1. Paul Desmarais was chairman and chief executive officer of Power Corporation of Canada until 1996 when he passed the reins of management of Power Corporation to his sons, Paul Jr.

1. Paul Desmarais was chairman and chief executive officer of Power Corporation of Canada until 1996 when he passed the reins of management of Power Corporation to his sons, Paul Jr.
Paul Desmarais then continued to serve as a director and as chairman of the executive committee of the board, and remained the controlling shareholder.
Paul Desmarais was highly regarded for his standard of integrity and his commitment to a united and prosperous Canada.
Paul Desmarais was born in Sudbury, Ontario, to lawyer Jean-Noel Paul Desmarais and Lebea Laforest.
The Desmarais family is originally from Quebec and descended from Paul Desmarais who moved to Canada from Saint-Sauveur-sur-Ecole, Ile-de-France in late 1600s.
The Paul Desmarais family has a large family estate in Sagard, Quebec, Canada, between the villages of Saint-Simeon and Petit-Saguenay: Domaine Laforest.
The Paul Desmarais family owned secondary homes in Palm Beach, Florida and New York at the time of his death.
Paul Desmarais was a philanthropist, making substantial contributions to the arts, education, health and the homeless.
Paul Desmarais was sold to him for a symbolic 1 CAD, because it was almost insolvent.
Paul Desmarais rescued the company and acquired additional bus lines in the Ottawa area and Quebec City.
That year TCCF made a share-exchange offer with Power Corporation of Canada, headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, whereby Paul Desmarais became chairman and chief executive officer and controlling shareholder.
Paul Desmarais founded the Canada China Business Council in 1978.
Sophie Paul Desmarais' ex-husband, Eric Le Moyne de Serigny, is close to Nicolas Sarkozy, heads numerous companies, and was a member of the board of directors of Imerys.
Paul Desmarais was what I would call a true point of light, helping and usually leading many worthwhile causes.