Finance et Investissement names Monique F. Leroux "Financial Personality of the Year"

MONTREAL, Feb. 8, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Monique F. Leroux, President and Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of Desjardins Group, has been named "2011 Financial Personality of the Year" by Finance et Investissement.

The selection panel recognized the positive results posted by Desjardins Group and the effect of the reorganization of the co-operative movement that she was instrumental in achieving. The many accolades that she received throughout the year were also taken into consideration.

Organizer and Co-host of the 2012 International Summit of Cooperatives, Monique Leroux intends to hammer home the message that prosperity requires cooperation. In addition, Desjardins Group boasts the best capitalization ratio in its industry in Canada, and ranks in the top 10% among the 1,000 largest banks in the world.

Louis Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank Financial Group and Jean-Guy Desjardins, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Fiera Sceptre Inc., took second and third place, respectively.

Bernard Dorval, Interim President of TD Canada Trust and President of Équipe Québec (retired in January 2012), ranked fourth, while Joseph Iannicelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada, closed out the top five.

For a complete list of the 25 winners and to read an article about each, please visit our website: www.finance-investissement.com/templedelarenommee.

The Top 25 were chosen by a selection panel of experts in the financial industry that comprised 3 editors and publishers from TC Media and 3 individuals who work independently in the financial industry.

Advisors honoured!

Finance et Investissement also celebrated the excellent work and commitment of 3 advisors in the financial industry during the same event.

Luc Blanchard, Wealth Management Advisor and Vice-President of BMO Nesbitt Burns, received the Advisor Emeritus award in recognition of the success that he achieved in developing the Sherbrooke branch and its clientele.

The award for Advisor most involved in the community went to both Christian Lamarre, Advisor and Portfolio Manager for the National Bank Financial, and Gilles Sinclair, Assistant Vice-President of Business Development for B2B Trust, in a dead heat.

The awards were presented during the evening celebrations for the 2011 Financial Personality of the Year event that was held at the St-James Club in Montréal on February 7, 2012.

Christian Benoit Lapointe, Editor in Chief, Finance et Investissement, 514-392-2052 or [email protected].