It is the sincere smile of Komlan Messie that will greet owners of the Black History Month Calendar throughout the month of September 2007. (Photo: Courtesy)
Beyond Black History Month
Komlan Messie is an accomplished professional who resides in the Town of Mount Royal with his family. But if you have a Black History Month calendar, you might as well call him “Mr. September”.
This project manager, engineer and businessman has been honored by The Round table of Black History Month that showcases him in their 2007 calendar.
A vice-president of Project Management Institute Montréal, a global organization that sets project management standards, Messie has widely proven himself in the corporate world. But if he caught The Round table’s attention, it is also due to his community involvement.
Cofounder of African entrepreneurs and professionals network (REPAF), he works to help newly arrived Africans as much as local organizations and individuals to network. «We help people share information and contacts, and it is a service we offer wholeheartedly. There are also lots of qualified black professionals who don’t find work, especially when they haven’t grown up here and networks can help », says this Togolese father-of-two who speaks from experience.
After completing a master’s degree in computer science and operational research at Polytechnique, Messie moved to Rivière-du-Loup for a year and a half because he couldn’t find work in Montreal. «Classmates I tutored would get employed faster and I quickly understood the importance of networking.»
Although a ceremony last Saturday signaled the end of Black History Month festivities, the calendar outlives it until the end of the year and the work of laureates such as Messie continues.
«Classmates I tutored would get employed faster and I quickly understood the importance of networking.»
- Komlan Messie
Météo: Montréal, 5 juillet 2008 / 18°C
/ Quelques nuages
/ Vents: 11 Km/h / Humidité relative: 73 % 
Steven Guilbeault - 
