Labelled 'a difficult student', Frantz Saintellemy is the Universite de Montreal Chancellor
November 11, 2021
The excitement of being in a new country quickly subsided for Frantz Saintellemy as he tried to assimilate in Montreal after leaving Haiti as a child.
In the first few months in elementary school, his Black elementary school teacher labelled him ‘a difficult child with learning disabilities’.
“I spoke only Haitian Creole at the time, so it was very difficult and she didn’t have any patience with me,” recalled Saintellemy who was in a transition class for non-Francophone students.
Luckily, another teacher noticed his leadership qualities and challenged him.
Also a Haitian immigrant, Gerard Jeune observed the new student organizing soccer matches and dodgeball games and calmly acting as a mediator in bullying incidents.
“One day, this teacher pulled me aside and, speaking in Haitian Creole, said, ‘they say you have difficulties adapting, but you don’t seem to have integration or adaptation issues because you are the one taking charge as far as I can see’,” Saintellemy said. “I told him I agreed with what he was saying. My only problem was I couldn’t grasp everything the teachers were saying at the time. He told me if I improved my French and English in two months, he would accept me in his Grade Three class after the Christmas break and also gave me a gift. He believed in me and challenged me to be better. That’s all I needed. Just imagine how many young Black mem with high capabilities and potential have been cast by the wayside because of people like my first elementary school teacher in Canada.”
Putting in the time and effort, he upgraded his language skills and the teacher delivered on the promise, taking the student into his class and presenting him three books as a reward.
Jeune’s faith in Saintellemy paid off.
On October 19, he was sworn in as the Universite de Montreal 14th Chancellor.
During the installation ceremony, Saintellemy invoked Bob Marley’s name, saying the late reggae singer was instrumental in his development.
“Marley’s ability to deliver powerful messages through his lyrics and music spoke to me as a young man,” he said. “He was not just an amazing and genius musician, but a powerful leader that united people. He definitely was a great example of resilience, ingenuity and leadership. He taught me that it doesn’t matter where and how you start nor what you start with. He showed me it was just as important to start and what matters is what you do and where you end up.”
At 48, Saintellemy is the youngest person to hold the role in the French-language public research university 143-year history.
He will chair meetings of the university council that exercises the rights and powers necessary for its administration and development.
“Besides providing vision and guidance, I see my role as also being an ambassador for the university,” said the entrepreneur and philanthropist who made Automotive News Canada ‘2021 Canadians to Watch’ list. “For me, the significance of the appointment is that I am living proof that resilience, perseverance and the acquisition of a good education can lead to a better future. I am also cognizant that this new role comes with responsibility. Being the first Black and the youngest to be in the position means the university believes in me and the future.”
Saintellemy is quite familiar with the Universite de Montreal, having chaired the Information & Technology committee and served on the Board of Directors.
He completed the joint HEC/McGill University 15-month bilingual Executive MBA program and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management, Business & Marketing from HEC Montreal that’s affiliated to the Universite de Montreal.
An engineer and innovator who is globally recognized as an expert in advanced technologies, Saintellemy is the President & Chief Operating Officer of LeddarTech Inc. that’s a leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver-assisted systems.
Prior to joining the company in 2017, he was the Vice-President & General Manager of a California-based firm specializing in mixed signal solutions, President & Executive Vice-President of a global supplier of MEMs-based sensor solutions for automotive and industrial applications and Chief Technology Officer and Corporate Vice-President at Future Electronics that distributes electronic and electro-mechanical components.
After finishing the two-year College of General & Vocational Education (CEGEP) program that’s a requirement for students in Quebec to pursue post-secondary education, Saintellemy left the province in 1997 to do undergraduate studies in the United States.
“I was looking for the shortest path to become a professional just as athletes who are eligible for the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft after a year in college,” he said. “After doing my research, I discovered that Northeastern University in Boston had a co-op program that allowed you to start working after your third year. Basically, you are given credits for work. Not having a lot of money and coming from a very large family, I had to come up with solutions to make some money and get experience. That program was perfect for me.”
While in Florida in 2002 as best man at his older brother’s wedding, Saintellemy – who has a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic & Computer Engineering -- met his future wife.
Vickie Joseph, who is of Haitian descent, is a designer, businesswoman and the recipient of the 2019 Startup Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“We hit it off right away and have never been separated,” the second to last of 13 siblings said.
Married in 2004, they lived in Boston before returning to Quebec.
“She had her own professional ambitions and we felt that in order to raise a family and for her to continue on her career path, it would be best to come back to Quebec,” said Saintellemy who completed the Strategy & Innovation Executive MBA program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.
Shortly after their return, the couple co-founded Groupe 3737 that’s a hybrid incubator and accelerator for diverse entrepreneurs.
Mentors coach participants, providing them with advice and access to their investors and financing contracts.
The group has engaged over 1,000 entrepreneurs and created over 100 different businesses, generating about $100 million.
“When we came back, I was very troubled by the rhetoric around Black folk and the lack of representation and diversity in the entrepreneurship ecosystem,” said Saintellemy who was recognized as a 2021 CBC Quebec Black Change Maker. “As I was trying to figure out the root cause for this, all I was hearing was that it was an integration problem. As I dug further, I realized it was a financial problem. I live in a very nice house in a nice neighbourhood and nobody questions whether I am integrated or not. It’s assumed because I can afford it and am doing well.
“I just felt we needed a better ecosystem to help people that look like me and those of colour to better integrate in the economic system. One of the best ways to do that is through entrepreneurship. There was nothing that was dedicated to people of colour in Canada. What I found with incubators and accelerators is that they are a system that’s basically an inverted pyramid. So you attract the most talented and at the end you hope that one or two of the most talented get out and create this unicorn. That doesn’t help address the problem. I felt we needed to have a wide base with a wide exit.”
Groupe 3737 got its name from the building at 3737 Boulevard Cremazie Est. that used to house Dominion Textile Inc. that closed in the late 1980s because of global competition.
Saintellemy and his wife, who have three children ranging in age from 16 to nine, bought the abandoned building in Saint-Michel where they grew up.
“This building and this region used to house a number of textile businesses,” he said. “The workers were mainly Blacks and immigrants, many from Haiti. My mother was one of those daily workers. What happened was that every morning at 6 a.m., people would line up on each side of the building, the foreman would appear and, depending on the work needed for that day, choose workers who best could fit those needs. Workers would show up daily hoping they get chosen. When the building became available, it just made sense for us to start an entrepreneurship project leveraging this space. It’s kind of ironic that it’s the sons and daughters of immigrants who are now creating the jobs.”
Firm believers that to whom much is given, much is expected, the couple has invested more than $4 million in Saint-Michel, half of whose population comprises immigrants.
“We are the products of our environment and community and many people throughout my life have opened doors, encouraged me and done things to help me,” said Saintellemy whose first job was at Analog Devices where he co-founded one of the largest divisions focused on in-car entertainment for passenger vehicles. “Success comes with the responsibility of creating a path for others to follow. My mother didn’t have much, but she was the most generous and giving person I know. For me, it’s important to give back not just money, but time and know-how. I also believe that Blacks are the most generous people on earth and we don’t get enough credit and recognition. It may not be called philanthropy, but across Canada, there are countless of us giving back daily. I felt that by being more visible with what we are doing as a family, we are shedding light on all the people that are giving time and their knowledge free of charge.”
Frantz Saintellemy (Photo courtesy of the Palais de Congres de Montreal)
While he has achieved much in his life, there are still some things on the bucket list.
“I would love to open a school in the Caribbean that’s multilingual and unites the region,” Saintellemy, who is on the board of the Quebec Technology Association, pointed out. “I am a product of the Caribbean and too often we think of ourselves as French or English speaking. I think we are one people. My school system would take the beauty of French, Spanish and English and merge that so that kids can learn different languages, leveraging technology and innovation. That would be something super.”
All work and no play is something Saintellemy doesn’t subscribe to.
A former soccer player-turned avid fan, his favourite team and player are Arsenal and former Dutch player and manager Ruud Gullit respectively.
“Though I loved Ruud, I didn’t know why until he won the Ballon d’Or (annual soccer award presented by a French news magazine) and dedicated that award to Nelson Mandela who was still in jail,” he said. “At that point, very few people were paying attention to Mandela. He was the first superstar I could relate to that was attached to issues that I was attached to. Ruud is still one of my favourite human beings.”
Saintellemy joins former Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean, Barbadian-born oncologist Tony Fields and Vision TV co-founder Rita Deverell as Black Chancellors at Canadian universities.
Jean, a former Chancellor at the University of Ottawa, was appointed at St. Paul’s University College at the University of Waterloo in October 2020 while Fields was installed at MacEwan University in Edmonton last July. Deverell will be formally sworn in at Lakehead University during convocation in 2022.
Other Black and Caribbean-born Canadian professionals who have served in the role include Michael Lee-Chin at Wilfrid Laurier University and the late Oscar Peterson (York), Lincoln Alexander (Guelph) and Raymond Chang (Ryerson).
