Denis Berthiaume – The benevolent strategist

Passionate about applied mathematics, Denis is also a longtime football enthusiast. “When I was young, I played a lot of sports, but mostly football, up to the university level. It’s a sport that perfectly illustrates the concept of teamwork. No player makes the difference on their own; success really depends on everyone.”

Every year, during the Super Bowl, he gets together with childhood friends not only to watch the game, but also to play a friendly game, rain or shine.

You’d think that with this passion for organized sports, Denis would also have a well-defined game plan for his career. However, his only constant is a motivation to continuously learn, but without any particular path.

“In all the mandates I’ve been entrusted with, I’ve approached each one as if it were the last of my career, to see it through to the end, learn from it and have an impact.”

A few years after his first actuarial role, he accepted a mandate as consulting actuary, which proved to be very formative.

“It was a good school, because in a single day, I would meet people in all kinds of jobs, from blue collar to white collar, and other specialists. I loved these very formative years, which brought me into contact with many different kinds of profiles and forced me to learn how to communicate with very different audiences.”

He also learned a great deal in his 20 years overseeing the cohesion of the vast Desjardins group, particularly with regard to acquisitions. Although he now works on the corporate side, Denis spent most of his career in the business sectors. With a strong background in both areas, he firmly believes that growth through acquisition requires constant involvement and close collaboration with the sectors involved.

To get things done, Denis allows himself very few distractions. With his remarkable capacity for concentration, he is very focused on the present moment, both at work and in his personal life. This means that he can fully relax and be present in his leisure time, especially with his family. With three children in their thirties and two grandchildren, vacations are still spent with the family, playing cards, board games and more. A little-known fact about Denis is that he also grows bonsai trees, some of which are over 50 years old. Another fun fact: his wife is an actuary too. They met at university, when Denis Berthiaume was in the same cohort as a certain Denis Ricard!

In regard to philanthropic activities, Denis Berthiaume has contributed in a number of areas. In education, he has been involved with Collège André-Grasset, his alma mater collegiate. In the health field, he participated in the big campaign for Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal. On a more artistic note, he also sits on the board of directors of Festival Classica, to help discover new local talent in opera and classical music.

While Denis and his wife are committed to their local community, they have also travelled extensively. “We like to discover a city by strolling through its streets, taking the pulse and atmosphere of a neighbourhood step by step.”

Despite his impressive track record, Denis remains humble and is keen to share his knowledge with his peers. For him, appreciation between peers is essential.

“Colleagues on my teams know each other better than I know them. What I would like, first and foremost, is not for people to try to please me above all else, but to focus on being good teammates to their coworkers on a daily basis.”

Proud and enthusiastic about the 2030 plan, Denis calmly stays the course. As always, organizations and structures will continue to evolve as challenges arise over time. And Denis will continue to proudly lead iA’s ongoing development, applying the same recipe that has consistently contributed to its success: to be better every day, and to ensure that people enjoy working with him, as a team.