MÉNARD & ASSOCIÉS: A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE
In 1973, my father, Michel Ménard, and his associate founded Desjardins Ménard & Associés with the goal of accompanying entrepreneurs and their families in creating and protecting their estates.
My father’s work philosophy was based on human relationships. After his passing, I took over the family company with my cousin and business partner, Johanie Patenaude. Together, we take pride in carrying on the tradition of excellence that was so dear to my father thanks to our many years of experience working at the firm.
SAME PROXIMITY, SAME VALUES
Today called Ménard & Associés, we remain faithful to my father’s principles. We offer the same human approach and objective: understanding your unique situation to help you achieve your goals. We’re passionate about the family values that make our team strong, and we work closely with you to offer quality services and products that meet your needs.
Valérie Ménard
With a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Valérie has worked as a personal insurance specialist at Ménard & Associés (formerly Desjardins Ménard & Associés), a family company that specializes in estate planning, since 2000.
With remarkable vigour and an undeniable talent for human relations, Valérie has built a team of skilful collaborators to offer managers and owners of SMEs and family businesses in Quebec outstanding planning services for their personal insurance and financial product needs. Valérie is always attentive to her clients’ wishes, providing access to a vast network of insurance specialists and products tailored to their specific requirements. For her, helping to determine the best possible solutions is a priority.
Following the passing of Michel Ménard, her father and the firm’s founder, Valérie took up his mission of forging authentic relationships to offer her clients the highest quality service and products. In 2015, she took the reins of the company where she had worked for 17 years, determined to maintain a trusting relationship with the firm’s clientele.
Valérie is a member of several organizations, including the Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting (CALU), the Association de planification fiscale et financière (APFF), the Financial Advisors Association of Canada (Advocis), and the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). The author of numerous publications, Valérie is regularly invited to speak at conferences for various professional associations, accounting firms, law firms, banks, foundations, and more.
Johanie’s strong interest in the financial sector and desire to serve people led her to join Ménard & Associés in 2008. Over the years, she has gained a great deal of expertise in life insurance, notably in financial analysis and strategic planning, which allows her to optimize the services she offers her clients.
Having worked in the field of teaching—she earned a Bachelor of Education from UQAM in 2004—Johanie uses a client-centric approach combined with superior-quality service. In her role, she has forged close links with her clients and created a vast network of contacts, notably insurers, while using her knowledge and expertise to meet the needs of each insured client.
Thanks to her extensive experience over a flawless professional career at Ménard & Associés, Johanie was named a partner in the firm in 2017. Her objective is twofold: continue the tradition of excellence built by her uncle and company founder, Michel Ménard, and continue to enrich her already extensive knowledge to benefit her clientele. She strives to not only maintain the human character of her well-established client relationships, but also to raise the bar for standards of quality.
An active member of the Association de planification fiscale et financière (APFF), Johanie plays a leading role on the regional activities committee and stands out for her work among her colleagues and in the industry.
