Founder and Executive Chairman of the Board, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
Sandra Chartrand & Alain Bouchard 2023 Concordia Honorary Doctorates
For their leading role in philanthropy in Québec
Sandra Chartrand is president of the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation. She currently sits on the board of directors at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Foundation, the Place des Arts Foundation and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of the Development Committee of the Université de Montréal Board. She earned a BA from Concordia in 1985.
Alain Bouchard is the founder of Alimentation Couche-Tard, a convenience store sector leader with more than 14,300 stores in 24 countries and territories.
Together, in 2012, they establ...
Transcript (19 segments)
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Presenter0:09
Mr. Chancellor, I have the honor of presenting Sandra Charpin and Alain Bouchard, who have distinguished themselves through their commercial success, their activities, and their exceptional enterprise.
Madame Charpin, who obtained a bachelor's degree from Concordia University in 1985, has invested in many noble causes, both professionally and as a volunteer throughout her career. At Couche-Tard she has collected donations for the campaigns of the CHUM Foundation and Sainte-Justine Foundation, campaigns she also helped organize.
The Wish Foundation, with the leadership of the Wish Foundation and its generous generation.
For his part, Alain Bouchard, President and CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard, got his first start in the convenience store business as a teenager in 1969. Starting as a simple counter employee at Intérêt and then at Provisoire, he quickly distinguished himself with his business sense. In 1980, he founded the company that would become Alimentation Couche-Tard. The chain now has 14,300 stores in 24 countries and employs more than 122,000 people.
The company takes its environmental and social responsibilities very seriously, paying particular attention to its energy consumption, the packaging it uses, and the waste it produces, as well as workplace safety, diversity, and inclusion.
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Sandra Charpin11:27
Thank you, Dr. Charpin. Thank you.
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Alain Bouchard12:22
Mr. Chancellor, Mr. Rector, honored guests, parents and friends, dear graduates, I am certain you thought this day would never arrive. You marked off the dates on your calendar hoping it would come soon, and now that it's here, take a moment to observe your surroundings and all the people who helped you get here — the professors who hounded you about deadlines, the parents who asked you for the eighth time what your major was, the friends who drank cheap good wine with you after exams. Those are the people who helped you reach this day. I hope you bought your wine at Couche-Tard.
And the beer too, obviously, being at the Molson Faculty and all.
I look at all of you here. You are beautiful and proud. I am impressed. Allow me today to be among the many to congratulate you. Congratulations to all on your diplomas. You have all worked extremely hard, overcome your own challenges, and earned this diploma, which represents the first of many achievements, I am convinced.
My wife told you earlier to let go of the laissez-faire plan, meaning don't let things go too much, but perhaps trust yourselves a little and trust your intelligence. I will add to that advice: you must dream. Dream big, dream wildly, and never let anyone stop you from dreaming.
Dream against everyone, and even — that's a definition of who you are, and it will help you shape your life. I would not be true to myself if I didn't speak, even briefly, about entrepreneurship. I believe that entrepreneurship is the best way to invent your life. Imagine, every day inventing your life — in this life, you are your own master builder, you invent yourself, you set the rules, and above all, you decide what you want. Not always — sometimes there are the bankers.
There's a reason my advice is so cliché, and it's not only because of my age. It's because it's true. In this life, you have a million chances to start over. It is never too late. Never let anyone tell you that you can't start over. Of course you can — look at Trump. He started in reality TV and became president. So trust me when I say that if he can do it, you can do it too.
You only have one life, and it is your duty to live it to its fullest potential. As for starting and undertaking business, Rick Ross, the founder of McDonald's, started his project at age 52. Imagine — look at what it became today.
Honestly, I look at you here today and I love it — in terms of how much time you have ahead of you, and especially in terms of all the people you'll meet, all the adventures you'll live, all the projects you'll launch. So launch yourselves. You have a wonderful future ahead of you.
Always remember to surround yourself with people better than you. When you lead teams, identify the best — better than you on a subject, not on every subject because then that's a problem — identify the best who are better than you on a subject, and you will win faster.
I understood this lesson very early on. That's why I married Sandra.
My wife and I are so proud and humbled to be part of such a great generation, and we encourage you all as you build your future. Always remember this: take risks, invent but also reinvent your life, and above all, dream again. Dream bigger and higher. These will be the best ways to build a life you are not only proud of, but a life you love.
Thank you all. Thank you to Concordia for honoring us with this doctorate, my wife and I.
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University Official18:47
Thank you, Doctor. A great inspiration for us. Thank you very much.