New Club president meets the media for the first time
Our new president is no stranger to the Club.
Having joined as a player in 2002, defender Gabriel Gervais spent seven seasons defending the Bleu-blanc-noir, winning the league championship in 2004, regular-season championships in 2005 and 2006, as well as being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2006, and the team MVP in 2004.
In 2018, he was the first player in the Club’s history, alongside his former teammate Nevio Pizzolito, to be inducted into the Club’s Wall of Fame.
Now, Gervais returns to the Club in a much different role. After spending the last 13 years at Deloitte, including the last three as a partner, the former defender returns home as president and CEO of CF Montréal.
“It’s a dream come true for me and a return home,” said Gervais. “This is a way to continue my story with a Club I absolutely love.”
It marks the beginning of a new era for CF Montréal, who gets set to celebrate its 30th anniversary since the club’s foundation this December. Gervais’ mandate, among other objectives, will focus on making the Club more and more visible, not only in Montreal but across the province.
In the next few weeks, Gervais will take the time to familiarize himself with the Club the other entities gravitating around it, including the media, supporters’ groups, MLS and the Club’s partners.
“The Club is a motor to develop soccer in Quebec and it’s something that I truly hold close to my heart,” explained Gervais. “It’s also a way for us to help the most underprivileged children and their families. This is done through the Academy, the Pre-Academy, and, of course, the Montreal Impact Foundation. It’s all of these different entities that really attracted me to the Club.”
Gervais joins the Club for the second time almost 20 years to the day since his first ever game with the Montreal Impact, which took place on May of 2002. It was the beginning of a seven-year adventure that saw a lot of success for the Club, on and off the pitch, and it’s something he hopes to bring to the table this time around.
“It’s almost 20 years to the day that I wore the Montreal Impact jersey for the very first time. It was in May of 2022. We were kicking our season off against the Charleston Battery, in Charleston. I still remember that game like it was yesterday. I’m sure I will also remember this day for a very long time.”
