Speakers

Brunet, Pierre, Chairman of the Board, Montréal international

Pierre Brunet began his career as an accountant with Samson Bélair. In 1970, he joined Lévesque Beaubien as Executive Vice-President and in 1974 was promoted to Managing Director. In 1982 he became President and Chief Operating Officer and in 1986 and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. In 1988, following the acquisition of Lévesque Beaubien by the National Bank of Canada, Pierre Brunet remained as President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank Financial until his retirement in 2001.

Mr. Brunet was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Montréal Stock Exchange from 1974 to 1976, President of the Montréal Chamber of Commerce from 1982 to 1984 and Chairman of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada in 1985. In April 1998, Mr. Brunet was bestowed the Distinction Award Career A+ by the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and has been awarded the 1998 Order of Merit by the Université de Montréal Alumni Association for a remarkable career and community involvement. In July 1999, Mr. Brunet was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Brunet is presently Chairman of the Board of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Chairman of the Board of Montréal International. He is a director of Metro Inc. From 2000 to 2004, he completed a four-year mandate respectively as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and a director of the CCAF Board of Governors. Moreover, in 2003, he was appointed by the Minister of Finance, member of the Wise Persons’ Committee on Securities Regulation in Canada and by the Québec Government, President of the Working Group on the Role of the Québec Government in Venture Capital.

For the past thirty-five years, Pierre Brunet has brought his expertise to several non-profit organisations. From 1989 to 1997, Mr. Brunet was Chairman of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and founder of the Endowment Fund of the OSM. He remains a director of the OSM and a director and honorary chairman of the Endowment Fund of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Until last year, he was director of the Canadian Centre of Architecture and Chairman of the Foundation of Greater Montréal. Mr. Brunet also served as President of Montréal International Ambassadors Circle.

Montréal International was created in 1996 as a result of private/public partnership. Its mission is to contribute to the economic development of Greater Montréal and to enhance its international status. Its mandates include attracting foreign investment, international organizations and strategic workers, and supporting the development of innovation and high technology clusters in the metropolitan region. Montréal International is financed by the private sector, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, the City of Montréal and the governments of Canada and Québec.