Name Paul Jr. | ||
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Parents Jacqueline Maranger, Paul Desmarais Siblings Andre Desmarais, Sophie Desmarais, Louise Desmarias Uncles Pierre Desmarais, Robert Desmarais, Louis Desmarais, Jean Desmarais Aunts Yolande Desmarais, Jeannine Desmarais, Francoise Desmarais Similar People Paul Desmarais, Andre Desmarais, Albert Frere, John Manley | ||
The Big Interview: Paul Desmarais Jr, Co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
Paul Desmarais Jr., OC, OQ (born July 3, 1954) is a Canadian businessman in his hometown of Montreal.
Contents
- The Big Interview Paul Desmarais Jr Co CEO Power Corporation of Canada
- Career
- Board memberships
- Philanthropic activities
- Honors
- References
He is the eldest son of Paul Desmarais Sr. and Jacqueline (Maranger) Desmarais. Currently he is the Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation of Canada.
Desmarais was born in Sudbury, Ontario. He was educated at Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, the McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management in Montreal, Quebec, and at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, where he earned a Master of Business Administration. He is a Roman Catholic.
Paul Desmarais is married to Hélène Desmarais, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Centre d’entreprises et d’innovation de Montréal (CEIM). They have four children: Paul, Alexandre, Nicolas, and Charles-Édouard.
The Big Interview: Paul Desmarais Jr, Co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
Career
Paul Desmarais Jr. began his career with S.G. Warburg & Co. in London, England, and with Standard Brands Incorporated in New York. He then joined Power Corporation of Canada in 1981 and assumed the position of Vice-President the following year. In 1984, he led the creation of Power Financial Corporation. Desmarais served as Vice-President of Power Financial from 1984 to 1986, as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1986 to 1989, as Executive Vice Chairman from 1989 to 1990, as Executive Chairman from 1990 to 2005, as Chairman of the Executive Committee from 2006 to 2008 and as Executive Co-Chairman from 2008 until today.
He also served as Vice-Chairman of Power Corporation from 1991 to 1996. He was named Chairman and Co-CEO of Power Corporation in 1996.
Board memberships
He was Vice-Chairman of the Board and a Director of Imerys (France) from 1998 until 2008 and a Director of GDF Suez (France), a multinational corporation that is a world leader in the water utilities sector, from 2008 until 2014.
Philanthropic activities
Paul Desmarais Jr. is involved with Centraide of Greater Montréal; he founded the Major Donors Circle in 1997 and has been its Honorary Chairman for many years. He is also one of the Honorary Chairs of the Healing More Better campaign of the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation.
In 2014 Desmarais participated in a ski expedition to the North Magnetic Pole, organized by True Patriot Love, Canada’s largest charity supporting military families. The goal of the expedition was to raise awareness of the physical and mental injuries that continue to impact Canadian soldiers.
Desmarais was Co-Chair of the “A Force of Nature” national campaign of Nature Conservancy Canada from April 1, 2007 to December 31, 2012. The national campaign raised more than $500 million and protected 752,000 acres (300,000 hectares) of at-risk natural habitat across Canada, home to more than 145 species at risk.