10 Things to Know About André LaFlamme

SAC’s New Members and Associates Officer

In May 2015, SAC welcomed André LaFlamme to our staff team. As our new Members and Associates Officer, André is going to be an important contact for everyone who belongs to our association. Read on to learn more about André and why we’re so glad to have him on board!

André has a diverse educational background.

In 2008, André graduated with a double-major bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Dalhousie University. He followed that up with a master’s degree in international relations from McMaster University, which he completed in 2010.
His job experience is equally diverse.

André spent four summers working for Service Canada as a Citizen Service Agent, which gave him a lot of customer relations experience. After graduating from McMaster, he worked for two years as a field representative with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada, delivering presentations to schools throughout Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Then, in September 2013, he began working for the Financial Management Institute (FMI) as Project Officer. “I wore many hats at FMI,” says André. “I was responsible for the association’s webinar program, youth network, membership database, social media presence, communications distribution system and many other projects.”
André is a “people person.”

Through André’s varied job experience, he’s had a lot of opportunity to work in customer relations and with the public. And he loves it! “I’m a real ‘people person,’” he says. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of being able to help people and addressing their needs.” He’s looking forward to applying these skills to his new position by answering members’ and associates’ questions and concerns every day. He’s also keen on building and maintaining positive relationships with affinity partners in order to continue providing members and associates with the best possible benefits.
He grew up in Ottawa but has lived all over.

André grew up in Orleans, Ontario, an east-end suburb of our nation’s capital, but after graduating from high school he moved quite a bit before settling back home. After stints in Halifax and Hamilton where he earned his degrees, he ended up living in France for six months and then lived on Canada’s east coast from 2011-2013 before finally coming back home to Ottawa.
He even spent two years living entirely out of hotels!

While living out east, André did not have a permanent home anywhere — he was travelling and touring so much as a field representative for MADD that he actually lived completely out of hotels in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador for the entire two years he worked for the charity.
André knows Eastern Canada like the back of his hand.

Thanks to his years travelling the east coast, André is really knowledgeable about the cities, towns and tiny villages of the region — despite being a born-and-raised Ontarian. “I’ll meet someone from out East and I’ll ask what town they’re from, and they often say ‘Oh you never would have heard of it, it’s so small.’ But I challenge them to tell me anyway and I almost always surprise them by saying I’ve been there! I spent so much time in communities big and small throughout all of Eastern Canada; I love the region and know it really well.”
André is a big sports fan…

André is big into sports, most notably hockey, baseball and volleyball. He’s a die-hard Ottawa Senators fan, loves cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays and also plays volleyball for a semi-competitive league.
…and an expert tour guide!

Not only did André work as a tour guide during the six months he spent living in France, he also offers free walking tours of Ottawa’s downtown core every Saturday afternoon.
His qualifications and career aspirations are a great match for SAC.

André loves giving presentations and has a great deal of experience with customer relations, so he’s well-qualified and eager to reach out to our members, associates and the public. This includes everything from the daily interactions that help SAC serve our current members and associates, to delivering the presentations and outreach campaigns that will help recruit new communication health professionals. That’s a big reason why he’s so thrilled to have joined the SAC team, and why we’re so glad to have him on board: he’s committed to helping our members and associates get the most out of belonging to SAC.
André wants you to know: he is ready to put members and associates first.

What message does he have for our members and associates? “I’m so happy to get back into public speaking and giving presentations, and I’m really looking forward to viewing the organization with a fresh set of eyes. I am excited to see what kind of value I can add to the SAC experience for all members and associates. I’m also looking forward to meeting our members and associates in person… I love making new connections and want to get to know all of the diverse and interesting people who make up SAC.”