Paul Desmarais Jr.

Mr. Desmarais is Chairman of Power since 1996. He also served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power from 1996 until his retirement from that position in February, 2020, previously having assumed various positions since he joined Power in 1981. He is Chairman of Power Financial. He helped found Power Financial Corporation in 1984 and became President and Chief Operating Officer in 1986. He was Executive Chairman from 1990 to 2005, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Power Financial from 2005 to 2008 and Executive Co-Chairman of Power Financial from 2008 to 2020. He is a director of many Power group companies in North America, including Lifeco, Canada Life, IGM, IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Inc. In Europe, he is Vice-Chairman of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. He was a director of Empower, Putnam Investments and SGS SA until 2023, of LafargeHolcim Ltd. until 2020, of Total SA until 2017, of GDF Suez until 2014, of Imerys S.A. until 2008, and of Pargesa Holdings SA until November, 2020. Mr. Desmarais is a member of the International Council of INSEAD (former Board member), Chairman of the Board of governors of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, and a Senior Trustee of the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution (former Co-chair of the International Advisory Board). He is also a member of the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard, and a member of the Business Council of Canada (former Chairman). He  holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and an MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), France. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, in 2009, an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and, in 2012, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in France. In May, 2022, Mr. Desmarais was inducted into the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He has received a number of Honorary Doctorates. Mr. Desmarais is a trustee of the Desmarais Family Residuary Trust.