Stéphanie Doyle: You will soon celebrate your first anniversary as CEO of the CQDM (April 2025). What have been the main lessons from this experience so far?
Véronique Dugas: It has been an immense learning experience, both professionally and personally. Having never held a CEO position before, I had to adopt an entirely new posture. This includes clearly distinguishing my role from that of the Board of Directors, broadening my perspective, and fully assuming responsibility for strategic decisions.
What changes most is the perspective. In my previous roles, my mandates were more targeted, closely tied to business development and scientific issues. Today, I carry a broader vision of the organization: its performance, its culture, its partnerships, and its place within the ecosystem.
In a context where the environment is evolving rapidly and uncertainty is very real, this requires agility and clear judgment. But it is also extremely enriching to operate at the intersection of governments, companies, researchers, and strategic partners. I feel I have developed a much deeper understanding of the ecosystem’s dynamics and of how each actor contributes to the whole.
S.D.: You have been part of CQDM for nearly eight years. In your view, what have been the most significant developments of the organization during that time?
V.D.: I am very proud of CQDM’s evolution. When I first joined, the organization was primarily perceived as a more traditional funding body: calls for proposals were launched, projects were evaluated, funding was awarded, and the progress of funded projects was monitored.
Today, our role goes far beyond that of a funder. We position ourselves as a strategic partner and an enabler. We work upstream with companies and researchers to better understand their real innovation needs, help them structure their projects, and facilitate strategic connections.
We also play an important convening role by organizing targeted meetings, bringing stakeholders together around specific industrial challenges, and helping create a coherent continuum between organizations involved at different stages of the innovation chain.
This shift did not happen overnight. It developed gradually, through iterations and by staying attentive to the needs of the ecosystem.
S.D.: Is there a project that particularly embodies this new approach?
V.D.: We support a wide range of projects, and they are all exciting. It is difficult to choose a favorite. But if I had to highlight one, I would mention AReNA, the Quebec RNA Hub.
The AReNA project fully embodies this transformation. It brings together several organizations across the ecosystem around an ambitious shared objective: positioning Quebec as a global leader in its field.
Projects like this are demanding. The more partners involved, the more realities, priorities, and constraints come into play. But that diversity is precisely what makes them strong. AReNA has allowed us to experiment with a more integrated and strategic form of collaboration—one that focuses on collective outcomes rather than individual contributions.
Today, we see a real sense of ownership of the initiative across the RNA therapeutics ecosystem, particularly when researchers, companies, and organizations use the AReNA brand internationally. It demonstrates that collective efforts create real added value and help structure the ecosystem around a shared vision.
S.D.: What were your main challenges this year?
V.D.: Two major themes stand out: balance and relevance.
First, balance. There is the personal balance of managing family life alongside a demanding new role, but also the organizational balance. As CEO, I need to ensure the organization’s needs are met while remaining attentive to those of the team. We must find the right balance between preserving what we already do well and innovating to remain competitive.
The other major challenge is relevance. We operate in a context where every dollar matters, where government priorities can shift, and where many sectors compete for support. It requires constant reflection: Are our tools meeting current needs? Are we properly measuring our impact? Are we communicating it effectively?