Governance

Eric Gareau joined Claranova in 2018 when the Group acquired Lulu Software (PDF) of which he was CEO. 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.

Prior to joining the Claranova Group in 2022, Xavier Rojo occupied a number of strategic and financial management positions with major groups. With more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance, he has led numerous strategic and business development, transformation and digitization projects in France and other countries. 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.

Isabelle Frenette joined Claranova’s executive team in 2024 as Executive Vice President, Talent & Culture, after holding a similar position at Avanquest since 2022. She has over 20 years of HR expertise in tech and public sectors in Canada and has extensive experience in multiple M&A projects with North American and European operations. She is a graduate in industrial relations of Université Laval and a member of the Canadian Association of Certified Human Resources Professionals (CRHA).

Stephen Siegel joined Claranova as General Counsel early 2025. He has over 20 years of expertise in business law, corporate law, and securities law. After a position at Valeo, he held various positions as General Counsel and Secretary General at TechnipFMC, where he was responsible for large legal teams. He then served as Corporate Legal Director and Secretary of the Board of Directors at Technip Energies. He has expertise in the legal issues that concern international listed groups, having participated in several major transactions such as the Technip-FMC merger, IPOs, and the spin-off of Technip Energies. With a DESS in Business Law – Post-graduate diploma, he is also particularly knowledgeable about new CSR regulations.

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.

Graduated of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines,. Gabrielle Gauthey has extensive experience as a strategic investor and in strategic management acquired in the public sector (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, ARCEP) and with major French/European groups in telecoms, media, energy and infrastructure.

Currently Director of European Public Affairs and representative of the Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies to the institutions of the European Union, she is also a director of the Gecina group and a member of the Académie Française des Technologies.

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.