Team

Desjardins Global Asset Management, a subsidiary of Desjardins Asset Management, is composed of more than 45 securities investment and financial engineering professionals, divided into four management groups and two research groups focusing on asset allocation issues. Desjardins Global Asset Management also relies on its exclusive partnership with a specialized quantitative research group (APSTAT).

Desjardins Global Asset Management's managers come from a variety of backgrounds including finance, computational finance, economics, international management, mathematics, computer science, aeronautical engineering, physical engineering, nuclear engineering, etc.

Legal, administrative and compliance activities related to Desjardins Global Asset Management's operations are supported by three separate groups at Desjardins Asset Management.

Profiles of Desjardins Global Asset Management members of management.

Jacques Lussier, PhD, CFA
Vice-President, Securities Investments and Financial Engineering

Jacques Lussier joined Desjardins Group in 1995 as an investment manager at Desjardins-Laurentian Life Group. In 1999, he was appointed Vice-President, Financial Engineering at Desjardins Global Asset Management, a subsidiary of Desjardins Asset Management, and was then named Vice-President, Securities Investments and Financial Engineering in 2002. He previously taught finance at HEC Montréal. Jacques Lussier is a chartered financial analyst (CFA) and has a doctorate in international business with a minor in bank studies from the University of South Carolina, a Master's in finance and a bachelor's degree in economics from HEC Montréal.

Philippe Arnau, M.Sc. Economics
Manager, Financial Strategy

Philippe Arnau is Manager, Financial strategy for the Securities Investments and Financial Engineering division. From 2001 to 2005, he was an alternative strategies analyst at Desjardins Asset Management. His main duties involved analysis of globalization and financial markets. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Arnau was an economist at the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, where he was responsible for monitoring developments in the U.S. and global economies. Prior to that, he was an analyst for Analysis Group Economics in Boston. Philippe Arnau has a B.A. in French literature from the Université de Montréal and a Master's in economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Jacques D'Aoust, B.Adm.
Senior Manager, Securities Investment Management

Jacques D'Aoust is Senior Manager, Securities Investment Management, and as such supervises the portfolio management, securities lending and corporate credit teams. Mr. D'Aoust joined Desjardins Asset Management in 1999 with the initial mandate of improving the management of matching and developing the securities lending market. Previously, Mr. D'Aoust was Vice-President, Investments at the Fédération des caisses populaires Desjardins de Montréal et de l'Ouest du Québec, where he brought the fixed income team to prominence for more than 15 years through the innovative use of derivative products and the integration of sophisticated information systems. He has been directly involved in portfolio management at Desjardins Group since 1979. Jacques D'Aoust has a bachelor's degree in administration from the HEC Montreal.

Michel Lessard, M.Sc. Finance
Vice-President, Management of Managers

Michel Lessard has been Vice-President, Management of Managers since January 2005. Prior to that, he held similar functions at Gestion Placements Desjardins from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Lessard's main responsibilities are related to managing multi-management funds and supervising and managing investment fund managers. From 1993 to 2000, Mr. Lessard held various positions at a holding company, Elantis Investment Management. He began his career in 1990 as a financial analyst for an investment counsellor. Michel Lessard has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Université du Québec en Outaouais and a Master's in finance from HEC Montréal.

Robert Normand, M.Sc. Econometrics
Senior Manager, Quantitative Management and Research

Robert Normand is Senior Manager, Quantitative Management and Research. In 1995, Mr. Normand joined Desjardins-Laurentian Life Group as economist and investment manager. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Normand was senior economist and chief economist at the firm Lévesque Beaubien Geoffrion. Since 1999, he has coordinated quantitative management research and development at Desjardins Asset Management. Robert Normand has a bachelor's degree in economics and a Master's in econometrics from Université Laval in Québec City.

Florent Salmon, M.Sc. Finance
Vice-President, Alternative Management

Florent Salmon is Vice-President, Alternative Management and as such is responsible for managing the funds of hedge funds as well as the research program for synthetic replication of investment strategies. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Salmon was a risk management analyst at National Bank of Canada. In 1996, he became a pension fund analyst at Canadian National, where he specialized in analysis and execution of securitization transactions and exotic options until 1998. He joined the alternative management team at Desjardins Asset Management in 1998 and has been in charge of it since 2002. Florent Salmon has a Master's in Finance from HEC Montréal.