023, he was awarded the Medal of the National Assembly of Québec in honour of his numerous engagements for the society over the years.

Mr. Ang continued to be also involved in a number of committees and boards of directors in Québec, both in business and trade associations as well as for charitable organizations. In addition to his professional practice and community involvement, he is also a caregiver whose daily life was the subject of a documentary by ICI Radio-Canada in 2022.

Vincent Joli-Coeur joined National Bank of Canada in 2011 as Vice-Chairman Financial Markets. He is responsible for senior coverage of our corporate, government, and institutional clients.

In his career of 30 years in the financial services field, Mr. Joli-Coeur has acted as a trusted advisor to large Canadian and International companies in various industries and has been involved in some of Canada’s largest capital markets and infrastructure financings. Recently, Mr. Joli-Coeur led the team behind National Bank of Canada’s successful inaugural Panda Bond issuance of RMB3.5 billion in the People’s Republic of China, the first issuance of its kind for a non-Chinese bank.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Joli-Coeur is also actively involved in his community. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Université de Sherbrooke and of the Infrastructure Council. He is also involved in several charitable organisations’ financing campaigns.

Mr. Joli-Coeur has a Master’s degree in business administration from Université Paris Dauphine in France.

Vincent Kou is responsible for acquisitions, investments, development and partnerships including investor relations and public relations at Brivia Group. Prior to joining Brivia Group, he held several senior positions at the global mining company, Rio Tinto, where he worked in Montreal and internationally in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore for 15 years.

Lawyer by training and member of the Bar of Quebec since 1997, Mr. Kou has extensive experience and knowledge of the Asian business market. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Montreal Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce since 2019. He is also very active and engaged with the Asian community and various non-profit organizations in Montreal and internationally.

Nathan Xie currently serves as the CFO and CIO of an international company based in Canada with diversified business segments in commodity trading, warehousing and logistics, green energy manufacturing, medical equipment manufacturing and private equity investment. As CFO and CIO, he is responsible for managing the accounting and finance operations and strategy of the group, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting, equity financing, debt financing, auditing, investor engagement, bank/auditor/consultant/law firm relationship and overseeing the group’s investment strategy, portfolio management, thus ensuring that the company’s investment is aligned with its business goals and strategy.

Before his current role, he spent most of his career as a corporate and investment banker for Bank of China in China, Canada, and the US. As a corporate banker, he was responsible for managing corporate clients in manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, infrastructure, real estate development, oil and gas, chemicals, high-tech, Chinese fortune 500 companies on finance and investment matters in M&A, underwriting securities, debt financing, foreign investment, and local syndication bank and corporate client relationships.

Between his current role and his previous banking career, Mr. Xie also worked as an executive in real estate development in Canada with geographical focuses in Montreal and Vancouver. There he was responsible for overseeing the financing and development of real estate projects, including land purchase, managing construction details, negotiating deals, due diligence, and equity and debt financing.

His diverse background in finance, international trade, investment, and real estate development are a real asset to the CCBC Quebec Chapter Advisory Council.

As Chief Representative North America at Victall, Mr. Xiao ZHANG oversees the company’s business development in North America’s railway and transportation sectors. Since settling in Canada in 2012, he has successfully managed projects such as the Toronto Rocket, Go Transit double-decker trains, Montreal STM metro, New York City subway, Montreal EXO double-decker trains, and more.

Before settling in Canada, Mr. Zhang obtained a Master of Business Administration in 2005, specializing in M&A. He brings diverse international experience with a background in both public and private sectors, spanning marketing, consulting, and manufacturing.

For over 20 years, Mr. Zhang has actively contributed to the Sino-French and Sino-Canadian relationship through his participation in various non-profit and charitable educational organizations across Europe and America.