Denis Berthiaume named Finance et Investissement's ''2016 Financial Personality of the Year''

MONTREAL, February 7, 2017 - Denis Berthiaume, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Desjardins Group, was named "2016 Financial Personality of the Year" by Finance et Investissement. He also took the number one spot in the Top 25 ranking of Quebec's financial sector in 2016.

"Denis Berthiaume has done a tremendous job at Desjardins Group and Desjardins Financial Security. He's an exceptional manager. He's delivered outstanding results at every stage in Desjardins' development," the Top 25 jury said.

From 2011 to 2015, surplus earnings before dividends for members of the personal insurance and wealth management division grew from $280 to $503 million, an average annual increase of 16%. Moreover, profits of the insurer Desjardins Financial Security (DFS) grew 63% in five years, hitting a record $448.4 million in 2015.

The Top 25 is divided into five categories, each with four finalists and a winner. The Financial Personality of the Year is selected from among the winners of the five categories. The categories are Insurers, National Financial Institutions, Full-service Brokers, Multidisciplinary Firms, and Independent Management Companies.

Here are the winners for each category:

• Insurers: Denis Berthiaume, Senior Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Desjardins Group.
• National Financial Institutions: Martin Thibodeau, President of Quebec Headquarters, Royal Bank of Canada.
• Full-service Brokers: Richard Legault, President of Industrial Alliance Securities
• Multidisciplinary Firms: Robert Frances, President of PEAK Financial Group.
• Independent Management Companies: Louis Allard, President and Portfolio Manager at Allard, Allard & Associés.

For the complete list of Top 25 finalists and to learn more about each of them, visit our website at www.finance-investissement.com/templedelarenommee. (French only)

The jury in charge of picking the Top 25 finalists is made up of seven members of Quebec's financial sector: Richard Joly (jury chair), President of Leaders & Cie; Geneviève Blouin, Founder and President of Altervest and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emerging Managers' Board; Richard Fortier, Corporate Director; René Hamel, (retired) former President and CEO of SSQ Financial Group; Carmen Crépin, Corporate Director and former Vice President, Quebec, Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada; Guillaume Poulin-Goyer, Content Manager, Finance et Investissement; and Sylvain Bédard, Vice President, Business Solutions, and Publisher, Groupe Les Affaires.

Two advisors honored
Finance et Investissement also recognized the outstanding work and dedication of two advisors from the Quebec financial sector.

Francis Sabourin, investment advisor and wealth management director at Richardson GMP, was named Advisor of the Year for 2016. The jury singled him out for successfully managing the five portfolios he created on his discretionary management platform. Francis Sabourin will be celebrating 25 years of practice on October 5.

Gilles Garon, financial planner and director of Services financiers Garon & Associés, a member of the SLF Partner of Desjardins Financial Security network, was named the Advisor Most Active in the Community for 2016. An honorary member of Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF), Gilles Garon is also the mayor of Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac, a municipality of 5,000 people.

The awards were presented at the 2016 Financial Personality of the Year awards ceremony on February 7, 2017, at the Windsor in Montreal.

About Finance et Investissement
Finance et Investissement and the finance-investissement.com website are a source of information for Quebec investment and financial services professionals. Owned by TC Media, Finance et Investissement is published 16 times a year and is read by over 30,000 industry professionals.

About TC Media
TC Media is a media industry leader in Canada, employing close to 2,000 people. TC Media is the largest publisher of local and regional multiplatform newspapers in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces. The sector also has specialized flagship brands catering to the business community and the financial services sector, including a major event-planning component. TC Media is also positioned as Canada's largest publisher of French-language educational resources.

TC Media is a division of Transcontinental Inc. (TSX: TCL.A TCL.B), which has close to 8,000 employees in Canada and the United States, and revenues of C$2 billion in 2016. 

Website: www.tc.tc

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For information:
Léonie Laflamme Savoie
Web Content Director
Finance et Investissement
514-392-2837