Michel Després holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Université Laval. He is also a graduate of the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés.
Since January 1, 2016, he has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Retraite Québec, and a member of its Board of Directors. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec since March 16, 2016 and has chaired the Forum des dirigeants des grands organismes publics since 2010.
Prior to his appointment as head of Retraite Québec,
Mr. Després was Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST). From 2007 to 2011, he headed the Commission des normes du travail as its President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Després has had a highly varied professional life, having played many different roles as a member of the Assemblée nationale du Québec for nearly 20 years. He was Minister of Labour from April 2003 to February 2005, and then Minister of Transport and Minister of the Capitale-Nationale until April 2007. During that time,
Mr. Després was a member of the Comité des priorités, the Conseil du trésor, the Comité de législation, the Comité ministériel de la prospérité économique et du développement durable and the Comité ministériel du développement social, éducatif et culturel.
Prior to that,
Mr. Després was a management consultant and special advisor to the Department of Canadian Heritage. He was also Vice-president of the Commission politique et de l'administration générale de l'Assemblée internationale des parlementaires de langue française, in addition to holding management positions in the private sector, in particular that of Chief Executive Officer of the Québec Fish Processors Association.
In 1995,
Mr. Després was made
Chevalier of the
Ordre de la Pléiade, a prestigious title awarded to people who have made especially distinguished contributions in service to the ideals of cooperation and friendship in the Francophonie.
Mr. Després has also been honoured with a medal commemorating the 400th anniversary of Québec.