Julia Rivard
Encyclopedia
Julia Rivard is a Canadian
sprint canoer
who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Rivard and her teammates finished ninth in the K-4 500 m
event at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. She has since become a successful entrepreneur in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has held a number of leadership positions in Canadian Olympic sport and in the Arts and Culture community.
, Rivard was a successful multisport athlete, especially as an alpine skier and swimmer. At one time she was ranked in the top ten in Canada in the 200m backstroke and 800m freestyle. She started her canoe-kayak career at the relatively late age of 19. She moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
shortly afterward to pursue her training. She was a member of the Canadian national kayak team for three years.
Rivard's career highlights include a fourth-place finish in women's K-4 500m at the 1998 World Championships
in Szeged
, Hungary
. In the 2000 World Cup events, she and her teammates won a pair of bronze medals, and also had a fourth- and a sixth-place finish. Her competitive career concluded with a ninth-place finish in the K-4 500 m
event at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
.
Rivard is a member of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame and the 2000 North Bay Female Athlete of the year.
in 2000. In 2003 she completed her Bachelor of Graphic Design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University).
. Queen Street Studios was a new business of the year finalist at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Halifax Business Awards, and was named one of the top ten Nova Scotia startups by the Nova Scotia Business Journal. In 2006, Rivard was nominated for the Globe and Mail's Top 40 Under 40. Since 2011 she has served as an alumni representative on the NSCADU Board of Governors.
Rivard merged Queen Street Studios with web site design and marketing firm Norex.ca
in 2008, taking the position of Creative Director at Norex. Rivard led the Norex team in developing a medal table widget for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. The widget had over 3 million downloads during the games and was among the most successful Apple / Mac
downloads during that period. Rivard later led the Norex design and development of a results application for the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
held in Dartmouth. The Norex group of companies was named the eighth-fastest growing company in Atlantic Canada
by Progress Magazine in 2009, the sixth-fastest growing in 2010, and the second-fastest growing in 2011.
Rivard is also a partner in Norex's sister company SheepDogInc.ca, Google's
Canadian migration and application development partner. In March 2010, SheepDogInc.ca was one of only 40 developers invited to deploy a Google App
, a time tracking application called gTrax, in the launch of the Google Apps Marketplace. In August 2010 Rivard was announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company. Prior to that she served as Vice President of Communications.
In 2011, Rivard's work leading SheepDogInc.ca was recognized with a nomination for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. In July, she was named an Atlantic Canadian finalist in the Information Technology category. In August 2011, she was featured in a Canadian Business Journal
article entitled "20 Young Women in Power."
as athlete's representative on the Sprint High Performance Committee, and then moved onto the Executive Committee as Vice Chair Athlete Relations. She is currently the Vice Chair of Marketing and a member of the CanoeKayak Canada Board of Directors. She is a past Board member of Sport Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic. In 2008, she accepted a Federal Appointment to the Board of Directors for the 2011 Canada Winter Games which were held in Halifax. As a member of the Board her primary responsibilities included the development of the Games Legacy Plan, which includes an Arts and Cultural legacy. She is currently a member-at-large (B Member) of the Canadian Olympic Committee
.
In an operational role, Rivard has been to both the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing, and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver as a Team Services Officer on the Canadian Mission Team. In that role she managed team operations at both Games.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Rivard and her teammates finished ninth in the K-4 500 m
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Women's K-4 500 metres
The women's K-4 500 metres event was a fours kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:10 crews entered in two heats...
event at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. She has since become a successful entrepreneur in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has held a number of leadership positions in Canadian Olympic sport and in the Arts and Culture community.
Sporting career
Born and raised in North Bay, OntarioNorth Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
, Rivard was a successful multisport athlete, especially as an alpine skier and swimmer. At one time she was ranked in the top ten in Canada in the 200m backstroke and 800m freestyle. She started her canoe-kayak career at the relatively late age of 19. She moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
shortly afterward to pursue her training. She was a member of the Canadian national kayak team for three years.
Rivard's career highlights include a fourth-place finish in women's K-4 500m at the 1998 World Championships
1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 1998 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary.The men's competition consisted of nine Canadian and nine kayak events. Women competed in eight events, all in kayak....
in Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. In the 2000 World Cup events, she and her teammates won a pair of bronze medals, and also had a fourth- and a sixth-place finish. Her competitive career concluded with a ninth-place finish in the K-4 500 m
Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Women's K-4 500 metres
The women's K-4 500 metres event was a fours kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:10 crews entered in two heats...
event at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Rivard is a member of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame and the 2000 North Bay Female Athlete of the year.
Education
While still a national team athlete, Rivard completed a Bachelor of Recreation Administration degree at Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in 2000. In 2003 she completed her Bachelor of Graphic Design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University).
Business
After graduation, Rivard cofounded and ran an incubation center for independent creatives called Queen Street Studios in Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
. Queen Street Studios was a new business of the year finalist at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Halifax Business Awards, and was named one of the top ten Nova Scotia startups by the Nova Scotia Business Journal. In 2006, Rivard was nominated for the Globe and Mail's Top 40 Under 40. Since 2011 she has served as an alumni representative on the NSCADU Board of Governors.
Rivard merged Queen Street Studios with web site design and marketing firm Norex.ca
Norex
Norex is a Canadian web design company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They are known for providing services such as graphic design, website design, flash animation, content management systems, and web hosting....
in 2008, taking the position of Creative Director at Norex. Rivard led the Norex team in developing a medal table widget for the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. The widget had over 3 million downloads during the games and was among the most successful Apple / Mac
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
downloads during that period. Rivard later led the Norex design and development of a results application for the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2009 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 12–16 August 2009 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Lake Banook. The Canadian city was selected to host the championships in October 2003 after having done so previously in 1997...
held in Dartmouth. The Norex group of companies was named the eighth-fastest growing company in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
by Progress Magazine in 2009, the sixth-fastest growing in 2010, and the second-fastest growing in 2011.
Rivard is also a partner in Norex's sister company SheepDogInc.ca, Google's
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
Canadian migration and application development partner. In March 2010, SheepDogInc.ca was one of only 40 developers invited to deploy a Google App
Google Apps
Google Apps is a service from Google providing independently customizable versions of several Google products under a custom domain name. It features several Web applications with similar functionality to traditional office suites, including: Gmail, Google Groups, Google Calendar, Talk, Docs and...
, a time tracking application called gTrax, in the launch of the Google Apps Marketplace. In August 2010 Rivard was announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company. Prior to that she served as Vice President of Communications.
In 2011, Rivard's work leading SheepDogInc.ca was recognized with a nomination for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards. In July, she was named an Atlantic Canadian finalist in the Information Technology category. In August 2011, she was featured in a Canadian Business Journal
Canadian Business Journal
The Canadian Business Journal is a monthly digital publication for Canada's senior executives who want to stay informed of current business topics and trends...
article entitled "20 Young Women in Power."
Sport and Community Leadership
Since 2002 Rivard has continued her involvement in sport as a volunteer leader. She started at CanoeKayak CanadaCanadian Canoe Association
CanoeKayak Canada is the governing body of competitive canoeing and kayaking disciplines in Canada. The three specific disciplines represented are flatwater, whitewater and marathon. CanoeKayak Canada officially replaced the name "Canadian Canoe Association" in 2005, although the former title is...
as athlete's representative on the Sprint High Performance Committee, and then moved onto the Executive Committee as Vice Chair Athlete Relations. She is currently the Vice Chair of Marketing and a member of the CanoeKayak Canada Board of Directors. She is a past Board member of Sport Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic. In 2008, she accepted a Federal Appointment to the Board of Directors for the 2011 Canada Winter Games which were held in Halifax. As a member of the Board her primary responsibilities included the development of the Games Legacy Plan, which includes an Arts and Cultural legacy. She is currently a member-at-large (B Member) of the Canadian Olympic Committee
Canadian Olympic Committee
The Canadian Olympic Committee - COC is the private, non-profit organization representing Canadian athletes in the International Olympic Committee and the Pan American Games. It was formally recognized by the IOC in 1907. The COC also represents the selection of Canadian cities in their bid for...
.
In an operational role, Rivard has been to both the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver as a Team Services Officer on the Canadian Mission Team. In that role she managed team operations at both Games.