About
Sémaz is Hassan Kassi's consulting vehicle — thirty years spent inside manufacturing and technology companies, not just advising them from the outside.
Founder · Sémaz since 2011
The expert behind Sémaz
Scientist · Entrepreneur · Advisor
Academic rigor applied to the digital transformation of Quebec SMEs for over thirty years.
My career has been built in four chapters that now converge. Each brings a distinct dimension to my consulting practice — it is their intersection that creates the value my clients cannot find elsewhere. And one cross-cutting quality, pedagogy, that runs through all four.
The Quadriptych
Four ways of approaching the same craft — understanding an organization and helping it transform without breaking apart.
Dimension 1
A bachelor's degree from the Université de Montréal, a master in physics and a Ph.D. in biophysics from UQTR — earned with distinction under the supervision of Prof. Roger M. Leblanc.
This training taught me what few managers learn: formulate a hypothesis, design a protocol to test it, read data without projecting onto it, accept being wrong when the facts say so. A rigor that runs through each of my consulting interventions.
Dimension 2
Since founding Scientech R&D in 1993, I have been at the heart of the creation, growth, or acquisition of more than a dozen technology companies — Avensys, ITF Labs, 3SP Group, Comprod.
Leading teams of over a hundred people, plant management, post-acquisition integration, R&D and high-technology engineering in Canada and France. When a business leader talks to me about their factory or cash-flow challenges, I respond from experience — not from theory.
Dimension 3
Since 2011, Sémaz has been the primary vehicle of my consulting activity. Accredited Industry 4.0 auditor, former Digital Advisor under the PCAN-BDC program (2022–2024).
Numerous 4.0 audits, organizational and strategic support mandates, executive leadership mandates. Three non-negotiable commitments: total independence from vendors, client decision-making autonomy, long-term relationships.
Dimension 4
In 2025, I was invited to contribute to a collective volume honoring Prof. Roger M. Leblanc, to be published by Springer Nature.
My chapter synthesizes over thirty years of experience in commercializing technological innovations into an integrated framework. A foundational work that informs my product innovation consulting practice.
The common thread: pedagogy
My clients often tell me I know how to win over their teams — not by imposing a vision, but by explaining it in a way that makes it their own. A quality learned as a researcher, refined as a leader, and now at the heart of my in-company training offering.
Entrepreneurial Journey
From founding an R&D laboratory to leading an international group — a journey that forms the foundation of today's consulting expertise.
Ecosystem Engagement
A serious digital player in Quebec cannot simply serve its clients — it must also contribute to the ecosystem in which it operates.
Optonique
Co-founder (2017) of Quebec's optics-photonics centre of excellence.
Réseau Photonique du Québec
Board chair (2013–2017), board member since 2009.
Réseau Mentorat du Québec
Mentor since 2021, with a focus on economic empowerment.
Conseil de l'innovation du Québec
Participant in the working sessions of the Grand Innovation Survey 2026.
The Firm
Founded in 2011 and based in Saint-Lazare, Sémaz is an independent consulting firm dedicated to manufacturing and technology SMEs in Quebec. Its mission: to help them regain performance and renew their competitive advantages. These four commitments are not sales arguments — they are the conditions without which a Sémaz mandate does not exist.
Total Independence
No commissions, no hidden partnerships with vendors. Our compensation comes exclusively from our clients.
Client Autonomy
Our role is to inform the decision, not to substitute our judgment for that of the business leader.
Long-Term Relationships
Transformation plays out over the long term. Several of our mandates have been running for five years or more.
Continuous Improvement
We apply to our own practice what we recommend to our clients. Without exception.
A first call of thirty minutes, no commitment. Understand your context, your challenges, and determine whether Sémaz is the right partner for you.
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