[Le Soleil] - Lara Emond : Make The Difference

For Lara Emond, entrepreneurship is not simply based on the creation of a project but rather on the opportunity to leverage her values. Convinced that businesses can be agents of change, she supports them in their processes.

From an early age, Lara Emond has had a burning desire to make a difference. As a teenager, she organized charity events at her school and supported many causes. Without realizing it, she was already charting her professional course.

After founding an organization and a communications and marketing agency, the young woman went on to create Iris + Arlo, a company dedicated to countering menstrual precariousness. Over the past few months, she has brought around 150 Quebec companies and organizations on board, and they will soon be offering sanitary protection to their employees.

"But it goes further," she insists. "The ultimate goal is to provide healthy menstrual protection free of chemicals everywhere in schools and public spaces." In addition to the commercial aspect, Iris + Arlo has established an educational component through its platform and various documentation.

The businesswoman, who has developed expertise in governance, believes that a company can be both social and profitable.

"You can manage growth while making an impact in people's lives."

— Lara Emond

Governance goes well beyond being a good corporate citizen, she emphasizes. "The company has a duty, but it's primarily the entrepreneur and the team around them who bear this social responsibility," she explains.

One of the duties she imposes on herself is to get involved in the community. That's why she has served on about ten boards of directors, including those of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Centraide Québec, and the Franco-Québécois Youth Office, "an organization that supported my early projects," she explains, emphasizing her desire to give back.

 Her involvement also extends to the environmental cause. As the founder of the marketing and design strategy agency Nordet & Co, she offers eco-responsible solutions to her clients.

"We need to go beyond mere social conscience," says someone who opposes greenwashing in marketing. According to her, a marketing campaign should be rooted in values, not just results. "Otherwise, wait until you're ready before launching," she advises her clients.

Advocating for a human approach in business, Lara Emond does not hesitate to speak out. She regularly shares her ideas on entrepreneurship and social involvement as a speaker at events both in Quebec and internationally.

A polyglot, travel and culture enthusiast, she navigates her path with the firm intention of pursuing her dreams. "When I was a child, my mother used to tell me, 'Dare, try, and learn.' That's what I'm trying to do."

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FIVE QUICK QUESTIONS

Q: Your greatest achievement?

A: Bringing together committed teams who want to make a difference.

Q: What's the best advice you've received?

A: Don't be afraid to dare, to fall and to get up again.

Q: Your passions outside work?

Taking time for myself: reading with a cup of tea, yoga, dinner with friends.

Q: Are you afraid of failure?

A: No, you have to learn from your failures.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: I'd like Iris + Arlo to have distribution points all over North America, and for the movement to grow.

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