Every Friday, a decision-maker is revealed in our section. This week, Jonathan Audet, co-founder and director of operations of Ferreol, answers our questions. The company designs and manufactures high performance alpine skis.
Published at 8:00 a.m.
What is your greatest sporting achievement?
That’s when I was provincial slopestyle champion [descente acrobatique]in 2014. I must have been 19 years old. I did not participate, but the same year the discipline was presented at the Olympic Games. The competition circuits had only existed for a few years and there were not yet many coaches. The sport was still young.
Was there a moment when your career changed?
Two events come to mind. First, when we received the Éveil Eggenius scholarship from Laval University where I studied engineering. It allowed us to move from the concept we were developing to reality. That was in 2019. But there is another defining moment in the company’s journey. By developing a type of aluminum for our skis, we realized that our aluminum was so efficient that other ski manufacturers began to take an interest in it, even companies in the aeronautics and transportation sectors. aerospace.
Do you have a mentor?
I have several mentors. It’s part of the company’s philosophy to be well surrounded. We have personal mentors, but also for the team. Some are officially registered while others are unofficial. I think of people like Martine Hudon – who almost plays the role of my entrepreneurial psychologist – or Michel Simard who owns the Ski Michel store, whose expertise is in the ski industry.
A good boss is someone who…
…is able to get the most out of each person by being a leader able to inspire and develop intrapreneurs within the company.
What do you always carry in your pockets or bag?
Alpine skis. I carry it around (always a little too much!) both on trade missions and elsewhere, whether in summer or winter. It’s always interesting to be able to show our products or to have them not too far away if we want to ski.
What books do you usually recommend?
A book that I like is What if entrepreneurship made you crazy? by Dominic Gagnon and Isabelle Naessens (Éditions de l’Homme, 2024). It talks about the importance of taking an interest in mental health among entrepreneurs. The other, Measure What Matters by John Doerr, allows me to put several things into perspective [en traitant de la planification et des objectifs de grandes entreprises].
Are you more into radio, podcasts or music?
I listen to podcasts or the radio for news or information. But I like to listen to the music that tempts me with an application like Spotify. And I don’t have a particular style of music. I can listen to very different things, depending on the occasion.
Do you have a favorite item on your desk?
At home, I have the first aluminum sheet that we managed to produce. Seeing it, I happen to think that we launched a ski company which is doing well today, which is experiencing good growth… and that through this, we have managed to develop an aluminum which is not only efficient, but which is also recognized as the most resistant in the world.
The ideal retirement?
Continue to do what you love every day. In my case, it would be being near the mountains and trying to find the best quality snow possible. In the summer, it would be cycling. This is what I do today and this is what I would like to do in the future.
Do you have a mantra?
Fuel your passion.
Who is Jonathan Audet?
In 2014, Jonathan Audet became Quebec freestyle downhill ski champion.
With his friends Félix Lapointe and Étienne Boucher, in 2019 he created Ferreol, a high-performance alpine ski company.
In 2023, he obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Sherbrooke following research on the behavior of alpine skis on snow.
The same year, he created with his partners the company Ferreol Technologies, which develops and markets materials, including a new type of aluminum.
