Yanik Deschênes is the founding president of YPR, a marketing public relations agency whose mission is to create conversations that generate brand equity. He leads a team of PR specialists based in Montreal, Toronto, and New York. A lawyer by training and still a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar, Yanik is also one of the co-founders of C2 Montreal, an international conference combining commerce and creativity. He has served on several boards, including as Chairman of the Canadian Communications and Public Relations Foundation, a director of Fitspirit, and the $500M fundraising campaign for the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation. He also sits on the advisory committee of Optima Aero, a flagship Quebec aeronautics company.