Spring Gala: 2025 Person of the Year Nancy Raymond Honoured

Drazen Seslija

On May 6, 2026, the Gatineau Chamber of Commerce held its traditional Spring Gala at the Canadian Museum of History. For this edition, Nancy Raymond, the president of Steamatic Canada, who was named 2025 Person of the Year at the most recent Excelor Gala, was the guest of honour at the Spring Evening, an event designed to celebrate spring with the business community. To properly celebrate her status, the evening’s theme was inspired by the concept of the popular show En direct de L’univers, where storytelling and music blend seamlessly.

Career and Personal Journey

Right from the start, host Kim Biggs told the audience – which included Nancy’s friends and family members, entrepreneurs, and members of the media, among others – that the evening would focus not only on her professional career, but also on more personal anecdotes that would help everyone get to know her.

The evening began with a musical performance orchestrated by her husband, who sang Ice Ice Baby for her, accompanied by dancers. Moved by his performance, the president of Steamatic Canada acknowledged that her husband was her pillar of strength, describing him as “her rock.” She then spoke about her journey, noting that she entered the world of entrepreneurship after leaving her government job. She revealed to the audience that she is bold, loves to win, and follows her instincts. She also spoke with Kim about her involvement in causes in the Outaouais region that are close to her heart, such as the Leucan Foundation, which she has supported extensively over the years.

Music and a Family Atmosphere

Throughout the evening, musical performances followed, one after the other. Her team from Steamatic Canada, her longtime friends, her uncles, and other members of her inner circle took turns singing songs for her. In fact, the song Nancy’s work team sang was an original composition of their own.

Nancy admitted that her team members are like family to her. “I drew inspiration from my family values when choosing the team I would work with,” she explained.

Other highlights of the evening included a raffle for tickets to annual shows at the Casino Theater and a video message of congratulations to Nancy from Véronique Cloutier, projected on a giant screen.

To wrap up the evening, Nancy’s niece came on stage to sing two songs: The Show Must Go on and I Will Survive. As soon as the final notes faded away, the audience rose to their feet and gave a standing ovation for the star of the evening, Nancy Raymond.