Biography.

Pascal Lépine was raised in Saint-Paul, near Joliette. Son of a factory-worker-turned-manager father and a stay-at-home mother, his path to becoming a successful cause marketer for organizations in the charitable and non-profit sector wasn’t immediately clear.

But his parents’ volunteering activities within their local parish made an impression on Pascal, instilling in him a drive to help others. Frequent bullying, often about his sexual orientation, also shaped Pascal’s natural instinct to step in and defend vulnerable or marginalized people and communities.

Pascal’s bachelor’s degree in French literature is a testament to his other early calling—poetry. But little by little, his inner entrepreneur took the reins. He founded an online search and website design business. He paid close attention to the needs and opportunities he came across in his network of business relationships, which ultimately led to directing his expertise towards marketing communications, without ever leaving behind his volunteer commitments outside of work.

Pascal completed his joint HEC-McGill executive MBA degree under the supervision of the eminent Henry Mintzberg. Henry was more than just a distinguished professor—he acted as a mentor and inspiration to Pascal, who decided to rethink the very mission of his agency, Atypic, which would be dedicated from that point onward to working exclusively with charitable and non-profit organizations.

Two merger-acquisitions later (one the Montréal-based direct marketing agency Tac Tic Direct, the other Toronto-based telemarketing firm Left Bank), it became clear that Atypic could indeed rise above preconceived notions about the viability of cause-based enterprise. Pascal is living proof that it’s possible to have both a good heart and a good head for business.

Driven by the success of Atypic and his ongoing desire to make a difference in the NPO sector, Pascal helped launch the recruitment agency Engagés. In addition, he took on the interim general management of the Fondation Dr Julien. In this capacity, he undertook significant mandates, including cofounder succession and the organizational transformation and development strategy for Québec and internationally. The role also allowed him to act as a Youth Delegate for the United Nations.

Pascal is known for providing a professional environment that focuses on wellbeing and aligns with the balanced approach he brings to his work and personal life. This shift was motivated in part by his own experience with burnout, and as a way to encourage the Atypic team and community at large to take better care of themselves. These efforts only increased once Pascal gave himself the freedom to be true to himself in his personal life and at work.

Pascal also works to raise awareness of mental health issues like anxiety, which he has struggled with since he was just four years old. By sharing his experience, he is dismantling the stereotype of what a strong leader should be, always invincible and invulnerable. His journey, filled with large-scale projects, big challenges and bigger successes, shows that transparency and authenticity aren’t a hindrance, and can instead be a source of positive change.

• Pascal likes to do things differently; his colleagues and collaborators see him as an engine of change.
• He drives an electric scooter with great pleasure and an even greater sense of freedom.
• At 30, he created the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, which managed in just five years to influence the policies of governments and major businesses to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in 15 countries worldwide. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva thanked him personally for his work.
• He likes to box without hurting and loves the water, especially scuba diving.
• Pascal is a champion of authenticity, empathy and courageous daring in leadership, and don’t even talk to him about micro-managing.
• Art-with-a-capital-A feeds his spirit: opera, literature, the visual arts…
• He cherishes every opportunity to travel, learning about others and discovering more about himself along the way.