Michel de la Chenelière

Thanks to its founder’s acute sense of business and great dedication, the company, founded in 1984, became the largest specialized French-language educational publishing house in North America. The works it publishes benefit the pupils, students, parents and professionals in over 5,000 educational institutions.

After selling Chenelière Éducation to Transcontinental in 2006, Michel de la Chenelière continued to work there as a consultant until 2008. In 2010, he teamed up with Glenn Rollans, another educational publishing specialist, to conduct the Study of the Canadian K to 12 educational book publishing sector, a prospective analysis for the Canadian Heritage department.

Michel De la Chenelière is part of a new wave of philanthropists who are essential for the artistic and cultural community, supporting publishing, education and the arts. In 1998, he established the Fondation de la Chenelière, which encourages the development of Montréal youth by helping four schools in the economically challenged neighbourhood of Little Italy.

Through his Foundation, Michel de la Chenelière has also gotten involved in the areas of university research and education, creating scholarships for the next generation and supporting an environmental research group. His actions extend outside our borders as he has also overseen and funded the free distribution of works in some 26 universities in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Michel De la Chenelière is an engaged volunteer and enthusiastic ambassador who supports many cultural organizations, including the Nouveau Théâtre Expérimental and the organization MU, which works to beautify Montréal through the creation of murals. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) and its foundation and actively supports the MMFA’s education and art therapy efforts. He is also a member of the Board of the French American Museum Exchange (FRAME), an artwork exchange association involving some 30 French and North American museums.

In 2017, Michel de la Chenelière received the Prix Camille-Laurin from the Office québécois de la langue française and was appointed a knight of the Ordre des arts et des lettres de la République française. In 2012, he won the Business Volunteer award, one of the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montréal awarded by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal and the Conseil des arts de Montréal. He was also a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1977.