Browser not supportedClément Gignac is an economist with over 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors.
Mr. Gignac has held the position of Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at iA Financial Group since 2012. In addition to managing a number of diversified funds with assets in excess of $5 billion, he is also the official spokesperson on economic and financial matters. Prior to joining iA Financial Group, Mr. Gignac worked for some major financial institutions, including National Bank Financial, where he was Vice-President and Chief Economist. During the 2008-09 financial crisis, he joined the Department of Finance Canada as special advisor to the Deputy Minister, and was Canada’s official representative on one of the working groups set up by the G20.
At the political level, Mr. Gignac was elected as a member of to the National Assembly of Québec in 2009. He was named Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade in the Quebec government, and went on to serve as Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife from 2011 to 2012.
Mr. Gignac is a sought-after speaker and a frequent media commentator. On the international scene, he joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council in 2010, and chaired its council on competitiveness in 2012-13. He is also a standing member of the Conference of Business Economists, a group of distinguished global economists based in Washington, D.C.
In 2015, Mr. Gignac was awarded the Gloire de l’Escolle medal from the Université Laval. In 2020, he became an honorary member of the Association des économistes québécois, a prestigious distinction that has only been bestowed upon 10 people since its inception in 1992.
Mr. Gignac holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in economics from the Université Laval.