Being the best for our members and clients

"Service, efficiency and growth are our top three priorities" ─ Monique F. Leroux

MONTREAL, April 5, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group delivered a speech today during Desjardins Group's (www.desjardins.com) Annual General Meetings held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. She defined the three priorities—service, efficiency and growth—that will govern the financial cooperative group's initiatives over the coming years.

Ms. Leroux began by presenting the exceptional financial results Desjardins posted for 2012, among the best—on many levels—in its history. She also underlined how Desjardins made significant contributions to the economy by creating jobs and bringing economic stability to the communities it serves. Overall, Desjardins contributed over $6 billion in Québec alone.

Throughout her speech, Ms. Leroux gave examples of experiences from individual and business members. She presented true stories that illustrate how Desjardins wants to be even closer to its clients and members to better help them achieve their goals.

Service
Speaking of quality of service, Ms. Leroux shared Desjardins' ambition to be among Canada's top three financial groups in terms of client satisfaction. In the same vein, she announced that caisses from different regions will come together and agree on extended evening and weekend business hours. "In this type of situation, intercooperation among the caisses is key. On the regional level, we'll make decisions together regarding certain service centres and their extended business hours. All Desjardins members will have access to them, regardless of which caisse they do business with. Over the next two years, we'll gradually extend the initiative across the entire network," she explained.

As part of its efforts to continually improve its service to members, Desjardins is ready to adapt and is open to change. According to Ms. Leroux, "We must make the best decisions for all our current members and our future ones, too. Our members change and their needs change."

Efficiency
"We must be efficient if we want to be competitive and if we want our service to be better suited to our members' and clients' needs. But ultimately that means we have to change the way we do things," said Ms. Leroux. Desjardins will become more efficient every day and will enhance its service offer through innovation. A good example is the Saguenay collection centre, which started out as a unique project set up by two caisses. It now serves 130 caisses.

Growth
In terms of growth, the President summarized Desjardins Group's aspirations as follows: "Growth is about wanting to serve even more people. It's about increasing the number of products and services we offer."

Growth is also seen through the various partnerships or acquisitions made in 2012. During her speech, Ms. Leroux announced that Desjardins has signed a cooperative agreement with their long-standing partner, Coast Capital Savings, a major credit union in British Columbia. She also confirmed the creation of Monetico, a new international payment company launched in partnership with French cooperative Crédit Mutuel. The new company will be headquartered in Montréal. Lastly, she announced that Desjardins and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec have recently renewed their partnership to support Québec-based small and medium-sized businesses through a joint investment of $230 million.

Desjardins has big goals for the coming years and the President is confident that the institution will capitalize on the strengths of its 50,000 committed individuals—elected officers and employees—to take on these challenges. "Our collective intelligence and our mobilizing force have stood the test of time. We all want to leave the next generation with a Desjardins that's even stronger—a Desjardins with even more potential. And I know that we're prepared to do what it takes."

On a more personal note, Ms. Leroux concluded by emphasizing her passion for Desjardins Group. "I've worked with other companies but none had the scope, the originality, or the humanity of Desjardins. I know there is a great future ahead for the great collective force that is Desjardins."

About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada with assets of nearly $200 billion. Drawing on the strength of its caisse network in Québec and Ontario and its subsidiaries across Canada, it offers a full range of financial products and services to its members and clients. Desjardins specializes in Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance, in Property and Casualty Insurance, in Personal Services, in Business and Institutional Services. Best Corporate Citizen in Canada for 2012 and among Canada's Top 100 Employers, Desjardins is supported by the skills of its 44,942 employees and the commitment of 5,268 elected officers. Desjardins members and the general public are invited to visit Desjardins Group's education and cooperation program website at www.desjardins.com/co-opme.

SOURCE: DESJARDINS GROUP

(for journalists only):
Nathalie Genest
Spokesperson
Desjardins Group
514 281-7000 or 1 866 866-7000, ext. 7275
[email protected]

On April 5
Press room at the Palais des congrès de Montréal: 514-789-3428