While her duties will be multifaceted, Quebec’s new delegate to the Southeast U.S. comes to Atlanta with a strong business pedigree that should come in handy in a region that already enjoys deep commercial connections with her province.  

Isabelle Dessureault joined the Quebec government’s foreign ministry more than four years ago after a 25-year business career that included 15 years in executive roles at some of Quebec’s largest companies, from telecommunications giant Videotron to real estate firm Groupe Selection. 

Ms. Dessureault has also served as an angel investor and startup mentor in India, roles that should serve her well in Atlanta, perhaps the best established of a constellation of growing innovation hubs around the Southeast. 

She plans to make use of these networks to capitalize on momentum that has already deepened connections in target industries, she told Global Atlanta in an emailed statement.

“My thorough knowledge of our economic sectors, our priorities and our ambitions will lead me, I believe, to maximize key and promising partnerships between our respective ecosystems with Georgia and Florida as well as the other states in the Southeast, particularly in sustainable mobility, smart cities and circular economy,” she said.  

Ms. Dessureault took up her post in August, replacing David Weiner, whose early career in pharmaceuticals also prepared him for a 30-year career advancing Canada’s economic diplomacy as a senior trade commissioner for Global Affairs Canada. 

Mr. Weiner moved from Canadian Consulate General in Atlanta to the city’s Quebec office in 2021. He left in August to become regional vice president of Export Development Canada in Dallas. 

As one of his final acts, Mr. Weiner helped shepherd the Atlanta Regional Commission’s LINK trip to Montreal, where more than 120 civic leaders…