Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group, MBA - Biography

Montreal, Quebec

  • President and CEO of Desjardins Group since 2016
  • Non independent director since 2016
  • End of current term (last term): 2026

Key areas of expertise:

  • Organizational culture and cooperative business model
  • Finance and accounting
  • Financial services and insurance
  • Governance
  • Strategic vision

Professional experience:

Guy is a graduate of HEC Montréal, where he earned both an undergraduate degree in business administration and an MBA. He also taught finance there for nearly 8 years. He started at Desjardins Group in 1992, assuming a number of roles in the caisse network before becoming a general manager in 2002. He joined Desjardins Group's senior management team in 2012 as Executive Vice-President of the Caisse Network before being appointed Executive Vice-President of the Caisse Network and Personal Services. Throughout his career, he has pushed for bold and innovative measures to improve the member/client experience.

Since being elected President and CEO of Desjardins Group in spring 2016, Guy has worked hard to instill a strong member- and client-focused corporate culture in every one of Desjardins's employees and directors. He established a Youth Advisory Board, which allows members ages 18 to 35 to provide insights on key projects being led by the board of directors and management committee. He also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Desjardins Group until March 23, 2024, when the the roles of Chair of the Board and President and CEO were separated.

Under Guy's direction, Desjardins Group created the $280 million GoodSpark Fund as one of its many initiatives to support projects with a lasting community impact, underscoring Desjardins's socioeconomic leadership. Guy is also a strong advocate of the cooperative model, shared prosperity and a greener, more inclusive economy.

In 2020, Guy became a sponsor of the Academos youth mentoring program in Quebec. He also serves as an Academos mentor.

He sits on the boards of directors of HEC Montréal and Fondation Forces AVENIR. In 2016 he was named Knight of the French Legion of Honour by the Government of France. In 2022 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, and in 2024 he was named director emeritus by the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec (order of certified administrators of Quebec).

Roles at Desjardins:

  • Chair, Desjardins Financial Corporation
  • Chair, Desjardins Foundation
  • Chair, Alphonse Desjardins Historical Society
  • Director, Desjardins Security Fund

Federation board committees and commissions:

  • Permanent Guest, Executive Committee
  • Permanent Guest, Cooperation and Culture Commission
  • Permanent Guest, Corporate Governance and Responsible Finance Commission
  • Permanent Guest, Risk Management Commission (and US Risk Management)
  • Permanent Guest, Human Resources Commission

Past roles at Desjardins

  • Chair, Federation, Desjardins Trust, Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company and Desjardins General Insurance Group