Alexandre Normand : Putting down roots

You can’t help but notice the wisdom, serenity and sparkle in the eyes of Alexandre Normand. The LG2 strategist’s life has been so eventful – a childhood spent roaming around Africa, a solo move to Montreal as a teen and later an escape into nature – that any conversation with him becomes a captivating and surprising experience. A gentle powerhouse, Alex’s passions include strategic thinking, manual labour and outdoor sports – all fuelled by a focus on human relationships.

In 1974, his father was given the opportunity to work in Rwanda and left for the African continent with his wife. Before the couple knew it, life abroad, broken up by occasional visits to Quebec, became the new normal. Alex was born in 1978 and visited numerous countries throughout his youth: Niger, Zaire, Cameroon and Ghana, just to name a few. His early life as an expat shaped who he is today, which becomes especially apparent when he realizes that none of his cultural references from the ‘80s and ‘90s resonate in Quebec.

It was in Yaoundé, Cameroon, that Alex discovered a community of skateboarders who played an essential role in his teenage years. His schooling in French lycées, taught by strict military personnel, was also marked by unique experiences.

He can clearly remember trying mountain biking for the first time around the age of 13: it was a landmark discovery for him. From that moment on, he felt an indescribable freedom on the dirt roads of Ghana. He still finds bicycle mechanics fascinating and takes great pleasure in repairing them.

Alex moved back to Quebec on his own, settling in Montreal at the young age of 16 to pursue his post-secondary studies. With the first paycheque from his student job, he promptly bought... a mountain bike! Unable to resist the prospect of an adrenaline kick in the great outdoors, he rode it down the mountain in Mount Royal Park, despite this being prohibited.

Now living far from his parents, his friends – often expats – became a second family and an invaluable source of support to him. It was also in Montreal that he met the person he now shares his life with, and the two embarked on the renovation of a century-old building. The couple shared many common passions and would take off every weekend, either to hit the snowy slopes on snowboards or the grassy slopes on mountain bikes. Montreal was soon just a place to sleep throughout the week, since most of their hobbies took them out of town.

When Alex joined LG2’s Quebec City office to develop its digital expertise, the desire to move closer to nature grew too strong to ignore. Today, he lives in the small municipality of Lac-Delage with his son and partner. Their home, a peaceful oasis surrounded by nature, is a reflection of what they love most: biking, snowboarding and the great outdoors, all within a stone’s throw of the hustle and bustle of the city. Although Alex had always loved nature, he didn’t realize how much he needed it until he made this big move.

Alex’s nomadic background has made him want to settle down so he can be present for his family – especially his son – and feel that he’s living every moment to the fullest with those he loves. He’s delighted to have passed on his taste for the slopes to his son and to be forming precious memories with him day after day.

He often says that what he’s doing today is putting down roots: it’s something he considers particularly important, given his youth overseas. He loves where he’s settled, he’s found his place, and wants to evolve fully into parenthood, a role that feels even more wondrous than nature.