Desjardins Group Chosen as One of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures
of 2010

LÉVIS, QC, Nov. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada, was confirmed as a national winner in Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2010 Program. Winners were chosen by the program's board of governors, established in 2005 by Waterstone Human Capital.

"The business culture at Desjardins Group is much more than innovative practices to mobilize our human capital, which is our greatest asset," states Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO. "At Desjardins, our culture is particularly one of participation and democracy, which are characteristic of the governance style of our cooperative group, leadership in financial education and in sustainable development, support for gender equity, and people's community involvement. All of these activities contribute to the development and longevity of our organization, which will soon be celebrating 110 years of existence."

"Desjardins Group, led by Monique F. Leroux, is very committed to its members, elected officers and employees," said Alan Small, the managing director of Waterstone Human Capital; a leading executive search firm and the founders of the Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures Program. "The culture at Desjardins is aligned throughout the organization, and they've continued to show outstanding financial performance. Our board of governors for the program was very impressed."

Desjardins Group was invited to apply to this program after recommendation from senior business executives, as part of a Canada-wide study conducted by Waterstone Human Capital. In 2010, Waterstone invited more than 400 Canadian businesses to apply for the award.

Ms. Leroux spoke of her gratitude to elected caisse officers and all Desjardins Group employees. "It is thanks to their engagement and drive that today, Desjardins is known as having one of the best corporate cultures in the country. This award also demonstrates that cooperation is a business model that can combine financial performance and the sustainable development of communities." 

The 6th Awards Gala of the Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ 2010 program will take place on February 7, 2011 in Toronto.

Other national and international accolades recently received by Desjardins Group:

• One of the 50 Best Employers in Canada for 2009
• 7th place, in 2010, among the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada, as awarded by Corporate Knights
• 6th consecutive year to receive International COPC certification (Customer Operation Performance Center) for Desjardins client contact centres, a world first in the financial industry
• 25th place in the 2010 World's 50 Safest Banks (4th in North America) according to Global Finance, a New York publication (ranked 26th in 2009)
• 91st on the list of Top 1000 World Banks, according to the British magazine, The Banker, based on the capital base of banking institutions (104th in 2009)

About Desjardins Group

Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest in the world, with assets of over $175 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 5.8 million 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. As one of the largest employers in the country and one of Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ of 2010, Desjardins is supported by the skills of its 42,200 employees and the commitment of near 6,000 elected officers. For more information, visit www.desjardins.com.

For further information:

(for journalists only):
André Chapleau
Director, Media Relations
514-281-7229 or 1-866-866-7000, ext. 7229
[email protected]