Supporting youth is a top priority for Desjardins Group. They have made education a core part of their mission for the past 120 years. Today, they are building further on this legacy by donating $1.5 million to help HEC Montréal move forward with several major initiatives to promote financial education and entrepreneurial learning.
Investing in financial education, especially at a young age, is a great way to help the next generation become more knowledgeable, skilled and confident about managing their money. These skills are absolutely essential in working toward a set of financial goals. At Desjardins, this is something we care deeply about, and we are very proud to team up with HEC Montréal to support their research on financial education and entrepreneurial learning to help make a real and lasting difference in our community.
“We are extremely grateful to Desjardins Group for partnering with us on this so we can continue with our advanced research and uphold the highest training standards,” said Michel Patry, President and CEO of the HEC Montréal Foundation. “Their involvement proves yet again how essential our corporate partners are to us as we strive to keep breaking new ground, usher in more projects and have an even greater impact at every level of society.”
A donation of $1.25 million from Desjardins Group will be directed toward the creation of a financial education laboratory within the Retirement and Savings Institute and the launch of a Desjardins professorship in personal finance, led by Philippe d’Astous, Associate Professor in the HEC Montréal Department of Finance.
Caroline Aubé, Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer at HEC Montréal, echoed this appreciation for Desjardins Group’s generosity, emphasizing that knowledge in this area is key with regard to individual retirement and savings needs and behaviours. “Through this contribution, we will gain more insight into Quebecers’ needs and be able to develop meaningful financial education solutions for them.”
In addition, a commitment of $250,000 will be earmarked to support a professorship in entrepreneurial learning. “This professorship aims to develop a better understanding of the value creation processes of entrepreneurs and will focus on the behaviours supporting their decision-making in the face of uncertainty,” explained the holder of the research professorship, Jean-François Harvey, Associate Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
