About us
Vice Versa
Since its formation in 2011, Vice Versa, a social enterprise operated by the Société Économique de l’Ontario, has been offering the highest quality professional translation and simultaneous interpretation services in both official languages. Through our network interpreters and translators, Vice Versa offers the following services to municipalities, ministries, private companies and non-profit organizations:
- Simultaneous interpretation
- Translation (French-to-English and English-to-French)
- Cutting-edge simultaneous interpretation equipment rentals
The Société Économique de l’Ontario recognized that there was a growing need for translation and simultaneous interpretation services, and seized the opportunity to create this social enterprise.
Vision
Recognized for its innovation, Vice Versa is committed to providing its clients with service of the highest calibre.
Mission
To become a unique resource to allow its clients to take advantage of business opportunities.
Values
- Professionalism
- Excellence
- Innovation
Board of Directors
Denis Laframboise | President
Denis Laframboise is a bilingual senior executive with over 40 years of experience in the cooperative movement. After working 29 years for the Caisses populaires de l’Ontario, he became president and Chief Executive Officer of Your Credit Union in Ottawa, a position he held until his retirement in 2013. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge on leadership, team building, strategic planning, business expansion and organizational restructuring. Actively engaged in his community, his commitments include chairing the board of the Monfort Hospital Foundation and serving on the Montfort Hospital, Ficanex, Ottawa Hydro, the Fédération des caisses populaires de l’Ontario boards, and several other regional, provincial and national organizations.
Martine Bélanger | Vice President
Originally from Québec City, Martine Bélanger’s life and career flourished in the province of Ontario. However, her interest in French language has always remained. Having mastered both the French and English languages was an asset and played an important role in her personal, cultural and professional development. As an established business relationship professional, Martine brings a depth of leadership and negotiation skills. Because her role of Relationship Manager at RBC consisting in managing the operations, she had opportunities to create an impact within the organization. Martine analyzed the root cause of operational gaps; researched best practice and developed cost-saving solutions aligned with strategic plans. Her approach to negotiations achieves win-win results and nurtures strong partnerships. In that way, she negotiated contracts, service level agreements and proposals with business partners resulting in improved operations and return on investments. She also created Business Continuity Plans and Disaster Recovery Plans for several lines of business. These documents were published for reference in the organization’s Policy and Procedure Library, to ensure employee compliance and reduce risks. Additionally, Martine has invaluable experience from working in the role of in the role of Senior Business Analyst for CIBC. Here she managed projects relating to new products launches. She also covered a mandate in Human Resources where she managed the operations of the Learning and Career Centre. On a personal level of interest and career growth, Martine also provides business-consulting services to entrepreneurs. For example, working closely with a fashion designer, she researched export solutions to expend the business to Europe and reviewed the current business model. The uniqueness of this fashion house is the ethical production and fair trade commerce, which is rare in the world of fashion. Her work also took her to the Paris Fashion Week events to meet with buyers and provide support in the French language. Giving back and helping others has been a constant in Martine’s life. She regularly volunteers with Million Dollar Smiles, a non-profit organization that helps children with cancer and terminal illnesses. She also supports Feed It Forward, women’s shelters and United Way with time, talents and donations. Martine has a wide range of interests that keep her on a quest to learn, encourage opportunities and welcome travel.
Norman St. Amour| Administrator
Norman St-Amour studied business administration at the Royal Military College of Canada and at Laurentian University. He obtained the FCI designation from the Credit Institute of Canada and the AICB designation from the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
Norman was employed in the financial services industry with Household Finance, The Continental Bank of Canada and General Motors Acceptance prior to joining the team at Caisse populaire North Bay in 1982 as a loans officer. He held the position of assistant manager and branch manager before assuming the position of general manager in 1996. He is the regional manager for the Nipissing East region of Caisse Alliance since January 2018.
He is active in his community as a board member of YES employment services, Home Ownership Affordability Partnership, La Société Économique de l’Ontario as well as a member of various committees.