André Desmarais, BComm 78, LLD 07, deputy chairman of Power Corporation of Canada, is not one to seek attention for his family’s philanthropy.
Yet his $6-million planned gift to his alma mater and the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now in 2025 sent a powerful message about the long-term value of investing in higher education.
His gift will further endow the France and André Desmarais Graduate Fellowships, established in 2001 by Desmarais and his wife, France Chrétien Desmarais, LLD 15.
Open to outstanding master’s and doctoral students from all faculties, the fellowships have already supported more than 100 graduate students pursuing research across disciplines from engineering and business to the arts and social sciences.
“I’m deeply attached to Concordia because it truly gave me my start in life,” says Desmarais. “I wasn’t an exemplary student before — far from it — and other universities probably wouldn’t have accepted me. But Concordia gave me a chance.”
Two renowned and influential professors transformed how he saw learning. “Thanks to Henry Habib and Howard Ripstein, I began to take my studies seriously. Suddenly, everything became interesting and worthwhile — they changed my life.”
Those early lessons at Concordia continue to guide Desmarais’s philanthropy today. With his new planned gift, his support for Concordia now totals $14.5 million.
“I give widely — across arts, education, medicine, conservation — to support the pillars of a strong and vibrant society,” he says. “And Concordia has become one of those pillars for me.”
Beyond his alma mater, Desmarais has been active in campaigns for the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal Heart Institute, Canadian Red Cross, Moisson Montréal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
He helped launch La Ferme des Quatre-Temps, an experimental organic farm in Hemmingford, Quebec, designed to show that small-scale, sustainable agriculture can be profitable. Another passion is African Parks, which protects more than 49 million acres of land across Africa.
Despite this extensive philanthropic footprint, Desmarais shrugs off talk of legacy.
“I don’t personally believe in that word. We’re here for a limited time — so let’s do the best we can while we’re around. If you want to make a difference, do it while you’re alive, when you can actually see the impact.
“I give where the leadership is strong and the results speak for themselves. And you remember who gave you your start. For me, that was Concordia.”
