The value of our investment goes beyond the growth capital we contribute. We offer businesses the support and operational expertise of seasoned business leaders—a key lever for transformation and, ultimately, growth.
Launched in late 2015, Walter Capital Partners is a private equity firm that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and strategic vision of the Somers family, founders of the Walter Group. At Walter Capital Partners, our managing partners all have senior operating experience in running businesses as well as strong financial backgrounds.
Backed by a solid entrepreneurial vision and our international network, we leverage our business acumen and experience leading companies—along with our capital investment—to become key partners in the growth of our portfolio companies, both at home and abroad. Just as importantly, our capital is patient. We give companies the time to reach new heights of success.
Our managing partners
Experienced partners who understand the challenges faced by businesses
Éric Phaneuf and Éric Doyon have a proven track record as business leaders and investors, developing and implementing creative strategic initiatives, establishing solid management teams and creating value through judicious acquisition plans. Combined with the support of the Walter Group, the experience of our team represents a major advantage for the companies in our portfolio.
Approach
Thinking like entrepreneurs
With their background managing companies in a variety of sectors and supporting entrepreneurs in optimizing the operations of their companies, our Managing Partners truly understand the challenges and concerns of today’s business leaders.
Growing through transformation
When undertaking ambitious development plans, our managing partners put their experience to use to the benefit of their management, enabling them to pinpoint strategic priorities and to lay the groundwork to overcome the challenges of growth.
Taking the time to expand
For us, this means having the patience to build a solid foundation and giving ourselves the time to make good decisions that will create value in the long term, without the obligation to exit our investments within a set timeframe.
Our goal: Ensure companies achieve lasting success.
A business ecosystem
Walter Capital Partners is part of the Walter Group, a business ecosystem led by the Somers family that represents their interests and values.
Guided by a multigenerational entrepreneurial spirit, the Walter Group has flourished for nearly 70 years. Having started as an industrial company that grew into a leader of its industry, the Group has since evolved into a multifaceted investment firm comprising a team dedicated to public investments, three teams specialized in private equity and a team focusing on new food projects.
At the helm of it all is a team of seasoned operators with strong business acumen and extensive financial insight. This approach empowers the Group to be actively involved in managing its investments, providing a robust and sustainable framework that underpins each of its companies.
Our people
Management Team
The members of our Managing Partner team have experience as entrepreneurs, on top of their solid financial and investment expertise. Their career trajectories have included upper management positions at large companies in a variety of sectors, positioning them as valuable advisors to the businesses in our portfolio.
Phaneuf
Doyon
Décary
Ménard
Angers
Boivin
Investment Committee
Fournier
Phaneuf
Doyon
Somers
Somers
Somers
Beaudoin
Brosseau
Goodman
Éric Phaneuf has been a Managing Partner with Walter Capital Partners since it was founded in 2015, before becoming its President and Chief Executive Officer in 2019. His professional experience includes significant career achievements in financial and operational executive management positions, mainly with North American publicly traded companies active in international markets, including Cascades, MediaGrif and Mega Brands. Mr. Phaneuf has taken on various roles, including the development and execution of the business and operational plans of a $200-million U.S. business. Before joining Walter Capital Partners, he expertly led the turnaround of a packaging company based in Ontario. He was also a key player in the successful completion of multiple funding rounds that raised over $750 million. He has an extensive background in financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, business integration, business process improvement and contract negotiations. Backed by a proven track record as a well-rounded leader, he applies his financial acumen and thorough knowledge of operations to provide support and guidance to expansion-minded entrepreneurs.
Mr. Phaneuf holds a degree in business administration, with a major in finance, from the Université de Sherbrooke, along with the title of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He serves on the Board of Directors for several private and public companies, as well as Fondation Montréal inc., a non-profit organization supporting the development of entrepreneurs in the Greater Montréal Area.
Éric Doyon joined Walter Capital Partners as managing partner in 2019. Equipped with over 25 years of experience leading small and medium-sized businesses as a senior executive, private equity investor, and investment banker, he is passionate for helping companies grow, and collaborating with entrepreneurs to create long-term value. Mr. Doyon brings to the Walter Capital Partners team not only expertise in private equity, management and strategic planning, but also an extensive business network to help establish partnerships with promising companies and support their growth.
For the past six years, Mr. Doyon has been managing partner of Entrepreneur Capital, a private equity firm that he co-founded in 2013, which specializes in the buyout of controlling equity positions in medium-sized businesses. Mr. Doyon helped steer a dozen transactions, including purchases, sales and recapitalization of companies, with an aggregate value over $300 million.
Mr. Doyon was senior vice-president and chief financial officer at Coalision, and at Europe’s Best. Prior to these leadership roles, he helped guide entrepreneurs through critical transactions for PwC Corporate Finance. Mr. Doyon began his career at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s private equity group, first as an analyst and then as a portfolio manager, where he structured and closed many private equity investments with medium-sized businesses.
Mr. Doyon holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from HEC Montréal, and has served on many boards of directors throughout his career – and continues to do so to assist companies in realizing their objectives.
Vincent Décary joined Walter Capital Partners in 2021. In his role as Managing Partner, he is responsible for originating, structuring, investing and managing portfolio companies. With over 15 years of experience collaborating with entrepreneurs and executives from the early days of their entrepreneurial journey all the way to the exit, he brings to Walter Capital portfolio companies his expertise as an M&A advisor, operator, and investor.
Prior to Walter Capital Partners, Mr. Décary worked within the investment banking divisions of National Bank Financial and RBC Capital Markets in Montreal and Toronto where he advised public and private companies on a broad range of transactions including domestic and cross-border M&A as well as various types of financing. He also held the position of Senior Director, Strategy & Business Development at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, where he led a variety of strategic, growth and operational optimization initiatives. In addition, he played a key role in the company’s M&A strategy and in the execution and integration of multiple acquisitions. Mr. Décary began his career at Ernst & Young in the audit department before joining the restructuring team.
Mr. Décary holds a bachelor’s degree and a graduate diploma in accounting from HEC Montréal, a certificate in European business from Sciences Po Paris and an MBA from McGill University. He also holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation. He serves on the board of directors of Young Canadians in Finance, a non-profit organization that supports young professionals who want to develop their skills through knowledge sharing and networking.
Cynthia Ménard joined the Walter Capital Partners team in 2018. In her role as Senior Vice President, she oversees financial analysis and research for potential investments, due diligence and fund compliance processes and governance and monitoring of companies in the portfolio. A seasoned financial manager with a diversified background in operations as well as finance, Ms. Ménard has the strong professional profile to support portfolio companies in achieving their development, growth and process improvement objectives.
With more than 20 years of experience at both public and private companies, Ms. Ménard has worked in a variety of sectors: professional services, printing, food, education, interactive services and digital operations. She has held management positions at Transcontinental Inc., where she managed all financial operations for a varied group of companies and oversaw strategic planning and financial analysis for financing, business acquisitions and disposals, turnarounds as well as development and commercialization plans. She also has experience in advisory services, having worked as a consultant to public and private companies. She launched her career working in audit at Andersen and Deloitte.
Ms. Ménard holds a Specialized Graduate Diploma (DESS) and bachelor’s degree in accounting sciences from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. She is also a member of the Quebec CPA Order.
Alexandre Gauthier Marchand joined Walter Capital Partners as Vice President, Business Development in 2023. In this role, he will develop strong relationships with entrepreneurs and the Quebec region business community to identify new investment opportunities.
Mr. Gauthier Marchand is an experienced business leader who began his career in marketing and accounting departments of family businesses. An ambitious entrepreneur, he became the co-owner of Excelpro, an industrial services company in the field of electrical and automation in 2012. In his five years as CEO, he accomplished an impressive amount of business acquisition transactions to support the company’s rapid growth. He increased sales by 530% and the number of employees from 25 to over 160. He left the company as shareholder and CEO in 2017, after ensuring a smooth transition with the new management team.
Mr. Gauthier Marchand then worked with private investment funds focusing on development capital supporting Quebec SMEs. He also co-founded Safer Route, a start-up business project designed for helping pedestrians feel safer in urban areas by suggesting optimal routes using artificial intelligence.
Mr. Gauthier Marchand has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from HEC Montréal and a master’s degree in administrative science from Université Laval. As an entrepreneur, he was also involved with organizations that support regional economic development.
Julien Archambault joined the Walter Capital team in 2020. First as a Senior Associate, then as Vice-president, he draws on his international experience to contribute to the supervision of the portfolio companies and transaction processes.
Mr. Archambault began his career as an engineer working on major projects in the energy sector, mainly with the multinational General Electric. Later, as part of the internal auditing and consulting team, he also had the opportunity to develop his skills in finance by participating in projects with a high business impact, particularly to boost project efficiency from a financial standpoint.
Mr. Archambault holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from McGill University and has completed all three Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) certification exams.
Arianne Angers joined the Walter Capital Partners team in July 2023. As an Associate, she is actively involved in evaluating potential acquisitions, conducting due diligence on new investment opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies.
Prior to joining WCP, Arianne was an Associate at Inovia Capital, one of Canada’s leading venture & growth equity funds. As a member of the of the Venture team, Arianne was responsible for sourcing and executing transactions in the technology sector. She also provided active support to the portfolio, contributing to diverse strategic & growth initiatives. Prior to business school and Inovia, Arianne spent 4 years in Ernst & Young’s management consulting practice across both the Montreal and Toronto offices. Arianne began her career as a junior engineer at Air Liquide, where she participated in the company’s leadership rotational program.
Arianne holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from McGill University.
Carl Boivin joined Walter Capital Partners in September 2023. As an Associate, he is actively involved in evaluating potential acquisitions, conducting due diligence on new investment opportunities, and monitoring portfolio companies.
Prior to joining WCP, Carl worked for Investissement Quebec’s TMT Private Equity team as an Associate, where he was involved in several growth investments in technology companies looking to expand internationally or fuel their acquisition strategy. Previously, he worked at Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance as a Mergers & Acquisitions Analyst, advising clients in the building products, automotive, and financial sectors on their divestment, acquisition, and capital-raising initiatives. He began his career with Ernst & Young’s audit team.
Carl holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Specialized Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Sherbrooke, as well as the CPA and CFA designations.
Jordan Pokrywa joined the Walter Capital Partners team in March 2024. As a Senior Analyst, he is actively involved in evaluating potential acquisitions, conducting due diligence on new investment opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies.
Prior to joining WCP, Jordan was an Investment Banking Analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Montreal, where he was involved in multiple M&A transactions and capital raises.
Jordan holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from Concordia University.
René Fournier is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Walter Financial. In this role, Mr. Fournier leads the investment team and is responsible for the company’s investment strategies, including asset allocation. He is also a member of the Board of Walter Global Asset Management and Walter Capital Partners in addition to being the Head of its Investment Committee. Furthermore, Mr. Fournier is a member of the board of directors of Mayrand and Alimplus, both private companies in the food sector.
Before joining the Walter Group, Mr. Fournier was responsible for the Canadian equities and corporate bonds team at a large Canadian pension fund. His responsibilities included leading the team of analysts in addition to leading the research strategy. Earlier, he worked at EDC as a director of structured project finance and as a project manager at J.D. Irving.
Mr. Fournier received an MBA from McGill University. He holds a CFA title and a professional engineer title in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Moncton University.
Éric Phaneuf has been a Managing Partner with Walter Capital Partners since it was founded in 2015, before becoming its President and Chief Executive Officer in 2019. His professional experience includes significant career achievements in financial and operational executive management positions, mainly with North American publicly traded companies active in international markets, including Cascades, MediaGrif and Mega Brands. Mr. Phaneuf has taken on various roles, including the development and execution of the business and operational plans of a $200-million U.S. business. Before joining Walter Capital Partners, he expertly led the turnaround of a packaging company based in Ontario. He was also a key player in the successful completion of multiple funding rounds that raised over $750 million. He has an extensive background in financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, business integration, business process improvement and contract negotiations. Backed by a proven track record as a well-rounded leader, he applies his financial acumen and thorough knowledge of operations to provide support and guidance to expansion-minded entrepreneurs.
Mr. Phaneuf holds a degree in business administration, with a major in finance, from the Université de Sherbrooke, along with the title of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He serves on the Board of Directors for several private and public companies, as well as Fondation Montréal inc., a non-profit organization supporting the development of entrepreneurs in the Greater Montréal Area.
Éric Doyon joined Walter Capital Partners as managing partner in 2019. Equipped with over 25 years of experience leading small and medium-sized businesses as a senior executive, private equity investor, and investment banker, he is passionate for helping companies grow, and collaborating with entrepreneurs to create long-term value. Mr. Doyon brings to the Walter Capital Partners team not only expertise in private equity, management and strategic planning, but also an extensive business network to help establish partnerships with promising companies and support their growth.
For the past six years, Mr. Doyon has been managing partner of Entrepreneur Capital, a private equity firm that he co-founded in 2013, which specializes in the buyout of controlling equity positions in medium-sized businesses. Mr. Doyon helped steer a dozen transactions, including purchases, sales and recapitalization of companies, with an aggregate value over $300 million.
Mr. Doyon was senior vice-president and chief financial officer at Coalision, and at Europe’s Best. Prior to these leadership roles, he helped guide entrepreneurs through critical transactions for PwC Corporate Finance. Mr. Doyon began his career at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s private equity group, first as an analyst and then as a portfolio manager, where he structured and closed many private equity investments with medium-sized businesses.
Mr. Doyon holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from HEC Montréal, and has served on many boards of directors throughout his career – and continues to do so to assist companies in realizing their objectives.
Pierre Somers is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Walter Group headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The Walter Group is mainly active in the financial sector, especially through the operations of Walter Financial, a prominent investment firm and keystone of the Group. The firm itself comprises two private equity firms: Walter Capital Partners and Walter Global Asset Management.
For over 30 years, Pierre Somers helmed the Walter Group’s founding company, Walter Surface Technologies, which was founded by his father in 1952 and owned by the Group until 2018. As head of the company, he was the driver behind its expansion to international markets. Walter Surface Technologies now operates in nine countries across the Americas and Europe. He also innovated with the creation of the Bio-Circle division, which offers environmentally safe solutions for industrial cleaning applications through bioremediation. On the financial side of the Group’s operations, he contributed to the establishment of Walter Financial as a credible investment firm within the financial community. More recently, Pierre Somers initiated the creation of Walter Capital Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to supporting small- and medium-sized companies, as well as Walter Global Asset Management, a North American private equity platform focused on asset management.
Before taking the lead at Walter Group, Mr. Somers held various positions within Walter Surface Technologies in Canada and the U.S., where he garnered in-depth knowledge of various sectors of the company, on his way to becoming Chairman & CEO. At the beginning of his career, he worked as a mechanical engineer at Metabo AG, in Germany.
Pierre Somers holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, in Potsdam, NY, which he obtained in 1976. In 2005, he was appointed Alumni of the YPO/MBA program at the Harvard Business School, an institution he has been active with for over 20 years. He is fluent in English, French and German.
Mr. Somers is a strong supporter of education. He has been honorary president for numerous fundraising campaigns held by organizations such as Madeli-Aide and the ITHQ (Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec), from which he has received an honoris causa degree. Through the Walter J. Somers Foundation, he supports the HEC Montréal Walter J. Somers Foundation Centre for Productivity and Prosperity, where he sits on the steering committee. Mr. Somers is a founding member of the Business Families Foundation, and is a member of the Presidents Club of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the World Presidents Organization and the CEO Organization.
Isabelle Somers joined the Walter Group in 2016, where she leads the development of Walter Ventures, the Group’s European early-stage investment platform focused on Enterprise Software companies. In addition, she is Managing Partner and Chair of the Walter Group, and member of the Walter GAM board and the investment committee of Walter Capital Partners.
When joining the Walter Group, she oversaw the restructuring and majority sale of Walter Surface Technologies, the family’s industrial business. Before that, she worked in Group Strategy at Bombardier Transportation in Berlin, Germany, where she developed PRIMOVE pure electric bus business models and market entry strategies. She later joined the Corporate Audit Service and Risk Assessment department of Bombardier Inc., where she assessed operational and financial risks within its Transportation operations and delivered onsite risk mitigation roadmaps to senior management teams in 12 different countries.
Isabelle studied Visual Arts, followed by a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance at JMSB Concordia University, in Montreal. In 2016, she completed her MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, during which she worked in a smart wearable technology start-up focused on non-medical maternity devices.
Passionate about innovation, technology, art, food, health, and wellness, and supporting early years education, environmental and agricultural sustainability.
A favorite quote: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Alexandre Somers has helped develop new restaurant projects, including real estate transactions, since 2016. For the Walter Group, Mr. Somers has drawn from 15 years of culinary experience to launch a new line of business: Walter Hospitality. During this time, he has also consulted on food production and served as a private chef.
Across two continents, Mr. Somers rose through the ranks in many celebrated establishments. He perfected his culinary art at, most notably, the restaurants Leméac and Maison Boulud in Montréal and at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris and L’Oustau de Baumanière in Provence – two Michelin star-rated restaurants in France.
Mr. Somers holds a diploma of vocational studies in culinary arts from the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ). He also completed the restaurateur program at the École supérieure de cuisine française Grégoire-Ferrandi in Paris. Before he donned his chef’s whites, he studied architecture at Carleton University and commerce at HEC Montréal.
Mr. Somers is actively involved in the community and local charitable endeavours, including the first editions of Les Grands Chefs Relais & Châteaux, a benefit dinner for the Fondation ITHQ.
François Beaudoin is a member of corporate boards and provides advisory services to national and international organizations in strategic planning, merger and acquisitions, and financial planning.
Mr. Beaudoin is a career banker who was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Development Bank of Canada where he worked from 1990 to 1999. Prior to that, over a 16-year period, Mr. Beaudoin held several executive positions in Quebec and Ontario at Bank of Montreal, including the position of Vice-President in the Quebec Region. From 1999 to 2012, Mr. Beaudoin acted as Senior Advisor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Montreal.
Mr. Beaudoin is a member of the following boards: Walter Financial (Chairman), Walter Group, Walter Global Asset Management, Peak Financial Group, and Britton Electric.
Mr. Beaudoin is past Chairman of the Quebec Chapter of the World Presidents Organization. Mr. Beaudoin holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York and a BBA from the HEC in Montreal.
Sylvain Brosseau has served as Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner of Walter Global Asset Management since the company was founded in 2018. His proven expertise in generating growth allows him to support independent asset management firms in reaching new heights.
Mr. Brosseau has over 25 years of experience in the investment management industry, including his tenure as Global President and Chief Operating Officer of Fiera Capital from 2003 to 2017. Under his leadership, the company grew its assets under management from $5 billion to $120 billion and its market capitalization from $20 million to over $1 billion. He also spearheaded the firm’s international expansion, overseeing more than 15 acquisitions across Canada, the United States and Europe and the opening of new offices throughout North America and Europe.
Before joining Fiera Capital, Mr. Brosseau served as Executive Vice-President, Institutional Markets at TAL Global Asset Management Inc. and as Executive Vice-President at TAL International, where he oversaw worldwide distribution and operations. His experience also includes terms as Vice-President of Marketing and Vice-President of Technology and Operations at Talvest Mutual Funds.
Mr. Brosseau is a current member of the board of directors for several organizations, including Equisoft and many of WGAM’s underlying portfolio partners. He has also sat on the board for numerous other organizations in the past, such as Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Fiera Capital Corporation, Centria Commerce, Fiera Properties, Bel Air Investment Advisors, Charlemagne Capital, Fiera-Axium Infrastructure and Fundserv.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Vermont and a Master of Science from McGill University. A member of YPO, he also regularly participates in numerous fundraising campaigns in support of Montréal charities.
Goodman
Russel Goodman currently serves as a corporate director of public, private and not-for-profit companies.
Until his retirement in 2011, Russell Goodman was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He held senior management and leading client responsibilities at Canadian, North American and Global levels. He was Managing Partner for the Americas’ Project Finance & Privatization team; and Global Head of Advisory Services to the Transport Sector, and Managing Partner for PWC Montreal Office. He later became Managing Partner of PWC Canada’s Transactions and Private Equity Advisory Services, which included M&A; corporate and project finance; restructuring and distressed strategy; valuations; and litigation advisory services.
In addition to serving on the Advisory Board of Walter Financial, Russell Goodman serves on the boards of directors of Gildan Activewear, Metro, Northland Power, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings and Forth Ports. A fellow of the Quebec Order of Chartered Professional Accountants, Mr. Goodman holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University.
He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pointe-à-Callière Foundation.