Advisory Board of Directors
The Canada-Europe Economic Chamber as a unique and high quality network of Directors across Europe and Canada.
Each Director is committed to assist you locally with your inquiries about business opportunities between Canada and the European Union. They also are a local point of contact to get more information about our next events in Brussels, elsewhere in Europe and Canada.
Belgium & NATO
Rick Froh
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Richard (Rick) Froh’s career in 3 acts.
ACT 1: Rick served as a combat engineer officer in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1968 until 1996, across Canada and in Europe and USA. Key assignments included G4 of the Special Service Force in Canada, Commanding Officer 4 Combat Engineer Regiment in Germany and Military Assistant to 3 Chairs of the NATO Military Committee in Belgium. Rick is a graduate, with honours, from the US Army Command and General Staff College, being recognized as a Master Tactician.
ACT 2: As a member of the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels from 1996 to 2015, Rick was Head of the Land and Joint Armaments Sections, then Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG) for Armaments, and finally, DASG for Operations, travelling extensively in Allied and Partner nations, including Ukraine and Georgia, as well as in the Middle East, Africa, Kosovo and Afghanistan. In 2017, he was called back to be NATO’s Senior Civilian in Iraq for 3 months.
ACT 3: In retirement, Rick remains engaged. He has been appointed as an Honorary Professor in the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University; acts as the Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Canadian/American regulatory technology company (Terida); serves as the Executive Director of the Dr Manfred Wörner Circle at NATO; and in 2023 moved from CEO to President of Allied Support Services International Group (ASSIG), a Canadian consulting company in the defence and security sector.
Canada & European union
Sam Ayoub | CEEC-EU
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Sam Ayoub has an extensive knowledge of the Canadian market. Owning a Direct Marketing company since more than 25 years with offices across Canada from Quebec City to Vancouver serving clients from all categories and all sizes. Having both citizenships, Canadian and French, Sam was also deeply involved with various international Chamber of Commerce before founding the Canada-Europe Economic Chamber in Canada and Europe.
France & Monaco
Philippe Poullain | Opus Groupe
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Born in Paris and with an extensive travel experience of 80 visited countries, Mr Poullain is a true business connector. He used to live in Quebec City for 13 years, taking over a family retail business, before developing various projects on it’s own.
Mr Poullain understands the cultural differences of European and Canadian continents
Italy & Malta
Caterina Passariello | Canadian Chamber in Italy
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President of the Canadian Chamber in Italy, she is also Head of the Mediterranean Academy of Culture, Technology and Trade Institute of Malta. Business consultant and project manager with specialization in the internationalization processes of companies.
Master Degree in Management Engineering, with a Thesis about how supply-chain tracking changes with Blockchain, with particular attention to Agri-Food Supply-Chain.
Interested about internationalisation, blockchain, dlt, smart contract.
Luxembourg
Melina Howard | Mourant
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When working for a private bank, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Canadian companies and intermediaries for worldwide clients with local interests.
More recently, through LexField an independent Luxembourg law firm and FideField a corporate services provider, as well thought out networks such as the Canada-Europe Economic Chamber, my connections with Canada grew stronger. This growth was thanks to local contacts needing advice and assistance to develop their businesses in Europe and more specifically those wishing to use Luxembourg as a platform for their investments across Europe
Québec
Caroline Émond
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Caroline Emond is an experienced Senior Executive with a global perspective on policies, trade, food systems and governance. She is a lawyer, has been a diplomate and has 25 years’ experience in senior executive and public affairs roles in private, public and the not-for-profit sectors. She was Director General of the International Dairy Federation from 2018-2024; Director General of Dairy Farmers of Canada from 2015-2017; Head of the Quebec Delegation to the Benelux and EU Institutions from 2013-2014; and Manager of Global Public & Government Affairs of Bombardier Recreational Products from 2008-2013. She was based in Geneva from 2001 to 2006 as Representative of the Canadian dairy, poultry and eggs to the World Trade Organization. Caroline Emond hails from Quebec, Canada. She has also Belgium nationality and currently lives in Montreal.
Suisse
Benoit Vuignier | Club d’Affaires Suisse-Québec
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Vice-Président du Club d’Affaires Suisse-Québec, Benoit Vuignier est aussi gestionnaire de projets et consultant spécialisé en gestion de l’innovation auprès des institutions publiques et grandes entreprises.
Ayant précédemment oeuvré à titre de membre la Direction du MT Lab, 1ère structure d’accompagnement à l’innovation et à l’entrepreneuriat spécialisée en innovation dans le secteur du tourisme, de la culture et du divertissement en Amérique du Nord, Benoit a développé une maîtrise des mécanismes d’accompagnement à l’entrepreneuriat et des partenariats stratégiques entre le secteur public et le secteur privé.
Aujourd’hui établi en Suisse depuis 2023, il s’intéresse à plusieurs sujets dont la gestion du changement, l’internationalisation des entreprises, la mise en place d’incubateurs-accélérateurs en Suisse Romande, la finance décentralisée, la géopolitique et plus encore.