As we gear up for today’s municipal election, we say out with the old and in with the new. Mélanie Joly, a name many had never heard of until recently, is making serious waves as the voting draws closer. Sure, Joly is young and fresh, but she’s more than a pretty face; smart as a whip, always calm and perfectly collected. Here’s how she’s changing things up:
A Business Powerhouse: It should come as no surprise that, here at Notable, we love young professionals with limitless ambition. When it comes to rocking the business arena, Ms. Joly comes out swinging. At Just 29 years old, Joly was associate director at Cohen & Wolfe, an international communications agency in Montreal. That’s after becoming a member of the Quebec Bar and working for none other than Stikeman Eliliott and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.
A Strong Mind and a Soft Heart: It’s clear that Joly moves at warp speed. But as quickly as she rises, she never forgets to give back. In fact, if you look at the laundry list of philanthropic causes to which Joly has contributed, it’s amazing that she has time to do anything else. Joly has sat on no less than a dozen advisory boards for a range of causes. Her passion for the arts led to her incredible contribution to Montreal’s art community, and an impressive mantle full of accolades as a result. Most notably, she was the first female quebecer to receive the Arnold Edinborough award, which recognizes philanthropy in the Canadian arts scene.
A New Page for Montreal: We all know the saying, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Not only is Joly the new dog in town, she’s a completely new breed. Joly’s brand new party, “Vrai changement pour Montreal,” is taking a stand against corrupt municipal politics, making total transparency the core of their platform. While Joly’s youth and lack of political experience has raised some eyebrows throughout her campaign, she has made one thing very clear: she’s old enough to know that change can be good. Very good.