Charles Cantin
Consultant in digital and artificial intelligence transformation. I work under the name Initia and I help companies that want to adopt the right solutions in the right order.
Initia
From the Latin initium, the point where things start. In
Unix, init is the first process to
run at boot, the root that everything else builds on.
init + ia. AI orchestrator: wiring the pieces together, switching on capabilities, and getting data, systems, models, processes and teams to run as one.
Career
More than twenty-five years at the intersection of technology, business and customer experience, across four continents. I watched the web, mobile and the cloud arrive. With each wave, the same question returns: what do we do with it, and in what order? AI is the next one. My job is to read it correctly and to turn a vague question into a clear direction.
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1994–1999
Bell Canada
Business solutions consultant. Built software to manage the performance of fibre-optic networks across Canada, deployed private communications systems and call centres. Networked Loto-Québec's 14,000 points of sale.
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1999–2005
Capgemini, in Canada and Europe
Senior consultant on large transformations: project management for France Télécom, mobile network rollout for Orange in the Netherlands, Jordan and Réunion, SAP deployment at Hydro-Québec, business plans at Desjardins, organizational audits and bid management for the Government of Canada.
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2005–2010
Senior consultant, internationally and in Canada
Led commercial services and set up mobile and Internet operations for carriers in Madagascar, Kenya, the Netherlands and the Middle East. Then a return to strategic consulting in Quebec: the national emergency network (RENIR) and Revenu Québec.
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2010–2013
Apple
Business director. Led enterprise sales teams, customer service and store openings in Canada, ranked first worldwide in the business group.
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2013–2026
Mirego
Vice-president, customer experience. Twelve years building digital solutions for established brands, within a firm that grew from 35 to more than 160 employees. I mainly guided these clients on their digital strategy and on the design of mobile and web applications: Air Transat, the SAQ, the Montreal Canadiens, TV5, Shop Santé, DAVIDsTEA, Familiprix and Schlüter-Systems.
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Since 2026
Initia
Strategic consulting in digital and artificial intelligence transformation.
On the side, I'm an entrepreneur. Founder of the LMH since 2010, a hockey league that runs games 12 months a year for more than 600 members. Designer of the LMH app, a digital platform (mobile app and web management system) used daily and soon available to other sports leagues.
I also co-founded two medical clinics (ProActive Santé) with friends who are doctors and nurses.
My approach
I start with your operations, not with technology. Together we map where time is lost, where systems don't talk to each other, and where the biggest returns are. I quantify the gain before building anything. And if the numbers don't add up, I tell you, and we don't do it.
I design for flexibility: your data stays exportable, the building blocks replaceable, everything documented so the next person can find their way. I train your people along the way, so your team can understand, operate and evolve what we put in place.
To me, efficiency means freeing people from low-value tasks so they can focus on what matters.
Collaborations
My engagements come first from business leaders. But I'm glad to work with agencies (design, development, marketing) that need senior reinforcement in artificial intelligence or digital architecture for their own clients: a strategic piece to frame, an integration to orchestrate, a team to train.
If you run an agency and a project goes beyond your scope, let's talk.