Ottawa, November 25, 2020 – During the ceremonies of act20, the annual conference of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA), longtime member and volunteer Yvon Charest was presented with the Institute’s prestigious President’s Award.
The annual award is conferred by the CIA President to a person who has made significant contributions to the actuarial profession in Canada.
Charest graduated in actuarial science from Laval University in 1979, becoming a Fellow of the CIA in 1982 and a Fellow of the US Society of Actuaries in 1981. He devoted his entire professional career to iA Financial Group, where he quickly climbed the ranks to become President and Chief Executive Officer, a position he held until his retirement in 2018. Under his presidency, iA completed its demutualization, and at the end of 2018 its assets under management and administration were close to $169 billion.
Charest has made a significant contribution to the growth of the CIA by volunteering his time to numerous committees and working groups, including the Task Force on Insurance Legislation and the Committee on the Appointed Actuary, and serving on the CIA Board of Directors from 1989 to 1992.
On top of being very professionally active and a dedicated father of three, Charest has also made significant contributions to his community and numerous charities, earning him the following distinctions:
- Officer of the Ordre national du Québec (2019)
- Grand Québécois – Secteur Économique from the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Québec (2018)
- Officer of the Order of Canada (2016)
- Les Affaires CEO of the Year Award – Most socially engaged executive (2016)
- Finance et Investissement Quebec Financial Personality of the Year (2004, 2008, and 2015)
- United Way Canada Board of Directors Award (2013)
- Ordre des mécènes of the city of Québec (2012)
In 2010, the mayor of Quebec entrusted Charest with the role of lead negotiator with various investors interested in the Quebec amphitheater project. In 2019, as special negotiator, he submitted a report on the continuity of the Quebec bridge, which had just celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“Even highlighting only his major achievements, Yvon Charest’s personal and professional journeys are exceptional – and he’s not done yet,” says Marc Tardif, CIA Immediate Past President. “Yvon recently recruited donors from his community to allow the Mont Sainte-Anne ski centre to upgrade its chair lifts and help the company get through difficult times, without compromising safety.”
The CIA thanks and celebrates Yvon Charest for his notable contributions to the Institute and to the actuarial profession in Canada.
