Jean-Claude Scraire (born 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDP).[1] Since 2002, he has been working as an independent advisor on matters of strategic development with various organizations and enterprises in Asia, Europe, and Quebec.[2]
Jean-Claude Scraire was born in Montreal in 1946. He worked with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDP) for 22 years, where he successively held the positions of Legal Counsel; Legal Affairs Director; Executive Vice-President, Legal and Institutional Affairs and Real Estate Investments; and Chief Operations Officer. He was appointed Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 1995. A member of the Barreau du Québec, he began his career as an attorney for a private firm specializing in commercial law. From 1974 to 1981, he held various management positions within the Quebec public administration, most notably at the ministère de la Justice. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fondation de l’entrepreneurship; Governor of the Regroupement des jeunes gens d’affaires; Governor of the Fondation du maire de Montréal pour la jeunesse. He is also a past member of the Association des gens d’affaires des Premiers Peuples; the Montreal Council on Foreign relations; the Cercle des présidents du Québec; the Association d’affaires Canada-Égypte; and the Quebec-Japan Business Forum, as well as of various chambers of commerce including the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the Chambre de commerce du Québec, the Chambre de commerce française du Canada, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada.
He is the recipient of several awards including the Ordre du mérite from the Association des diplômés de l’Université de Montréal; the Award of Merit from B'nai Brith Canada; the Prix Dimensions from the Ordre des administrateurs du Québec, of which he was a member; the Prix Hommage Équinoxe from the Société des relationnistes du Québec; and the Jerusalem 3000 Medallion from the Montreal Jewish community. The development of the Quartier international de Montréal to which he actively participated—and of which the Centre CDP Capital is a major element, was the object of professional and public acknowledgment and recognition on numerous occasions.
He has been a frequent presenter in open conferences on subjects such as the economic development of different countries around the world as a path towards global economic balance, and the importance of nurturing entrepreneurial culture, mentorship, business ethics, local development, and social equilibrium. He also co-authored the book L’éthique au quotidien.
In May 2002, after seven years at the helm of the CDP, he released his recommendations regarding the governance of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec: Modernizing to ensure a stronger future. In this document, he recommended making amendments to the law respecting the composition of the boards of directors to ensure a majority of independent directors, the splitting of the role of chairperson and CEO, the shortening of the term of the CEO, which was then 10 years, and the delegation to the Board of the authority to choose the candidate for the position of CEO. The National Assembly has since introduced amendments to the law, which are consistent with these recommendations.
He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2006; Le monde juridique, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Spring 2006).