Governance

Appointed Chief Executive Officier of Claranova in April 2024, Eric Gareau joined the Group in 2018 when it acquired Lulu Software (PDF) of which he was CEO and has been the CEO of Avanquest, Claranova’s software publishing and distribution division, since 2021. 

Since joining the Group, he has successfully led the transformation of Avanquest’s business model to a subscription-based business model. He has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing of software and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) within large international companies.

Having joined Avanquest in 2022 and later Claranova’s leadership team in 2024, Isabelle Frenette brings more than 25 years of human-resources expertise across the public and private sectors in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

She has extensive experience in leading organizational transformations and supporting executive teams, particularly through multiple merger and acquisition projects in North America and Europe. Recognized for her ability to align human capital issues with strategic priorities and growth objectives, she focuses on key areas such as work organization, talent management, performance, employee engagement, and the evolution of managerial practices. She is Canadian and holds a degree in Industrial Relations from Laval University.

A graduate of ISC Paris, Thierry Jaffry has more than 25 years of experience in the SaaS sector, having held senior commercial leadership positions in international groups.

Former Chief Growth & Revenue Officer at Sovra (formerly MDF Commerce, a company previously listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange) and at Fluxym, he has led large-scale strategic projects, driven major organizational transformations and business repositioning efforts, and successfully mobilized teams around ambitious growth objectives. He has worked in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, with notable expertise in recurring revenue strategies, sales performance, and the development of strategic partnerships.

Mathieu Laforge joined Avanquest in 2023 and currently serves as Executive Vice President, Development & Operations for the Group.

He has more than 20 years of experience in information technology, having held key positions including Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Asset Management & Business Intelligence. He is Canadian and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal.

Anatole Lysenko has been serving as Chief Technology Officer at Avanquest since 2020 and joined Claranova’s leadership team in 2024.

With more than 25 years of experience in software development, he oversees Core Technology, Research & Development, as well as Innovation teams based in Canada, Poland and Ukraine. A Canadian of Ukrainian origin, he graduated from Kharkiv University in international relations and completed the academic coursework of a PhD program at Kharkiv National Technical University in management of technology.

A member of Claranova’s leadership team since 2022, Xavier Rojo brings more than 25 years of experience in the banking and financial sector.

He has led numerous strategic, commercial, transformation, and digitalization initiatives in France and internationally. Also an entrepreneur and coach, he has advised numerous companies (SMEs) and private banks on their restructuring and strategic development, and also assisted company directors address reconversion and management projects. A French national, he holds a degree in financial engineering from the University of Montpellier.

Stephen Siegel joined Claranova in early 2025 and has more than 25 years of expertise in business law, corporate law and securities law.

He began his career in the automotive sector before holding various positions as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Secretary of the Board of Directors in the energy sector. With experience gained through major strategic transactions including cross-border mergers, IPOs, and spin-offs, he has in-depth expertise in the legal issues facing listed international groups. He is also highly experienced in emerging ESG regulations. A French national, he holds a degree in business law from the University of Versailles–Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Founding partner of Maslow Capital Partners and CEO of Resilience Lab, Marc Goldberg has over 30 years’ experience in the media and communications technology sector in Europe and the United States as an operator, advisor or investor. He is a graduate of the University of Paris VI and the IHEDN.

Craig Forman is Managing Partner of NextNews Ventures, an investment firm in Silicon Valley and New York. He is former CEO of McClatchy Co. a large local news company in the US, which operates daily newspapers and digital assets in 30 markets in 14 states (The Miami Herald, The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, The Charlotte Observer,…).

A graduate of leading universities (Princeton University and Yale Law School), he is a leader in digital transformation, with over 40 years of global experience in technology, media and telecommunications. He has held a variety of general management positions, overseeing finance, personnel, legal, strategy and business development for major groups (The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Co, Time Warner Inc.,Yahoo Inc.,…). Over the course of his career, he has developed expertise in IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and transformation.

Michele Anderson is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience driving business growth and enhancing value, particularly in digital and e-commerce sectors.

She has successfully led the development and implementation of innovative digital strategies across both B2C and B2B channels, holding senior leadership roles at companies including Staples, Shutterfly, and Activate. Michele holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Law from the University of New South Wales, as well as an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA.

Michael Dadoun is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 28 years’ experience in the technology and real estate sectors.

A graduate of HEC Montréal in Finance and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), he began his career at Nortel Networks as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) before launching a consumer software company with Daniel Assouline in 2004, which merged with Avanquest in 2018. He finances/coaches numerous technology start-ups and founded two real estate investment companies (Claria and Trantor) which manage a portfolio of high-end properties across Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Christine Hedouis is a senior manager of the finance function with more than 25 years of experience in auditing, accounting, entrepreneurship and financial management of growth companies.

After serving for nearly 20 years in French and international audit and accounting firms and corporations, Christine Hédouis is today the Chief Administrative and Financial Officer of Quanteam, an international consulting and IT engineering firm specialized in the bank and financial services sectors. Quanteam currently has more than 600 consultants in eight offices including Paris, London, New York and Montreal.

Daniel Assouline holds an MBA from Queen’s University and has been an entrepreneur since the age of 13.

Passionate by technology, he started his career at Dell in the sales, marketing and technology departments.  Over the past 15 years, he has created, acquired and developed several high-tech companies, including Adaware, Lulu Software and UpClick, which he sold to the Claranova group. He now runs a real estate investment company (Dlign.com) developing a portfolio of rental properties across Canada, the USA and Mexico.

Emmanuel Mouchoux is Investment Director at Cheyne Capital in London.

He has over 14 years’ experience in London in the financial services, private debt and private equity sectors. Prior to joining Cheyne Capital, Emmanuel was an investment professional with the US investment funds, The Carlyle Group and Oak Hill Advisors. He began his career in mergers & acquisitions at Deutsche Bank. Emmanuel holds a Master of Science in Corporate Finance and a Master of Management from EDHEC Business School.