Denis Desautels, executive director of the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa and former Auditor General of Canada, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Laurentian Bank of Canada.

The chairman of the Laurentian Bank’s board of directors, Jon K. Grant, expressed a sense of pride in the fact that the board would benefit from the extensive experience that Desautels garnered in auditing and accounting as well as in finance.

He added: “Mr. Desautels’ expertise and independence have been duly acknowledged throughout the country. He will be a valuable asset for the board of directors and for the Bank as a whole.”

Executive director of the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa since October 2001, Desautels has acted as Auditor General of Canada from April 1991 to March 2001. At the time of his appointment, he was a senior partner in the Montreal office of Ernst & Young.

Desautels is a commerce graduate from McGill University. He became a chartered accountant in 1966 and led a distinguished career at Ernst & Young, notably as managing partner of the firm’s offices in Québec City and Montreal.

The Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec awarded him the designation of Fellow in 1986, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario followed suit in 1991. In 2001, the University of Ottawa awarded him an Honorary Doctorate and he was subsequently appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.