A pioneer of Quebec publishing, Pierre Lspérance bought his first bookstore at the age of 22. Later, he saw to the creation of the Sogides group, a merger between Éditions de l’Homme and his family’s other companies. He remained director of Éditions de l’Homme for 50 years.
Founder of the Giant Tiger stores, this Canadian businessman spent most of his youth in Montreal. He founded his first store in Ottawa in 1961. When he died, the chain had 265 branches and 10,000 employees.
Former president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ), the largest group of employers in the province. He joined the CPQ from its founding in 1969 and rose through the ranks. He was its president from 1986 to 1997, then president of the board of directors in 1997-1998.
A businessman of Egyptian origin and multi-billionaire, he was, among other things, the owner of the Harrods store in London and the Ritz hotel in Paris. Father of Dodi Al-Fayed, who died with Lady Di in a car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris.
A Canadian entrepreneur originally from Nova Scotia, Mr. Sobey was CEO and president of the Sobeys grocery chain founded by his father. Vice-president from 1982 to 1986, he became president and chief executive officer from 1986 to 1995. He was chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 2001, the year of his retirement.
An economist by training and university professor, Léon Courville began a management career by becoming vice-president and chief economist at the National Bank, where he became president and chief operating officer in the 1990s. He retired at age 53 and becomes a winemaker in Lac-Brome.
An engineer by training, Mr. Lemaire became a businessman and co-founder with his brothers Alain and Laurent of the Quebec company Cascades, specializing in the circular economy. One of the builders of Québec Inc., Mr. Lemaire was president of Cascades for nearly 30 years. He also co-founded Boralex.
A Toronto businessman of American origin, Mr. Cohon played a key role in establishing the McDonald’s fast food chain in Canada and Russia.
Businessman, board chairman and philanthropist, Charlie Munger was the business partner of Warren Buffett and vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Without having studied finance, the “oracle of Pasadena” had a fortune estimated at $2.5 billion and uncommon business acumen.
Founder of the hardware stores of the same name whose chain currently manages 22 branches in Quebec. He and his wife Denise Benny founded their first store in Sainte-Marcelline-de-Kildare (Lanaudière) in 1960. The Turcotte Group became the majority shareholder of the chain in February 2021.
