2007 ALUMNI RECIPIENTS

Jean-Yves Martineau, 33

Personal Success Story: Having founded Cactus Commerce ate the young age of 22, I have been proud to be actively engaged in the growth of a company that has repeatedly transformed itself to remain at the forefront of technological advancement. One of our most notable achievements was securing two research and development mandates from Microsoft in helping establish a successful e-commerce strategy.

Lesson Learned: You can never be too prepared when going into a business engagement. The facts usually prevail. If they do not, the business isn’t worth the time.

Character Traits: I would have to say my strengths are being determined, focused and enthusiastic. My weaknesses are that sometimes, my enthusiasm and passion for my company leads to emotional conflicts which most people have difficulty in dealing with, but which I see as a part of doing business!

Inspiration: Knowing we can have a global footprint and impact in our industry.

Greatest professional challenge: Scaling a local company with just 25 employees into a worldwide workforce now numbering over 200 employees.

Someone else for a day: I would enjoy spending a day as Captain Jack Sparrow (portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film Pirates of the Caribbean), because he is a pirate, a strategist and the captain of the fastest sailing ship in the Caribbean!