MONTREAL – Sodexo Canada is proud to announce that Canadian professional football player Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is joining the Campus Services team as its first-ever Brand Ambassador.
The Kansas City Chiefs guard and Super Bowl champion will help promote two new Imagine by Sodexo initiatives for students that focus on the science behind nutrition. Powering Performance targets the K-12 market, while The Circuit is tailored to colleges and universities.
“Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is an award-winning professional athlete and distinguished scholar, who is passionate about both sports and medicine,” said Martin Lapointe, Vice President Operations, Education programs, Sodexo Canada. “He understands the science behind nutrition and how food can fuel greatness in students and athletes, making him the perfect choice for this new role.”
“I am excited to partner with Sodexo and particularly impressed with how it provides a platform for educating students about the power of food,” said Duvernay-Tardif. “Understanding this will help students recognize the relationship between healthy eating and success. Balanced nutrition is key to preventing potential health issues while increasing your overall performance.”
Earlier in 2021, Campus Services launched its Imagine by Sodexo branding, which will distinguish it from the competition through its unique assets and position it as a leader in the field of food and facility services for educational institutions. As a public figure embodying Imagine by Sodexo’s vision and raising awareness of its message, the Brand Ambassador will play an essential role in sharing good nutritional practices.
The Circuit supports and empowers student athletes at the post-secondary level through science-backed sports nutrition, technology and facilities management solutions. Whether it’s providing a pre-game snack or a clean, safe practice space, The Circuit ensures that student-athletes have everything they need to stay in peak condition and perform at an elite level—both in the classroom and on the field.
Powering Performance is an innovative health and wellness program for the K-12 levels that pairs access to fresh, diverse, exciting meals with easy-to-understand nutrition education. Students learn how different foods can sustain them both physically and mentally, empowering them to make smart, healthy decisions both now and in the future.
“Powering Performance is an inspiring, healthy, well-planned program that meets the needs of parents, students and schools,” stated Duvernay-Tardif. “As Brand Ambassador, I look forward to showing students how different foods affect their performance and put them on the path to success in both their studies and sports. My ultimate goal in partnering with Campus Services is to inspire greatness together.”
As ambassador for Powering Performance and The Circuit, he will visit participating Canadian schools to meet, teach and motivate students. He will share his insights into healthy eating, the importance of physical activity and how food improves cognitive function, concentration and energy—perhaps giving young athletes the edge they need to become a champion like him in the future!
About Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Duvernay-Tardif received the 2020 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s Athlete of the Year, Sports Illustrated‘s 2020 Sportsperson of the Year award and the 2021 ESPY Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. He has also been Quebec’s spokesperson for Hooked on School Days since 2019.
A native of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, he grew up in the Montreal area. When asked to choose between football and medicine, he refused to compromise and pursued both of his dreams. In 2018, he graduated from McGill University with a doctorate in medicine while also playing professional football for the Kansas City Chiefs. As he tells young people he meets during the many talks he gives at schools, “It’s all about balance. Don’t give up on your passions!”
Believing that both physical activity and creativity are fundamental factors in children’s development and educational success, he and his long-time partner, Florence-Agathe Dubé-Moreau, established the Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Foundation. With “Move, Motivate, Inspire” as its motto, it promotes balancing sports, arts and studies.
https://www.fondationldt.com/en/
About Imagine by Sodexo
Every interaction is an opportunity to inspire students to do great things. Imagine by Sodexo makes everyday greatness possible with innovative and data-driven services, whether by creating engaging, age-tailored educational experiences or immersive food offerings. A local Canadian team that’s intimately familiar with learning communities across the country, Imagine by Sodexo also leverages extensive global resources to offer best-in-class programs and services.
https://ca.sodexo.com/industry/education.html
About Sodexo
Sodexo delivers a wide range of customized solutions designed to optimize work and living environments. It has been providing food and facilities management services in Canada for over 40 years, with a focus on enhancing safety, work processes and well-being. A market leader in Canada, Sodexo has been recognized as a top employer for the past seven consecutive years. It is proud to have created the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has raised over $3 million to fight hunger and donated more than one million meals to at-risk youth across Canada since 2007. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, CAC 40 ESG, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.
