Jean Bélanger

Jean Bélanger is one of the province’s best-known success stories, for the way he has leveraged cutting-edge technological innovation to elevate his company, Premier Tech, to the status of Canadian economic flagship and global leader in its various fields.

Since receiving his BSc in Industrial Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal, he has found ways throughout his 35 years at Premier Tech to keep himself constantly surrounded with talented leaders. Together, that team has developed a strong group culture in which intrapreneurship is nurtured and the desire to excel acts as a driver of Premier Tech’s steady, consistent growth. 

His career has been the object of much recognition, from 2013, when he was awarded Réseau Capital’s Prix Capital de l’année in the entrepreneur category, to 2022, when he was made a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour—France’s highest order of merit—by decree of the President of the French Republic. Most recently, in 2023 he was awarded the National Assembly Medal of Honour as an outstanding corporate builder. 

As a respected business leader, he proudly stands up for smaller cities, having shown how a business can internationalize while maintaining its regional roots and head office, in this case in Rivière-du-Loup. 

His audacity, passion, and transparency are an inspiration to business management students. But his success in business is not the whole story—his humanist values also shine forth. Besides sitting on Premier Tech’s Board of Directors, he’s a member of various other advisory boards and boards of directors, where he shares his know-how and experience. That same desire to give back to the community underlies his efforts on behalf of an array of health, education, and sports initiatives.

Université Laval  awards an Honorary Doctorate in Administration to Jean Bélanger in recognition of his success in business and commitment to building Québec’s future through unique entrepreneurial values.