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Our firm has been a driving force in the accounting profession since 1948. The combined experience of three generations of the same family provides some insight into 75 years of history and how this Québec jewel has changed over this time.
Raynald, Dominic and Hugo Deslandes have passed the torch, from one generation to the next. They tell us about their inspiring career paths as well as how they view working for Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton.
Strong roots
Dominic Deslandes was appointed partner in the Recovery and Reorganization Group at the age of 32, and he now has more than 27 years of seniority in the firm. A licenced insolvency trustee and newly appointed member of the Insolvency Institute of Canada (IIC), Dominic has some impressive credentials. When he was a child, his father Raynald often found him reading the economic section in La Presse or looking at financial statements! Needless to say, Raynald was very happy when Dominic decided to become an accountant!
Dominic admits that, for a while, he thought about becoming a doctor. “I liked the idea of helping others and dealing with critical situations, but this is sort of what I do as a restructuring expert. I may not be saving lives, but I’m helping companies that are often in a very difficult financial situation. My team and I ask questions, analyze information to arrive at the best possible diagnosis, and then propose the best solutions.”
Helping others
Dominic worked hard to get where he is today. Many of his partners think that he works too hard. “It must be in my blood. But there are some benefits. I met Andrée, my wife and the mother of our three children, during all those long hours at the office.”
Dominic remembers a pivotal moment in his career. He was just starting out and was assigned his first major file: a sawmill in the Abitibi region. “There I am, in a suit and tie, and everyone else is in jeans and checked shirts. It was so cold and I didn’t even have any boots,” he remembers with a laugh.
Gilles Plante, a former partner in the region, took Dominic under his wing and helped him steer this project. “Gilles was the Vice-President for his region, he had his own clients to serve, and yet he still took the time to monitor my progress and answer my questions. I can say that this helped me to build a successful career. One of my biggest regrets is that Gilles passed away before I had a chance to tell him how much his support made a difference for me,” Dominic says with sadness.
Passing the torch
That is why Dominic makes it a point of honour to help his partners as well as younger professionals by sharing his knowledge and his network of contacts. He is extremely pleased to monitor the progress of his son, Hugo, who is studying business administration at McGill University while working as a junior auditor at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton. “I’m very proud of my three children. I hope that they’ll do something that makes them happy—whether they become CPAs or not.”
Hugo, for his part, has received his fair share of academic awards. He has been involved in a host of committees and all sorts of associations. In fact, he is an ambassador for the firm at McGill. “My role is to talk to students and show them the type of firm we are. Within the company, helping others is more important than being in competition.”
Looking towards the future
Since the birth of his son, Noah, a few months ago, Hugo has re-thought his priorities. He had been thinking about doing a Master’s degree abroad, but has decided to wait for a better time. He has also taken some time off from his committee work to focus on his studies and his family.
“When I look at my son, of course I don’t want to work 70 hours a week. I want to spend time with him. And, what’s more, it wouldn’t be fair to my partner, Charlotte, who has already taken a semester off after Noah was born.” His colleagues are very accommodating at work. Hugo emphasized that “people here understand the reality of employees who have children.”
A generation of builders
This was not the reality when Raynald Deslandes joined the firm in 1965, while taking night classes at HEC. Raynald is from the generation of builders who made Québec what it is today. He was also involved in many different committees. Among other things, he chaired the professional practice committee and served on the executive committee for the Montréal region as well as the national executive board to get a solid grasp of internal management.
Raynald is fully aware of how lucky he was to have a wife who took care of the family. “Without her, I would never have been able to have the same career.” He remembers with emotion the day that he learned that he had become a chartered accountant. “Back then, the UFE results were posted by the Ordre des comptables agréés. I was so nervous that I stayed in the car while my pregnant wife went to see the list of people who passed. When she came out, she was waving her arms, laughing, and screaming ‘you passed!’ It was one of the best days of my life, he says smiling.
A highly adaptable firm
He understands fulIy well that working 70 hours a week is not considered ideal for his grandson, Hugo. “Society is changing, and that’s a good thing. I’m proud to see that the firm is adapting as an employer.” He remembers that it was always like this. He, himself, saw this respect for employees as he worked alongside the firm’s founding partners. In particular, he recalls that when he was a young trainee and ill, his boss, Jacques Paré, phoned his own family doctor to look after him.
The next generation of accountant?
These three men are part of a long tradition of accountants who truly embody the firm’s values, namely collaboration, leadership, agility, integrity, respect and excellence.
The question is this: are Noah’s father and grandfather secretly plotting for him to pursue his career with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton one day? Hugo laughs and says “it’s no secret that they are plotting. It’s already common knowledge that they’re getting ready to pass the baton to my son”.