Albert Jean de Grandpré CC QC (14 September 1921 – 31 July 2022) was a Canadian lawyer and businessman who served as the president and chief executive officer of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc.[1]

Albert Jean de Grandpré
15th Chancellor of McGill University
In office
1984–1991
Personal details
Born
Albert Jean de Grandpré

(1921-09-14)14 September 1921
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died24 July 2022(2022-07-24) (aged 100)
Relations
Known forPresident and CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc.

Life and career

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Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was educated at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and received a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from McGill University in 1943. He joined Bell Canada as a general counsel in 1966 and was made president in 1973.[1] He became chairman and CEO in 1976 and was the first chairman and CEO when the BCE holding company was created in 1983.[1] The advantage of this arrangement was that only the telecommunications subsidiary Bell Canada was subject to regulation by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), whereas the parent company with its other assets (such as the telecom manufacturer Northern Telecom, later Nortel) was not.[2]

He retired from the company in 1989. From 1984 until 1991, he was the fifteenth Chancellor of McGill University. Since 1996, he has been chairman of the board of Theratechnologies, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company.

Grandpré turned 100 in September 2021,[3] and died on 31 July 2022.[4]

Honours and awards

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In 1981, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[5] He was promoted to Companion in 1987.

Grandpré has received honorary doctorates from the University of Quebec (1979), McGill University (1981), Université de Montréal (1989), the University of Ottawa (1982), and Bishop's University (1983).

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Albert Jean de Grandpré". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. ^ Langan, Fred (18 August 2022). "Powerful francophone executive oversaw creation of BCE". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Celebrating 100 years!". The Neuro.
  4. ^ "Jean de Grandpré, fondateur de BCE, s'éteint à l'âge de 100 ans" (in French). La Presse. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Recipients". The Governor General of Canada. 11 June 2018.
Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of McGill University
1984–1991
Succeeded by