Monique Leroux

Monique Leroux is among the pre-eminent leaders, administrators, and philanthropists of her time—an inspiration for young people. Her steady hand on the tiller and remarkable managerial skills are in a class all their own.

She graduated from Conservatoire de musique et d’Art dramatique du Québec in 1974, then in 1978 received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She began at Ernst & Young as an auditing intern and in her 17 years there worked all the way up to partner. She then moved to the Royal Bank of Canada, followed by Quebecor.

As the first woman President and CEO of Desjardins Group, she truly left her mark on the organization. Among her achievements was the first International Summit of Cooperatives, which opened Desjardins up to the world while speeding its digital transformation by encouraging deployment on all platforms.

She continues to share her passion, dynamism, and managerial brilliance through her involvement in numerous boards of directors, including those of global organizations the likes of Bell, Couche-Tard, and Michelin.

She’s a well-known philanthropist as well, tirelessly working on behalf of young people and women in business while promoting arts and education initiatives. The sheer number of committees and foundations she’s involved in attests to a rare commitment to the common good. In 2017 she and nine other women CEOs and executives came together to launch the Canada–United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, which fights to expand the place of women in business in both countries. She’s also Chair of the Board of Directors of Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec.

As a symbol of a successful, seasoned woman of business, she has received honorary doctorates from several Québec and Canadian universities. She was inducted into the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame in 2023 and has been a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame since 2018.

Université Laval awards an Honorary Doctorate in Administration to Monique Leroux in recognition of her outstanding managerial accomplishments and civic engagement.