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Date of birth: Place of birth:
Calling:
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Photo : Peter Caton, Gerald Campbell Studios avec l'autorisation de Power Corporation du Canada
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Paul Desmarais is the son of
a lawyer, Jean-Noel Desmarais, and
Lébéa Laforest. He grew up in a
prosperous family. He studied at the University of
Ottawa where he obtained a B.A. in Commerce. When
he finished university, he returned to Sudbury
where, in 1951, he took control of a bus company.
In 1959, he created the Transportation Management
Corporation Limited; though this, he acquired
Provincial Transport Ltd in 1960, and then obtained
effective control of Gelco Entreprises Ltd in 1962.
The following year, he bought the Imperial Life
Assurance Company of Canada. Two years later, it
was the turn of the Corporations des valeurs
trans-Canada, his first conglomerate.
In 1967, Trans-Canada created
Les Journaux Trans-Canada Ltée, a press
company that acquired the great Montreal daily, La
Presse. In 1968, Mr. Desmarais took control of the
Power Corporation of Canada. Today, the Power
Corporation consists of Gesca Ltée, which
publishes La Presse and other dailies and weeklies,
and Power Financial Corporation, which owns the
Great-West Life Assurance Company, London Life
Assurance Company, Investors Group Inc. and Pargesa
Holding S.A., an international holding company
headquartered in Geneva.
Paul Desmarais is Chairman of
the Executive Committee of the Power Corporation of
Canada. He is also Chairman of the Board and Deputy
Director of Pargesa Holding S.A. (Switzerland). He
is a director of the following companies: CLT-UFA
(Luxembourg), the Power Financial Corporation,
Power Broadcasting Inc.; Electrafina S.A.
(Belgium), the London Assurance Group Inc., Group
Investors Inc., London Life Assurance Company,
Pargesa Holding S.A. (Switzerland), the Power
Corporation of Canada, La Presse Ltée, the
Telegraph Group Limited (England) and Total Pina
(France). He is also a member of the international
advisory committee of the Barrick Gold Corporation
and Chase Manhattan Bank N.A., and a member of the
Supervisory Council of AXA and the Compagnie
Financière de Paribas (France).
Mr. Desmarais is honorary
president of the Canada-China Business Couoncil. He
is a member of the Privy Council, a Companion of
the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre
national du Québec and an Officer of the
Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur and
Commander of the Ordre de Léopold II.
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