Françoise Bertrand

Françoise Bertrand, OC CQ (born 1948) is a Canadian business personality. She is the first woman to head a North American television network, as CEO and president of Télé Québec, and the first woman to serve as chairperson of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), a position she held from 1996 to 2001. Bertrand was inducted into the National Order of Quebec in 2008 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. She has served as president and CEO of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (Québec's Federation of Chambers of Commerce) since 2003, the first woman to hold the position.

Born in Montreal, Bertrand holds a sociology degree from the Université de Montréal and a master's in Environmental Studies from Toronto's York University. From 1980 to 1988, she held many positions at the Université du Québec à Montréal, including dean of resource management. She was then president and CEO of Télé Québec, becoming the first woman to head a North American television network. Her leadership received praise for "redirecting its educational and cultural programming to reflect the realities of Quebec society".

In 1996, Bertrand became the first woman to serve as chairperson of the CRTC. During her tenure, the "opening [of] telephone service to competition" took place, as did a major May 1999 decision on "New Media" that gave the CRTC jurisdiction over certain content communicated over the Internet, such as audio and video, but not primarily alphanumeric content such as emails and most webpages. She served as chair until 2001, when David Colville succeeded her as CRTC's interim chair.

Since 2003, she has served as the president and CEO of Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Québec's Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the first woman to do so. She is chair of Quebecor and board member of the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail and FIDEC.

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