MONTREAL - Joey Saputo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CF Montréal, announced on Monday the appointment of former Montreal Impact player Gabriel Gervais as President and Chief Executive Officer of CF Montréal. Gabriel Gervais was until now a Partner in the Montreal office of Deloitte, one of the world's largest professional services firms. He will officially start on Monday, April 4.
A brilliant sports career
A native of Montreal, Gabriel Gervais played for the Montreal Impact from 2002 to 2008. His professional career was marked by much success. He helped the team win the USL Division 1 championship in 2004, as well as the regular season championships in 2005 and 2006. In addition, the former number 8 was part of the team that won the 2008 Canadian Championship. By doing so, the Impact became the first Canadian team to qualify for the preliminary round of the Concacaf Champions League.
Gabriel was named the club’s Defender of the year three times, in 2002, 2003 and 2006, and won the Giuseppe-Saputo trophy in 2004, awarded to the team's most valuable player. He was named USL Division 1 Defender of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006, becoming the first player in the league to win this title three times. He was also named to the USL Division 1 All-League First Team for six consecutive years from 2002 to 2007. His successive performances earned him the USL Player of the Decade award. He also played for the Canadian national team from 2004 to 2007.
In addition to his duties at Deloitte, he was also a commentator and soccer analyst for Radio-Canada television from 2009 to 2014. He was inducted to the Stade Saputo Wall of Fame in 2018.**
Mobilizing leader
We are very proud and excited to have Gabriel back in our organization," said Joey Saputo. “A key figure in the team's history, he will bring to the table his on-field and off-field experience, his leadership skills and his great passion for soccer and for the Club.”
"During the selection process, we met several extremely competent and qualified candidates, but Gabriel stood out, among other things, for his humility, his values, his hands-on approach, and his ‘team first’’ mentality,” added Joey Saputo. “He will certainly contribute to the continued development of the organization and build success in the years to come.”
Gabriel Gervais, 45, and his spouse Catherine Laurin are the parents of two boys, Alexandre and Mathieu. He holds a Master's degree in engineering from Syracuse University and an MBA from McGill University. He started his professional career at Saputo Inc. in 2003 and joined Deloitte in 2009. He is fluent in French, English and Spanish.**
About CF Montréal
Founded in 1992 and played its first season in 1993, CF Montréal is a professional soccer club that has been playing in Major League Soccer, North America’s top division, since 2012. It has won the Canadian Championship five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021), and has also reached the Concacaf Champions League final in 2015, as well as the competition’s quarterfinals in 2009, and, more recently, in March 2022. CF Montréal plays its home games at Stade Saputo, a 19,619-seat soccer-specific venue, and on some occasions at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.In 2010, the organization established the CF Montréal Academy, a training centre for 13–20-year-old soccer players as part of its development pyramid. The Academy has nearly 80 players in its flagship program. CF Montréal is the first and only professional club in North America to offer a sport-study program for youths as young as 13 years old within its Academy. The development pyramid also includes the Pre-Academy teams, the network of partner clubs (CIP) and regional programs, allowing the Club to reach hundreds of additional players.
Through the Montreal Impact Foundation, CF Montréal is also highly involved in the community. Its mission is to organize and support activities to improve the quality of life of unprivileged children and families. It provides sports facilities to promote physical activity and social inclusion.
