Dr. Lionel Laroche

Dr. Lionel Laroche is a cross-cultural consultant who specializes in helping professionals reach their professional goals in culturally unfamiliar environments. Building on his 12 years of international experience working for companies such as Procter & Gamble and Xerox and 13 years of experience as a consultant, Lionel has provided training, coaching and consulting services to over 25,000 people in 12 different countries. He has worked with a wide range of clients, including colleges, universities, government, corporations and non-profit organizations. He has written two books, Managing Cultural Diversity in Technical Professions and Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Culturally Different Employees, which have sold over 5,000 copies each. Born in France, Dr. Laroche obtained his Diplôme d’Ingénieur Polytechnicien at the Ecole Polytechnique de Paris and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology.

Keynote Address

Dr. Laroche’s keynote address entitled “Bridging the gap between culturally different students and faculty / staff members“ will examine the impact of cultural differences on foreign students and on the faculty and staff members with whom they interact, both during their studies at Algonquin College and upon graduation.  By examining the difference in social status of professionals in different countries, the relative importance of technical and soft skills in different parts of the world, and communication style differences and feedback, Dr. Laroche will explore some of the common challenges that foreign students often face when they study in Canada, as well as the challenges that Canadian staff and faculty members experience when they teach or support them during their studies.  This address  will help us better  understand  how others think, behave and communicate in situations frequently encountered in colleges such as Algonquin and will suggest practical approaches to turn these cross-cultural challenges into strengths.

<< Back to Program