André Chagnon
Encyclopedia
André Chagnon, is a Canadian
businessman and philanthropist
.
Born in Montreal
, Quebec
, the son of an electrician, he began his work career by laying underground cables, eventually starting his own contracting company Chagnon Electric, in 1957, which he later sold to his employees. In 1964, he founded the cable company Le Groupe Vidéotron
which grew into one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies.
Retiring in 2000, he set up the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, an organization working to prevent poverty
and illness
in families, which has $1.4 billion in assets and is the largest foundation in Canada.
He has been recognized throughout his career. In 1995, he was one of the four industrial leaders invited by the Government of Canada to take part in the G-7 Ministerial Conference on the Information Society, held in Brussels. Also in 1995, he was named to the Information Highway Advisory Council. He has been an officer of the Order of Canada since 1993, and was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2002. His outstanding efforts through his foundation were recognized in 2003 when he was named a co-recipient of the Medal for Exceptional Contributions to Early Childhood Development, awarded by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development. In 2005, he was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Lifetime Achievement award.
Chagnon had a net worth
of $474 million CDN in 2006. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/after_hours/lifestyle_activities/article.jsp?content=20061204_83955_83955&page=9
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
businessman and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, the son of an electrician, he began his work career by laying underground cables, eventually starting his own contracting company Chagnon Electric, in 1957, which he later sold to his employees. In 1964, he founded the cable company Le Groupe Vidéotron
Vidéotron
Vidéotron GP is a Canadian integrated telecommunications company active in cable television, interactive multimedia development, video on demand, cable telephony, wireless communication and Internet access services. Currently, the company primarily serves Quebec, as well as the francophone...
which grew into one of Canada's largest telecommunications companies.
Retiring in 2000, he set up the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, an organization working to prevent poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and illness
Illness
Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...
in families, which has $1.4 billion in assets and is the largest foundation in Canada.
He has been recognized throughout his career. In 1995, he was one of the four industrial leaders invited by the Government of Canada to take part in the G-7 Ministerial Conference on the Information Society, held in Brussels. Also in 1995, he was named to the Information Highway Advisory Council. He has been an officer of the Order of Canada since 1993, and was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2002. His outstanding efforts through his foundation were recognized in 2003 when he was named a co-recipient of the Medal for Exceptional Contributions to Early Childhood Development, awarded by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development. In 2005, he was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Lifetime Achievement award.
Chagnon had a net worth
Net worth
In business, net worth is the total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company. For a company, this is called shareholders' preference and may be referred to as book value. Net worth is stated as at a particular year in time...
of $474 million CDN in 2006. http://www.canadianbusiness.com/after_hours/lifestyle_activities/article.jsp?content=20061204_83955_83955&page=9
Honours
- In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. - In 2002, he was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of FameCanadian Business Hall of FameThe Canadian Business Hall of Fame honours "Canada's most distinguished business leaders", selected by an independent panel representing Canadian business, academic and media institutions....
. - In 2003, he was made an Officer of l’Ordre national du Québec.
- In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of OttawaUniversity of OttawaThe University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. - In 2005, he was awarded the Ernst & YoungErnst & YoungErnst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Lifetime Achievement award.