Employee Profile - Catherine Lavigne, Project Manager

Cumulating over 20 years of experience in e-commerce and web project management, Catherine Lavigne joined our team in 2015 to bring us her leadership and expertise. We sat down with her to learn more about her daily life with us.

In a few words, how would you describe your position and your daily routine?

My colleagues would say that I spend my days creating progress reports. And when I think about it, that's indeed a significant part of my work! But in reality, I spend most of my time caring about the client's objectives, aligning people, and managing risks. To fulfill my responsibilities effectively, I have to participate in all activities related to the planning and execution of my projects. I am somewhat the guardian of meeting deadlines and budgets. Thus, I have to know and understand everything, even though sometimes it feels like my colleagues are speaking a made-up language to me!

I primarily act as a conductor to ensure that the whole team can move forward under the best possible conditions. I coordinate, question, make sure nobody has blockers, and search for solutions and answers.

My role involves supervision, management, and strategic decision-making to ensure the success of a project. I'm not the one who codes or does the design (although I would really love to), but I establish all the necessary conditions to deliver a quality project within deadlines, budgets, and most importantly, with joy.

In addition to all of that, I'm a liaison agent who maintains constant communication with clients, Tink's management, and my colleagues. Regardless of the scale of the projects, I enjoy managing them from start to finish. Yes, you could say I'm everywhere!

When I first started at Tink, I worked as a project manager. Today, as a project director, my responsibilities have expanded (much to my delight)! This allows me to assist the consulting, support and evolution teams. Therefore, I can truly follow a project from beginning to end.

I see my role as that of a mother who must connect all the parties involved and find a balance so that the project's realization becomes a positive experience for everyone involved. I have a project to deliver and a whole team to support, both my colleagues and my clients. Ultimately, my goal is for everyone to achieve their goals while respecting the project's mission.

In your opinion, what skills and qualities should a person demonstrate to hold a position like yours?

As a project manager, I must act as a compassionate conductor! It's important for me to be a positive leader and highly organized, capable of working on thousands of things at once. To achieve this, what matters is being attentive to what surrounds me.

Resourcefulness and versatility are two major key skills in our profession. One should not be afraid to get involved to truly understand the challenges faced by our teams and find solutions. It's also important to demonstrate diplomacy, make difficult decisions, and be able to speak the truth, both to clients and the project team.

Furthermore, I would say that having an unconventional profile can often be a great strength for this position. It promotes versatility, autonomy, and enhances one's practice! For example, before becoming a project director, I initially studied art and business administration, in addition to obtaining a bachelor's and master's degree in graphic design. The combination of all these past skills makes me a better professional today.

What have you learned during your time at Tink?

It's important to work with honesty, openness, and transparency. It always pays off in building long-term trusted relationships!

When things don't go as planned, it's important to have the humility to admit it and switch into problem-solving mode. Everyone can make mistakes from time to time, even project managers! The key is to know how to bounce back and effectively manage the situation. If needed, we can always rely on the support of our colleagues to lend a helping hand! The important thing is not to wait before speaking up.

What do you like about Tink, and what makes you stay?

Firstly, there are the colleagues I interact with on a daily basis. I am fortunate to work with professional, competent, intelligent, and funny individuals who inspire me to push myself every day. They're clearly the NINJA SUPER STAR team!

I also have the opportunity to work on interesting projects with clients who trust me. We form a close-knit family, and each project becomes a bit like our baby! We all want to take care of it and see it reach its full potential. Working at Tink allows me to experience all of this.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

I am very proud to have earned the respect of my teams and the trust of my clients. My greatest recognition is when I hear my colleagues say things like, "Cool! The project will be managed by Catherine!" or "Projects go better when Catherine is in charge." It also motivates me to hear clients say that I am a game changer and that they appreciate my availability and the quality of my management. It's incredibly rewarding to know that I am making a difference.

Since I joined Tink, I have also had the opportunity to lead large-scale projects that push the boundaries of innovation and require the input of a multidisciplinary team. It's impressive to see all the challenges we are able to overcome together, and it warms my heart to see that the Tink teams want to follow me in these endeavors.

How would you describe the work environment at Tink?

The work environment at Tink reflects the image of my colleagues. I am surrounded by professional and expert individuals in their fields who are always ready to roll up their sleeves to deliver quality projects within the set deadlines. But most importantly, we manage to do it with joy. Even though we may occasionally feel stressed or tired, laughter is always present! I appreciate the fact that even though we work in the digital and technology industry, the human aspect remains at the center of our attention.

For you, working at Tink means having the opportunity to...?

It means pushing myself every day by working on stimulating projects for renowned brands, alongside digital and technology ninjas. What we do is really exciting!

What advice would you give to future employees in your field?

Trust your instincts and make decisions as if you were your own client. Act with leadership, positivity, and kindness. Take ownership of your choices and define a clear vision so that everyone can move in the same direction. And never hesitate to ask for help when needed!