Jean-François Girard, CFA

Portfolio Manager, Senior Wealth Manager

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072003

Linkedin Profil

Languages: French, English

Biography

Jean-François has over 20 years of experience in portfolio management and finance. He co-founded Groupe Girard Lacroix. In 2005, he developed the business model we still use today.
He’s a born entrepreneur and market expert, and he’s responsible for investment strategy, trading and business development.

Groupe Girard Lacroix

Excellence Accreditation

Excellence accreditation attests that the wealth manager's practice meets the highest standards of quality in order to offer you an unparalleled experience in meeting your financial needs. This distinction is awarded exclusively to Desjardins Securities wealth managers who participate in a continuous development and improvement program.

Discretionary asset management and wealth management service.

Our clientele consists primarily of business executives, professionals, religious communities, associations and foundations.

Mission

Our mission is to share our considerable expertise by developing accumulation and payout strategies for affluent and high-net-worth clients.

Investment Philosophy

Consistency and rigour

In developing investment strategies for you, we rely on discipline rather than emotion. Short-lived market trends don’t sway us. Instead, our strategies are based on logic. Consistency and rigour are the main hallmarks of our approach.

Protecting capital is a key priority for us.

Our Growth portfolio includes around 20 Canadian, U.S. and international common shares that are publicly traded on global stock exchanges.

When choosing products, we consider businesses’ environmental, social and governance practices. We avoid investing directly in the arms, tobacco and cannabis industries or in casinos.

What sets us apart

We’ve developed a unique analysis tool that is exclusive to our team, called the Road Map.

This tool has been approved by external tax experts, and we use it to plan savings accumulation and payout based on 2 main criteria: preserving capital and minimizing taxes.

The Road Map allows us to take all of your assets and liabilities into consideration in our planning process. Developing a client’s Road Map yields a more detailed strategy than traditional financial planning.

Values

Respect and rigour are core values at Groupe Girard Lacroix that shape each advisor’s approach and conduct, and guide the way we work towards achieving our mission.

Service Offer

Guidance process in wealth management
Meetings with advisors
Personalized performance reports
Quarterly bulletin written by our portfolio management committee
Notices of changes to portfolios
Annual tax conciliation for corporate accounts
Tax-optimized investment structure

Biographies of my colleagues

Pierre Lacroix, CFA

Portfolio Manager, Senior Wealth Manager

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072022

Languages: French, English

Linkedin
- Pierre has been with Desjardins since 1998. He joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2014 as a partner and portfolio manager.
- He was previously Assistant Chief of Research and an analyst specializing in infrastructure and diversified industries at Desjardins Securities.
- In our team, he’s in charge of investment strategy, trading and business development.
Full details
Martin Bérubé, BBA, CIM^®

Wealth Manager

T 418-693-0207 ext. 5072007

Languages: French, English

Linkedin
- Martin joined the team in 2009 and became a partner in 2017. He has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.
- He helps optimize clients’ financial strategies and ensures that all our clients are getting quality service. He’s also responsible for business development.
- Moreover, Martin helps create investment strategies and make trading decisions.
Full details
David Desjardins, CAIA, CFA

Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072089

Languages: French, English
- Before joining Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2022, David spent five years as an analyst in several Toronto hedge funds.
- As part of the team, David participates in discussions about financial markets and the economy.
Full details
Valérie Tremblay, BBA, F. Pl

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072013

Languages: French
- After 4 years as an advisor in the Desjardins caisse network, Valérie joined Desjardins Securities in 2010.
- She holds a BBA and a certification in financial planning. She puts together financial and tax strategies to help clients reach their financial goals.
Nicolas Harvey-Girard, BBA

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072012

Languages: French, English
- Nicolas joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in April 2016.
- He holds a BBA and has a passion for the stock market. As a member of our team, he collaborates with portfolio managers and contributes to trading activities. He also follows up with our clients by responding to specific requests.
Émilie Tremblay, M. Sc.

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072030

Languages: French
- Émilie joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in May 2016.
- She holds a master’s degree in administration with a specialization in finance from Université de Sherbrooke. Her role is to help young professionals and the next generation of investors develop their financial and tax strategies.
Mélanie Gobeil, MBA, BBA, F. Pl

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072055

Languages: French
- Mélanie has been in financial services since 2001 and joined our team in 2017.
- She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a certification in financial planning. She specializes in helping our clients optimize their financial and tax strategies.
Sébastien Gervais, BBA, F. Pl

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072014

Languages: French
- Sébastien has been working in financial services since 2005 and joined Desjardins Securities in 2020.
- A graduate in business administration and a financial planner, he implements financial and fiscal strategies according to the personalized priorities of our clients.
Jérémie Gagnon, BBA, CFA

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072024

Languages: French, English
- After four years as an advisor in the Desjardins caisse network, Jérémie joined Desjardins Securities in 2022.
- He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is passionate about finance and loves working with clients. Cheerful and attentive, he always put his clients' interests first.
Dave Lapointe, MBA, BBA, F. Pl

Associate Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5102836

Languages: French
- Dave has been working in financial services since 2007 and joined the team in 2022.
- He has an MBA and is a certified financial planner. He helps our clients create optimal financial strategies.
Caroline Godbout,

Assistant Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072056

Languages: French
- Having worked at Desjardins Securities since 2016, Caroline joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2019.
- She is currently completing her bachelor's degree in business administration at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and she wants to perfect her knowledge in order offer the best service to our clientele.
- Always cheery and enthusiastic, she enjoys listening to clients and supporting advisors in their tasks.
Jordan Girard,

Assistant Wealth Management Advisor

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072058

Languages: French
- Jordan has been with Groupe Girard Lacroix since 2021
- Is currently studying at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Helps our advisors with various support tasks
- Is positive and attentive, and provides proactive and comprehensive services
Mélissa Harvey,

Wealth Management Associate

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072019

Languages: French
- Mélissa has been with Desjardins Securities since 2011—the longest of anyone on the admin team.
- She provides administrative support to the team's investment advisors, our clients and their accountants. Mélissa also ensures that administrative standards and procedures are followed.
Sophie Tremblay,

Wealth Management Associate

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072011

Languages: French
- Sophie has been with Desjardins Securities since 2007 and joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2016.
- She offers first-rate administrative support to our advisors, clients and external accountants, and is our go-to for all matters relating to legal account documents.
Sabrina Potvin, BBA

Wealth Management Associate

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072049

Languages: French
- Sabrina holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources management from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
- She has been with Desjardins since 2011, and joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2021.
- Sabrina provides administrative support to advisors and is in charge of account openings. She is detail-oriented and ensures that our clients get outstanding customer service.
Anaïs Girard,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072009

Languages: French
Marilyn Tremblay,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072008

Languages: French
- Marilyn has been with the Desjardins Group since 2009 and joined the Girard Lacroix Group in 2021.
- Caring, Marilyn is a key person for our customers. A good listener and diligent, she offers outstanding customer service. She is also responsible for managing the advisors' agendas.
Bianka Pilote-Thivierge,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072081

Languages: French
- Bianka has been with Desjardins since 2018, and joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2022.
- She's a dynamic professional with an effervescent personality who always gives her best to helping our clients.
- Bianka manages advisors' schedules, including appointments and meeting prep, and is responsible for a variety of administrative duties.
Lucie Boily, C. Adm

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072085

Languages: French
- Lucie has been with Groupe Girard Lacroix since June 2023. She has over 40 years of experience in human resources, education and professional training.
- She has a certificate in administration from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC).
- In her role, she provides administrative support to various colleagues and is responsible for scheduling appointments and producing reports for clients.
Claudia Fortin,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072028

Languages: French
- Claudia has been with Desjardins since 2005 and joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2022.
- She is ambitious, versatile and highly skilled. She assists our clients with any requests they may have.
- She's responsible for managing advisor schedules, including meeting prep, as well as a variety of other administrative tasks.
Kéven Grenon-Bouchard, BBA

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-0207 ext. 5072039

Languages: French
- Kéven has been with Desjardins since 2017, and joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2024.
- He has a bachelor of business administration in human resources management from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.
- A curious and insightful person, Kéven loves learning new things about the financial sector.
- His rigour, attention to detail and commitment to helping others serve him well in his role as an administrative assistant to our wealth managers.
Michel Lacroix,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5072016

Languages: French
- Michel has had a long career with Desjardins and is now joining the Groupe Girard Lacroix as a wealth management assistant.
- He helps the advisors respond to client requests, particularly those related to trades and portfolio rebalancing.
Lily Larouche,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-0207 ext. 5072084

Languages: French
- Lily joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2023 and supports the team with various tasks, such as scheduling appointments and producing reports for clients.
- She is recognized by her colleagues for her detail-oriented approach and professionalism.
Alexandra Lavoie,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-0207 ext. 5072068

Languages: French
- Alexandra joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2023, bringing with her 2 years of experience at Desjardins Group. She thrives on complexity and analysis, and is always ready to take on new challenges.
- Her main duties consist of meeting clients' needs and supporting the team in carrying out financial transactions.
Karelle Vallée,

Wealth Management Assistant

T 418-693-1234 ext. 5462193

Languages: French
- Karelle joined Groupe Girard Lacroix in 2023. Her experience in the caisse network is a major asset to the team.
- Karelle is responsible for account administration and operational management. She's a go-getter who's diligent and conscientious in her work.