Monique F. Leroux presents her ideas, convictions and commitments for her mandate as President of Desjardins Group

Quebec City, March 29, 2008 - Speaking for the first time as President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group to caisse delegates gathered today in Quebec City for the Group's Annual General Meetings, Ms. Monique F. Leroux shared her ideas and convictions on the growth of Desjardins as well as the commitments she intends to hold over the course of her mandate. She invited caisse delegates to get to work on continuing to develop Desjardins Group as their predecessors did so successfully.

Resolutely turned towards the future, the new President first plans to base the future of Desjardins on its solid cooperative history. That is why she did not hesitate to refer to the caisses as the driving force of Desjardins Group; the basis, according to Ms. Leroux, of the success of the institution and the development of the integrated cooperative financial group Desjardins has become over the years.

As a general backdrop to her comments, she referred to the soul of Desjardins Group: cooperation. As stated by Ms. Leroux, this power that is cooperation is what sets Desjardins apart and gathers up its vital forces. It is what enables it to carry out the essence of its occupation, finance, based on a unique model.

Saluting the achievements of her predecessor, the lady who has today taken the reins of the destiny of a great cooperative financial institution in excellent heath appears to remain vigilant with respect to the future, inviting all delegates to come together in order to find concrete solutions to a number of challenges deemed to be priorities.

"I believe we need to continue our efforts to crystallize our cooperative difference, strengthen our positioning in wealth management and in the business market, strengthen our presence in Greater Montréal, in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, while remaining extremely vigilant with respect to our productivity," she noted.

It is by capitalizing on existing assets that these challenges will have to be met and Desjardins Group's development will have to be continued, Ms. Leroux stressed.

Nourishing five convictions that go above and beyond action plans, the new President aims to create anchor points to serve as the focus for Desjardins' strategic and operational reflection process.

First of all, convinced that the caisses are the driving force behind Desjardins Group, Ms. Leroux would like to strengthen their entrepreneurship by enabling the officers and general managers to make a greater contribution to the execution of network and Fédération strategies and projects. To that effect, she proposes to position each caisse as a mirror of the "Desjardins integrated cooperative financial group" within its community. In particular, she believes in greater communication with the base, which is why she intends to establish a direct link between the President's office and the caisse officers and general managers by the end of 2008, to make it possible to "move from intentions to action."

Her second conviction relates to the role that the Fédération and the subsidiaries must play in their service to the caisses. Thus, considering the growing maturity of the network and the caisses, the role of the Fédération will be called upon to grow as well. "I believe that the Fédération must play a Group-wide orientation and integration role in terms of market strategies, performance objectives for all subsidiaries and talent management, as well as financial and technological management for the Group and the network," she added.

The growth and strategic development of Desjardins Group is through the caisses, supported by the subsidiaries. That is Ms. Leroux's third conviction, as she believes it is essential that Desjardins' vision of growth be supported by a solid foundation, and the basis of Desjardins Group's success be the strength and vitality of the caisses in the regions and among groups. "We need to continually seek out the best ways to enable each caisse to pursue its growth within its own community and to support it with respect to its particular issues," she explained.

The development of the Greater Montréal area and the Canadian market as well as of partnership opportunities with major cooperative financial groups around the world are other aspects that Ms. Leroux intends to work on, just as she plans to build up Desjardins' positioning in wealth management and securities in the business and youth markets. With respect to the latter, she stated, "I hope that we will be able to have regular discussions with young people, through appropriate forums, so they can tell us what they expect from the Desjardins of tomorrow."

Her fourth conviction addresses human capital, what Ms. Leroux terms "our greatest wealth and our strength for the future. To ensure the success and continuity of Desjardins Group, we must be not only a preferred employer for our managers and employees, but also a Group that can engage and mobilize our officers and general managers. In this spirit, we need to make sure that our modes of governance, our democratic management and the way we work together continue to provide leverage for engaging and mobilizing the people of Desjardins," she asserted.

The fifth conviction is that the values of cooperation must always be central to Desjardins' actions. In that sense, convinced that it is through teamwork that the best discussions on Group ambitions and governance will emerge, the new president took advantage of this forum to announce an upcoming Congress between now and the end of 2009. The resulting discussions would provide Desjardins with a new momentum through which it will be able to meet the challenges that await the Group with confidence and success.

Monique F. Leroux concluded on this rallying note by saluting the caisse officers and general managers, and the Fédération and subsidiary teams attending the event. "Together, we have the power to make Desjardins Group the most admired financial institution in Canada and the most respected for its mission, its cooperative values, its caisses – which remain close to the people – and its success! We have a clear mission and strong values that will enable us to offer our members and communities a better life."

About Desjardins Group

The largest integrated cooperative financial group in Canada, with global assets of over $144 billion as at December 31, 2007, Desjardins Group consists of a network of caisses/branches, credit unions and financial centres for Québec- and Ontario-based companies, as well as about 20 subsidiaries in life and general insurance, securities, venture capital, and asset management, many of which are active nationwide. With the skills of its 40,000 employees and the commitment of more than 6,500 elected officers, Desjardins offers its 5.8 million members and clients-individuals and businesses alike-a full range of financial products and services. Its physical distribution network is rounded out by virtual access methods supported by leading-edge technology. For more information, visit www.desjardins.com.

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Source (for journalists only):
André Chapleau
Information and Media Relations Director
514-281-7229
1-866-866-7000, ext. 7229