MONTREAL, Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jean-François Chalifoux, chief executive officer of SSQ Insurance, was named “2018 Financial Personality of the Year” by the Québec-based newspaper Finance et Investissement. Chalifoux also took the number one spot in the prestigious Top 25 ranking of Quebec’s financial sector in 2018.

“Jean-François Chalifoux personifies a bold new generation,” notes the Top 25 jury. “He showed it in the reform he led. He did things that others do not do, like including life insurance and general insurance together. He has also been successful in his business growth, which is noteworthy.”

SSQ’s annual net income increased 69.3% between 2012 and 2017, from $53.4 million to $90.4 million. Insurance business volume increased from $1.81 billion in 2012 to $2.46 billion in 2017, which represents a growth of 4.9% over one year, 17.9% over three years and 35.9% over five years.

The Top 25 is divided into five categories, each with four finalists and a winner. The Financial Personality of the Year is selected from among the winners of each category. The categories are Personal Insurers, National Financial Institutions, Full-service Brokers, Multidisciplinary Firms, and Independent Management Companies.

Here are the winners for each category:

• Personal Insurers: Jean-François Chalifoux, chief executive officer of SSQ Insurance.
• National Financial Institutions: Louis Vachon, president and chief executive officer, National Bank.
• Full-service Brokers: Paul Balthazard, vice-president and chief executive, Québec, at RBC Dominion Securities.
• Multidisciplinary Firms: Yan Charbonneau, chief executive officer, AFL Finance Group.
• Independent Management Companies: Stéphane Corriveau, president and senior director at AlphaFixe Capital.

For the complete list of Top 25 finalists and to learn more about each of them, visit our website at http://www.finance-investissement.com/top25 (French only).

A jury composed of six members of Quebec’s financial sector selected the Top 25 finalists:

• Richard Fortier, corporate director and chair of the jury;
• Geneviève Blouin, president and founder of Altervest, and chair of the Emerging Managers’ Board;
• Vincent Hogue, corporate director;
• Richard Gagnon, corporate director and advisor, president and chief executive officer of Humania Assurance from 2003 to 2017;
• Richard Joly, president of Leaders & Cie;
• Guillaume Poulin-Goyer, content manager, Finance et Investissement.

Three advisors honoured

Conseiller also recognized the outstanding work and dedication of three advisors from Quebec’s financial industry.

Martin Bray, MBA, Pl. Fin., portfolio manager at Desjardins Securities, is the winner in the Top Advisor category.

Christiane VanBolhuis, BAA, AVA, Pl. Fin., financial security advisor and mutual fund dealer representative at Sun Life Financial, was designated as the 2018 Top Advisor under 40.

Finally, Gérald Perron, FCSI, CIM, portfolio manager at BMO Nesbitt Burns, received the Most Committed Advisor award, which celebrates the volunteer work of a professional in his community.

A jury of influential members of the financial industry selected the winners of Les conseillers à l’honneur! 2019 competition:

• Jocelyne Houle-LeSarge, CEO and secretary of the Institut québécois de planification financière (IQPF) and chair of the jury;
• Antoine Chaume, founding member of the Regroupement des jeunes courtiers du Québec, Montréal – south shore division, and financial planner at Lafond;
• Michèle Hélie, director, Québec affairs and politics and markets regulation at the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association;
• Daniel Guillemette, founding member of Asteris and president of Diversico;
• Mario Grégoire, CEO of the Council of Professionals in Financial Services and president of Question de finance;
• Flavio Vani, president of the Association Professionnelle des Conseillers en Services Financiers and president of Assurance et Produits Financiers Vani;
• Christine Bouthillier, senior content editor at Conseiller.

The awards were presented at the 2018 Financial Personality of the Year event on February 5, 2019, at the Windsor in Montréal.

About Finance et Investissement
Finance et Investissement and the finance-investissement.com website are a source of information for Quebec investment and financial services professionals. Owned by TC Media, Finance et Investissement is published 12 times a year and is read by over 10,900 industry professionals.

About Conseiller
Conseiller was launched in 2000 to provide practice strategies to Quebec financial advisors. It features local stories on Quebec issues, special reports and business-building tools for professional advisors. Conseiller and Conseiller.ca also focus on key issues pertaining to practice, client and tax management. Published six times a year, the magazine is read by over 9,000 industry professionals.

About TC Media
TC Media, the Media Sector of TC Transcontinental (TSX : TCL.A TCL.B), is a leader in its specialty media segments in Canada, with flagship brands catering to the business, financial and construction sectors, including an event planning component. This sector, which employs over 350 people, is also positioned as Canada’s largest publisher of French-language educational resources. For more information, visit TC Transcontinental website at www.tc.tc

For information:
Frédéric Roy
Journalist/Research Coordinator
Finance et Investissement
Mobile: 438-399-2029

Christine Bouthillier
Senior Content Editor
Conseiller
514-392-4248

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e96a877a-4d01-4ae5-9570-2913766a8a8c