Anne-Marie Deslauriers – Founder of DELAN
This year DELAN celebrates its 25th anniversary.
It was in 1997, accompanied by her partner Louise Laniel, that Anne-Marie Deslauriers decided to create DELAN. Since then, the company has continued to evolve and grow.
Through this blog article, we invite you to discover a little more about Anne-Marie Deslauriers, the woman behind DELAN.
Who is Anne-Marie Deslauriers?
Persevering and dedicated, Anne-Marie has more than 25 years of experience in IT and high technology recruitment. Graduate in Management from Concordia University, her first years of experience in recruitment firms led her to open her own agency and head towards the path of entrepreneurship.
In 1997, Anne-Marie partnered with Louise Laniel and founded the company DELAN. The two women, a rarity in this male environment, started their small business in the basement of Louise’s house, between the armchairs, the TV and the storage spaces. At the time, there was no internet. In the absence of being able to send e-mails, they send serial faxes and use messengers. Since then, DELAN has only expanded. From the first corporate placement in May 1997, through the madness around the Y2K bug, the fall of .com following September 11, 2001 and a takeover in 2010, the company has grown!
Very attached to family values, Anne-Marie wishes to make her team her second family. Moreover, after the retirement of Louise Laniel, she does not hesitate to team up with her son, Jean-François Charpentier. In 2022, as part of DELAN’s 25th anniversary, she hands over the reins of the presidency to Jean-François, who has been working within the company since 2012.
Today, DELAN is more than a family business. It is more than 22 employees who bring their uniqueness, their ideas, and their strengths to the company. DELAN is truly a team affair… and a matter of the heart.
Involved in the community, Anne-Marie actively participates in the activities of the CCMM, the RFAQ, the AQT, TEC Canada and the Réseau Action TI. She has given several conferences on the IT labor shortage, best practices in recruitment or attracting talent at Lavery, at Stratégies PME, at MTL Connecte and at the AQT. She has hosted podcasts including one with COCHIC and one with Cardea Health Consulting. She has also been invited to various WEConnect International and WBE Canada conferences.
We asked Anne-Marie some questions 😉
What is your greatest pride?
“In business, my greatest pride is to have given my son Jean-François Charpentier a taste of what it is to be an entrepreneur and take the reins of the company.”
In your opinion, what qualities are necessary to get started in entrepreneurship?
“In my opinion, the greatest qualities for embarking in entrepreneurship are self-confidence, a taste for challenge as well as to surpass oneself, perseverance and above all a lot of humility.”
Which values do you think are the most important for a company?
“In my opinion, one of the most important values of a company is to put its employees first and to be human. A company with family values, generosity and humility will be rewarded in the long-term.”
Connect with Anne-Marie on LinkedIn 👉 HERE
