Riding The Seas Of Change: Bell Quebec

For Bell Quebec Vice Chair, Martine Turcotte, being open-minded led her in directions she never imagine- and never regrets.

BY MICHELLE SINGERMAN| PHOTOGRAPHY BY NEIL MOTA

For some business executives, a career path isn’t always clearly defined. Martine Turcotte, vice chair of Bell Quebec for Bell Canada Enterprises, never imagined she would hold the title she currently does. Having dreamed of being an oceanographer like the late Jacques Cousteau, the powerful businesswomen entered Cegep, Quebec’s pre-university program, to study just that. Though passionate about underwater exploration, conducting lab research in the summer wasn’t quite what she expected. “Be very open-minded about getting out of your comfort zone,” she advises over the phone from her Verdun City office.

Never one to become complacent, the drive to seek new challenges is deeply ingrained in Turcotte’s character. Assigned to her new role in July 2011, she’s excited about the promotion. “It’s always hard to anticipate years in advance where you [will be]. The important thing was always getting more and more challenges ahead of me. That’s always been the driver for me more than anything,” she says. Working for Bell Canada since 1988, she only felt her learning curve diminish twice. And when it happened, Turcotte took ownership of the situation by confronting her superiors. “Every time Bell has been good enough to give me another challenge,” she says.

After six years at Bell Canada International, Turcotte knew the ropes and yearned for another adventure to seize. She voiced her opinion and soon after became vice president and general counsel for Bell Quebec.

Most recently, as chief legal and regulatory officer, she again felt like her challenges were tapering and spoke with her boss. She was later promoted to her current position.

“I think it’s always very important to have a constructive dialogue,” she says. “And I encourage people on my team to do the same. It doesn’t mean there’s a guarantee of something coming, [but] if you don’t talk about it and you don’t reason, it’s a bit hard to complain when it doesn’t come to you later on.”

Turcotte has proven herself worthy throughout her two decades with Bell. In 1999, she was named the first woman chief legal officer of Bell. And in 2005, she was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canadian General Counsel Awards.

Her unique pathway created the success she has today. When growing frustrated with oceanography, Turcotte’s parents suggested she enter law because of her love for writing and thinking through situations. They assured her that, even if she doesn’t practice law, she’d have a strong jumping-off point for many other options. “I think that was the best piece of advice they could give me at the time,” she says.

Upon graduating McGill University in civil and common laws, Turcotte joined a firm where she learned another valuable lesson: don’t specialize too quickly. Taking advice from her own experience, she now shares this wisdom with her mentees.

“Learn as much as possible,” she says. “When you’re young you have so much energy and you can guzzle up as much experience and knowledge as possible in diverse areas. Because the reality is, starting at 21 as a lawyer, what do you know about life? You’re young. The best thing is to be open.”

The guidance proved positive for the vice chair. After spending time as a law associate, Turcotte realized she wasn’t being challenged in the way she craved. Rather than remain an advisor, she wanted to be a decision maker. “And I realized that was as part of my personality that was very important,” she explains. It was then her parents suggested she do an MBA. She enrolled abroad at the London Business School.

IT’S ALWAYS HARD TO ANTICIPATE YEARS IN ADVANCE WHERE YOU [WILL BE]. THE IMPORTANT THING WAS ALWAYS GETTING MORE AND MORE CHALLENGES AHEAD OF ME. THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN THE DRIVER FOR ME MORE THAN ANYTHING.

Her father was an advocate of education and championed his children to study overseas. “He always dreamed himself of studying abroad, but he had to start working after university,” she says, crediting her parents with instilling values that moulded her into the challenge seeker she is today.

Turcotte’s father encouraged his children to pursue as much education as they dreamed, but also encouraged them to work along the way. “He would pay for sports equipment, books and studies. But if we thought we’d have a car paid for by our parents, no way,” she says. Her mother strengthened the model for higher education by going back to school when Turcotte was in Cegep.

After completing her MBA, she returned to Quebec and was approached by Bell Canada. “I was very impressed with the team and the way that I would be part [of it], fully utilizing both my legal background and my MBA,” she says. “And I’ve never ever regretted it since.”

Well-rounded in more than just career titles, Turcotte is also chair of Théâtre Espace Go and on the Board of Governors for McGill University.

“You help them,” she says of volunteering time to an organization. “But in a funny way, I think the theatre helped me way more than I could ever help them.” She has applied those lessons to her board role, and to her daily life.

Though she sees diversity in the workplace improving, representation still lacks. “The one thing where you do still have an issue is women on boards,” she says. “You don’t see as many you would like given the female population out there.”

Turcotte’s own struggle for recognition was due more to her young age than her gender. She had to establish credibility while negotiating around the table with more revered members of her team.

But she knows it’s neither age nor gender that matters. “I don’t notice around the table if I’m the only woman or not, I’ve never had that in my mind,” she says. “It’s more of if I have something to say, I’ll say it. I’ve never been afraid to. And I think that’s helped me the most throughout my career.”