Pierre Karl Péladeau
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Pierre Karl Péladeau is the president and CEO of Quebecor Media Inc. and the principal shareholder of parent company Quebecor Inc. He was educated in Montreal and Paris. He holds a degree in philosophy from Université du Québec à Montréal and a law degree from Université de Montréal. He was called to the Québec Bar in 1988.
Mr. Péladeau is the son of the Quebecor founder Pierre Péladeau and joined his father’s management team at an early age. He first started in acquisition and business development participating in the acquisition of BCE Publitech which made Quebecor the largest printer in Canada. He played a leading role in the acquisition of Maxwell Graphics which gave the Company a significant presence in the U.S. market. He also was involved in the acquisition of Donohue Inc, one of North America's most efficient pulp and paper companies.
Mr. Peladeau was appointed President of Quebecor Communications Inc. in 1991. This division included the Company's main publishing assets and some distribution and retail operations.
In 1994, Mr. Péladeau relocated to Paris to help the Company further its growth. As President of Quebecor Printing Europe he grew the new European subsidiary through a series of acquisitions in France, the United Kingdom and Spain, building it into Europe's largest printer. In 1997, after the sudden death of his father, he returned to the Montreal head office to assume the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Quebecor Printing Inc. with overall responsibility for the Company's worldwide operations. In 1999, he carried out the acquisition of World Color Press by Quebecor Printing Inc. The acquisition created Quebecor World Inc., one of the world's largest printers. Quebecor World has operations in 17 countries on three continents and employs approximately 35,000 employees.
In 1998, Mr. Péladeau spearheaded the acquisition of Sun Media Corporation, making Quebecor the second largest newspaper chain in Canada. In 1999, the Board of Directors of Quebecor Inc. named him President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. In 2000, he was responsible for the acquisition of Groupe Vidéotron, the largest cable TV operator in Quebec, and TVA, the largest French-language broadcaster in the country. Shortly afterwards all of the Company's media properties were brought under one roof with the creation of Quebecor Media. Quebecor Media is one of the largest and most important media operations in Canada. It is engaged in newspaper publishing (Sun Media Corporation), cable television, internet access provider and local telephony (Vidéotron ltée), broadcasting (TVA Group Inc.), Web technology and integration (Nurun Inc.), Internet portals (Canoe Inc.), book and magazine publishing (Publicor and TVA Publications Inc.), retailing of books and entertainment products (Archambault Group Inc. and Le SuperClub Vidéotron ltée) and business telecommunications (Vidéotron Télécom ltée).
In 2004, Mr. Peladeau stepped down as President and CEO of Quebecor Media when he assumed the role of President and CEO at Quebecor World. After proceeding with significant reorganization efforts within Quebeor World, he has resigned from that position and as of May 2006 is now Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Quebecor Media Inc. Mr. Péladeau remains President and Chief Executive Officer of Quebecor Inc., Quebecor Media's parent company.
Mr.Wes Lucas has replaced him at the helm of Quebecor World as President and CEO.
Mr. Péladeau sits on the Boards of several Quebecor companies and is active in many charitable and cultural organizations including as President of the Board of La La La Human Steps, a modern dance company based in Montreal.
Mr. Peladeau enjoys outdoor sports including water skiing, downhill and cross-country skiing, cycling and hiking. He is the father of two children, Marie and Thomas. He is currently in a common-law relationship with Julie Snyder, a Quebec and France television personality.
