Paul Desmarais

Mr. Desmarais is Chairman of Power Corporation and Power Financial. He previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation from 1996 until his retirement in February, 2020. Mr. Desmarais was also Executive Co-Chairman of Power Financial until 2020. He joined Power Corporation in 1981 and assumed the position of Vice-President the following year. He 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 of the board from 1990 to 2005 and as Chairman of the Executive Committee from 2006 to 2008. He also served as Vice-Chairman of Power Corporation from 1991 to 1996. He was named Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation in 1996. From 1982 to 1990, he was a member of the Management Committee of Pargesa Holding SA; in 1991, he became Executive Vice-Chairman and then Executive Chairman of the Committee; from 2003 to 2019, he was Co-Chief Executive Officer and he was named Chairman of the board in 2013. He has been a director of Pargesa Holding SA since 1992. He is a director of many Power Corporation group companies in North America, including Power Corporation, Power Financial, Canada Life, Empower Retirement, Putnam, IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management and Mackenzie Inc. In Europe, he is Chairman of the board of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and a director of SGS SA. He was a director of LafargeHolcim Ltd. from 2008 to 2020, of Total SA from 2002 to 2017, of GDF Suez from 2001 to 2014, and of Imerys S.A. from 1998 to 2008. Mr. Desmarais is a member of The Business Council of Canada. He is also active on a number of philanthropic advisory councils. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, in 2009, an Officer of the National Order of Québec and, in 2012, Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in France. He has received a number of honorary doctorates. Mr. Desmarais is a trustee of the Desmarais Family Residuary Trust.