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Top 10 Under 40: Meet Cynthia Larose from Cascades

The next generation of leaders in Canada’s pulp and paper industry are striving hard to build a resilient future. The winners of the 2023 Top 10 Under 40 program are constantly raising the bar for their peers with their forward-thinking initiatives and their zeal to make a lasting difference. The future of the industry is in the secure hands of these young professionals who not only take ownership of their responsibilities but contribute beyond what is expected of them.

The winners this year work in different roles and capacities within the industry, but share some key characteristics – strong work ethic, commitment to their roles and a desire to innovate and improve.

Today, we introduce Cynthia Larose, regional operations manager, Cascades Recovery+, Lachine, Que.

Relatively new to the industry, Cynthia Larose brought with her 15 years of operations experience in the aeronautics industry. When she joined the pulp and paper industry in a company where most of the plants are managed like medium-sized businesses she realized that she has leverage over a lot of processes that are not so strict and rigorous in comparison. She took her time to learn about the manufacturing process, other processes, the quality aspect, the impact of good quality on the final product, and so on.

When Larose joined Cascades, she noticed that the plant had a lot of equipment and assets in the yard that were no longer being used. Also, the shop itself was not organized in a neat and orderly fashion. So, over the course of a year, she inspired the whole team to join in on cleaning and organizing everything.

Larose constantly supports all her colleagues with her excellent understanding of the company’s internal and external processes. She doesn’t hesitate, when necessary, to challenge the existing order for the good of all.

Inspired by a ‘Women in Governance’ event, Larose had the idea of replicating the experience with the mostly immigrant and older women who make up her sorting line team.

“I see the need to encourage greater diversity in production and supervisory positions in our plants. With this activity, without which they might not have had the opportunity or the courage to express their desire to progress, I wanted to show these women that they too can advance within the company,” she says.