La Caisse appoints Christian Dubé as Executive Vice-President, Québec

MONTREAL, Aug. 15, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is pleased to appoint Christian Dubé to the position of Executive Vice-President, Québec. This appointment builds on the May announcement of the creation of an executive position dedicated exclusively to Québec. La Caisse is therefore taking an important step in the deployment of its strategy.

With the appointment of Mr. Dubé to this key position, La Caisse is positioning itself to maximize its impact in Québec. Mr. Dubé will deploy La Caisse's investment strategy, which aims at galvanizing the province's economy by fostering the growth and development of Québec companies. Specifically, La Caisse will play a role in the international expansion of Québec companies, facilitate business succession in established SMEs, and promote a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Mr. Dubé will sit on La Caisse's Executive Committee and its Investment-Risk Committee. Accordingly, La Caisse will  be well positioned to seek out the best investment opportunities for its clients, in all regions of Québec. Mr. Dubé will also advise La Caisse on all strategic issues in Québec.

"Mr. Dubé has an intimate knowledge of the Québec economy," said Michael Sabia, President and Chief Executive Officer of La Caisse. "He understands why it is imperative that Québec companies go global - and he shares with La Caisse its sense of urgency. He understands why SMEs, which are infused with an entrepreneurial spirit, are the engine of Québec's future growth. For all those reasons, he is the ideal candidate to spearhead La Caisse's work in Québec.

"Whether it is the challenges that he successfully faced at Cascades and at Domtar or the work that he did in Québec's National Assembly, Mr. Dubé has always had a strong Québec at heart," continued Mr. Sabia. "His commitment to public interest is something that I have long admired.

"There is no doubt in my mind that through his work at La Caisse, Mr. Dubé will continue to make an important contribution to Québec," concluded Mr. Sabia

"Throughout my entire professional life, I have worked on building strong Québec companies whose ambitions extend well beyond our borders," said Christian Dubé. "This new position at La Caisse is a natural extension of my work and commitment to Quebec."

"Quebec has immense potential, and I am thrilled that La Caisse has entrusted me with the responsibility of deploying an investment strategy that will act as a catalyst for its economy," he added.

Prior to being elected to Québec's National Assembly in 2012, Mr. Dubé led a distinguished career in the private sector. He worked as a chartered accountant for a large accounting firm before joining Domtar in 1996. At Domtar, he started as Vice-President, Strategy, later stepping into the role of Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. In those positions he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions. He concluded the purchase of Georgia-Pacific's paper mills in the United States and worked on the creation of Norampac, among other transactions.

In 2004, Mr. Dubé joined Cascades as Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer. In the latter role, he oversaw the pension plans of this paper products company. From 2009 to 2012, as President of Cascades' European subsidiary, he worked in Europe. He integrated Italian cardboard producer, Reno De Medici, whose acquisition he had negotiated.

Mr. Dubé's established reputation in the business community extends well beyond the forest products industry, as he has sat on the boards of Héroux-Devtek, National Bank Financial and Fido, among others.

Before joining La Caisse, Mr. Dubé represented the riding of Lévis in the Québec National Assembly. As finance and treasury spokesperson for the Coalition Avenir Québec, he was Vice-President of the Commission des finances publiques.

Mr. Dubé will take up his new position on September 15.

Since La Caisse implemented its investment strategy in 2009, it has introduced many initiatives in Québec to strengthen the most promising companies and identify the most profitable investments, in all asset classes. As a result, La Caisse's new investments and commitments in Québec total $12.7 billion.

ABOUT LA CAISSE DE DÉPÔT ET PLACEMENT DU QUÉBEC

La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a long-term institutional investor that manages funds primarily for public and parapublic pension and insurance plans. As at December 31, 2013, it held $200.1 billion in net assets. As one of Canada's leading institutional fund managers, La Caisse invests in major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate, globally. For more information: www.lacaisse.com. 

SOURCE: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec