General Interest
18 June 2024
(source photo : Joelle Simard Lapointe)
We are proud to announce that Serge Gendron, Executive Chairman of the Board at AGF Group and Founder of the AGF Group Foundation, has been honored by Polytechnique Montréal with the 2024 Doctorate honoris causa. This prestigious award recognizes his outstanding career and significant contributions to engineering and society.
Maude Cohen, General Director of Polytechnique, described him as an outstanding entrepreneur, a remarkable businessman, a visionary engineer, a family man in the broadest sense of the word, both in his personal life and in his community life, who places great importance on instilling the same values in all his business units, whether in Canada or abroad.
Graduating in civil engineering from Polytechnique Montréal in 1973, Serge Gendron became President of AGF Group in 1981, a company originally founded by his father, Laurent Gendron. Serge Gendron successfully transformed the family business into a global leader in reinforcing steel, participating in major and innovative projects. Under his leadership, AGF expanded internationally and strengthened its position through strategic mergers. In 2012, he became the founding president of the AGF Group Foundation. In August 2023, he passed the torch of presidency of AGF Group to his son, Maxime Gendron, and became Executive Chairman of the Board at AGF Group.
In addition to his professional successes, Serge Gendron is known for his commitment to support the next generation, especially through initiatives supporting Polytechnique students.
In his speech, Serge expressed his gratitude to Polytechnique Montréal and encouraged the new graduates to pursue their dreams with passion and commitment. He emphasized the importance of innovation and making a positive impact on the community. He urged them to dream big and not fear failure, seeing it as an opportunity to learn.
Recognizing current challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, and energy transitions, he expressed confidence in the graduates’ skills and passion to address these issues effectively. He believes their boldness and commitment will be essential in tackling these challenges and building a better future.
Serge Gendron is an inspiring role model that AGF employees are proud to follow. We congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.
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