Bruno Gerves 
Chair

An active member of Alliance Française Vancouver since 2013, Bruno was born, raised and educated in Bordeaux. A telecommunications engineer, he worked for France Télécom in Paris before becoming Executive Director of the Vocational Training Centre of the Angers Chamber of Commerce. Based in Vancouver since 2005, he opened two liquor shops before setting up his own business as a liquor industry expert nearly 12 years ago. He works mainly in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Stephanie Navoly 
Vice-Chairman

Originally from the south of France, I grew up in the Roussillon region. In the early 2000s, my desire to live in an English-speaking country led me to move to the United States for a one-year work contract. After returning to France for a few years, I decided to settle in Canada, on the west coast, in Victoria.

Daniel Wang
Treasurer

Daniel Wang is originally from Mauritius. He arrived in Canada in 1997, having completed his post-secondary studies in England and the United States. He currently owns his own financial advisory and insurance agency, with the goal of financially protecting his clients and their loved ones. Daniel is president of his co-ownership and treasurer of the Fondation des francophones de la Colombie Britannique. He was also President of the Vancouver Francophone Chamber of Commerce from 2015 to 2020. He is very involved in the francophone community, where he uses his professional experience to help entrepreneurs in the region.

Jean Girard
Director

Jean works for a Fairmont hotel as the Director of Sales and Events. He has been in Canada for 30 years and has worked in luxury hotels. He has two children in Montreal. Two reasons motivate his candidacy: 1) To reconnect with his French heritage, which he feels distanced from after 30 years. 2) As an event professional, he believes he can contribute to the association. This is his first time joining a Board of Directors, and he is very enthusiastic.

Christene Best
Director

The French language has been an important part of my life since the age of ten. My family moved to Quebec City for a year specifically to learn French. Throughout my schooling, I always took French classes. I continued them as an adult, most recently at AF Vancouver. Although my courses took place several years ago, I am still in contact with former classmates and teachers. I had a wonderful experience at AF and intend to enrol again in a few years' time.

François Lucas
Director

François is originally from the Paris region and lived in France until he was 20. He then moved to England, Hong Kong, returned to France, and finally moved to Vancouver in 2004. He is the founder of a company that works in investment and finance. Initially trained as a telecommunications engineer, he is an expert in high-tech and later worked in construction. He wishes to reconnect with his French heritage. He has built an international, mixed family that travels a lot.

Vincent Cauwet
Director

Vincent, originally from Paris, made Vancouver his home in 2006. Armed with an IT engineering degree, he delved headfirst into the tech industry, wearing different hats in software engineering, project and product management. Currently, he holds the position of Chief of Operations at Eventbase Technology. A company that delivers mobile apps for some of the world's largest events, like the Olympics, SXSW, CES, and Dreamforce. 

Sophie Oliveau-Moore
Director

Originally from the southwest of France, I have been living on Vancouver Island since 1984. After spending about fifteen years in the north of the island, I moved with my family to Victoria. With a background in visual communication, I worked in graphic design for several years before turning to translation. I am now a certified translator with the STIBC.

Whitney Brown
Director

Whitney Brown is a strategist, fundraiser and communicator with more than a decade of experience designing campaigns that connect people to causes and inspire meaningful action. As Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Public Outreach, she leads national digital operations and oversees multi-channel strategies — across digital, phone and face-to-face — for some of North America’s leading non-profits, with a focus on new donor engagement and long-term supporter relationships.