20th Anniversary: Conference with Paul Desmarais III, Founder of YCIF and President and CEO of Sagard

YCIF MTL | 20th Anniversary: Conference with Paul Desmarais III, Founder of YCIF and President and CEO of Sagard

This year, YCIF celebrates its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Young Canadians in Finance are pleased and honoured to invite you to a conference with Paul Desmarais III, one of YCIF’s founders and President and CEO of Sagard.

During this event, Paul Desmarais III will share the highlights of his career, his vision of the markets and alternative investment, as well as his advice for the next generation in finance. He will also look back on the genesis of YCIF, founded in 2006, and on what the organization represents 20 years later. We encourage you to prepare your questions, as you will have the opportunity to ask them at the end of the discussion.

We look forward to celebrating with you on November 25!

When: Wednesday, November 25, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Where: Downtown Montreal, venue to be confirmed in an upcoming notice
Price: Free for YCIF members, $50 for non-members

This event is open to everyone. Not a member yet? Now is the perfect time to join: the annual membership is $50 and gives you free access to this event as well as preferential rates all year round. To become a member of the Montreal chapter, please click this link: https://www.ycif.org/fr/devenir-membre/adhesion/#registration-member. You can also write to nai.beyloune@rbc.com.

Spots are limited, reserve quickly and spread the word!

Event schedule
5:00 PM: Guest arrival
5:30 PM: Discussion with Paul Desmarais III and Simon Constantineau, followed by a Q&A period
6:30 PM: End of the conference
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM: Cocktail and networking

About Paul Desmarais III
Paul Desmarais III is President and CEO of Sagard, a global alternative asset management firm active in venture capital, private equity, credit and real estate, which he has led since 2016. Within the Sagard ecosystem, he is Executive Chairman and co-founder of Portage, and Chairman and co-founder of Diagram. He notably chairs the boards of Wealthsimple, Novisto and Sagard Wealth, and sits on the boards of Nesto and Midas. He previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Imerys and Great-West Lifeco. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard and an MBA from INSEAD. He is the founder and honorary chairman of Young Canadians in Finance.

About YCIF
Founded in 2006, YCIF (Young Canadians in Finance) brings together the next generation in finance and business in Montreal and Toronto through networking and professional development events. Twenty years later, the Montreal chapter has more than a hundred active members.

Montreal Executive Committee

• Simon Constantineau, President, YCIF Montreal, Wealth Management, RBC Dominion Securities
• Naomie Bourduas-Mailhot, Innocap
• Gemma Caprio, Lawyer, Fasken
• Gabrielle Cormier, International Private Investments, CDPQ
• Élisabeth Brault, Associate, Growth Investments, BDC
• Vincent Legault, Lawyer, Osler
• Charles Pelletier, Manager, Client Services, BFL Canada
• Nicolas Fortin, Consultant, PwC
• Kristian-Paul Fafard, Vice-President, Mergers & Acquisitions, EY-Parthenon
• Charles Pearson, Venture Capital, Seido