André Desmarais

President and co-Chief Executive Officer - Power Corporation

André Desmarais, O.C. (born October 26, 1956, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian businessman, whose hometown is Montreal, Canada. He is one of two sons of Paul Desmarais, Sr. He is currently the president and co-chief executive officer of his father's founding company the Power Corporation, based in Montreal, Canada. It is a diversified management and holding company, which has holdings in leading financial services and the communications sector. Through its European-based affiliate Pargesa group, Power Corporation holds significant positions in major media, energy, water, waste services, and specialty minerals companies. Power Corporation also has diversified interests in Asia.

He attended Selwyn House School and later obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University, both located in Montreal. Andre Desmarais was appointed as a member of the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers in the years of 1998-2005[1].

In 2003 he was appointed to the International Council of the JP Morgan Chase Bank. Also in that year he was named an officer of the Order of Canada. He is married to France Chrétien Desmarais, the daughter of former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien. They have four children.

Born in 1956. Early in his career involved with Corporation Campeau Limitée (real estate). Special assistant to the Minister of Justice of Canada. Institutional investment councillor at Richardson Greenshields Securities. Joined Power Corporation in the early 1980s. Headed the exploitation department at Power Corporation for several years. Director Groupe Bruxelles Lambert since 1990. President and co-CEO of Power Corporation since 1996 and primarily responsible for the publishing arm of the company. Regularly attends the Trilateral Commission since the late 1990s. Member of the International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan Chase anno 2005. Director and member of the International Advisory Council of the Hong Kong-based CITIC Pacific, a very large industrial corporation operating in China. Member of the Chief Executive's Council of International Advisors of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), together with Paul Volcker (former head FED; Rockefeller protege), Peter Sutherland (chair Goldman Sachs; chair Trilateral Commission), Maurice R. Greenberg (chair AIG; vice-chairman CFR; Bilderberg; Trilateral Commission; Bohemian Grove; trustee Rockefeller University), Sir John Bond (Chair HSBC; Bank of England; Multinational Chairman's Group). Named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2003. Honorary chairman of the Canada-China Business Council, an organization founded by Maurice Strong and his father. Andre Desmarais is married to France, the daughter of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.