Ottawa's ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA) has a new interim leader. Michelle Groulx now holds the title of Interim Chief Executive Officer of the organization, which oversees one of the city's best-known commercial and cultural districts.
Who is Michelle Groulx
According to the BMDA, Groulx brings more than a decade of leadership experience across business, nonprofit and civic organizations, with a focus on strategy, advocacy, economic development and building strong partnerships. She previously served as leader of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (OCOBIA), which represents 18 BIAs across the city, and before that as Executive Director of the Westboro Village BIA. Her resume also includes leading a national engineering services company, and founding, growing and selling her own business.
A district that has seen turnover at the top
Groulx's appointment comes just weeks after the BMDA named Mayan Gilly as its interim executive director on August 24, 2026. Gilly had been serving as the organization's manager of people and executive operations before stepping into that interim role.
Both moves follow the BMDA board's decision to part ways with Victoria Williston, who had been executive director. The board said at the time that it wanted to "move in a new direction, which will require different leadership." Williston had joined the BMDA as communications and marketing manager in January 2024 before being promoted to executive director in January 2026, meaning her tenure in the top job lasted only a matter of months.
The rapid succession, from Williston to Gilly to now Groulx, points to a period of instability at the organization tasked with managing and promoting one of Ottawa's most visited commercial strips.
Why it matters for Ottawa
The ByWard Market is one of Ottawa's oldest and most heavily trafficked commercial districts, home to restaurants, bars, the farmers' market and a cluster of independent retailers that depend on the BMDA for marketing, advocacy and coordination with the city. Leadership continuity at the organization has a direct bearing on everything from festival programming to how the district responds to challenges like vacant storefronts and safety concerns downtown.
Downtown retail under pressure
Groulx steps into the role at a time when Ottawa's retail sector is under real strain. A recent CBRE report found the city's retail market increasingly split, with suburban shopping areas thriving while downtown storefronts struggle to keep pace, as ottown's earlier report detailed. That divide makes stable leadership at an organization like the BMDA, which represents a core downtown district, more important than usual.
No details have been released yet on whether the BMDA plans to launch a search for a permanent executive director, or how long Groulx's interim term is expected to last.
Sources: ByWard Market District Authority (official), Ottawa Business Journal, Ottawa Business Journal
