Finance Monthly Global Awards 2016 Edition

69 FINANCE MONTHLY Finance Monthly Global Awards 2016 CANADA Website: www.desjardins.com Simon Jacques Abdel Azzouzi INTERNATIONAL TRADE FIRM OF THE YEAR Winner: Firm Profile Desjardins International Services—a dynamic multidisciplinary team Desjardins International Services, with its team of dedicated business development experts, provides members doing business on an international scale with a comprehensive range of trade finance services and supply chain financing including global cash management and payments. Desjardins International Services acts as a representative of Desjardins Group for foreign banks, manages a worldwide network of correspondents and sets up cooperation agreements with financial institutions in many countries—providing members of the Desjardins cooperative network with international access to financial services. Simon Jacques, Managing Director, Sales, Large Corporations and International Services has led this dynamic, multidisciplinary team since 2013. Mr. Jacques is an international banker with expertise in international business financing, risk management and the introduction of new products and initiatives. An MBA in treasury management and investments and a Canadian Banking Institute gold medalist, he is a persuasive and motivating leader, with a proven ability to transfer knowledge to his team and adapt to quickly changing circumstances. The International Services team also benefits from the expertise of Abdel Azzouzi, Expert Advisor, a lawyer holding several professional certifications in international trade, including anti-money laundering and global credit. Mr. Azzouzi supports Desjardins’ large corporate and institutional clients across Canada, providing trade finance services and negotiating and executing trade finance transactions. He is also in charge of trade finance transactions with Desjardins’ corresponding banks. Desjardins Group—one of the world’s top financial cooperatives Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of $255 billion CDN. To meet the diverse needs of its seven million members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms and subsidiaries across Canada. Considered North America’s strongest bank by Bloomberg News, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry. One of the most diversified financial services organizations in Canada, Desjardins has operations in wealth management, life and health Insurance, property and casualty insurance, personal and business banking and financial services. For the fifth year in a row, Desjardins’ market-linked guaranteed investments (MLGIs) won two prestigious awards at the Americas Structured Products & Derivatives Awards: Best Distributor, Canada, and Best Capital Protected Distributor, Americas (ahead of JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BBVA and Bank of America Merrill Lynch). These awards reinforce Desjardins’ leadership throughout the Americas in financial products, efficient distribution strategies, and sales results. Also for the fifth year in a row, Desjardins has made Corporate Knights magazine’s list of the Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. This recognizes Desjardins as a responsible business able to reconcile economic, social and environmental challenges while remaining true to its mission of meeting the financial needs of members and clients and contributing to the well- being of individuals and communities.