Legacy of Marcel A. Desautels
The Desautels Business Law Accelerator grew out of the legacy of Dr. Marcel Andre Desautels, C.M., O.Ont., LL.D., O.M., a visionary philanthropist who transformed business education with his game-changing gifts to Canadian Universities. Although he passed away on January 31, 2023 at the age of 88, his legacy to the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law continues to inspire us and create opportunities for students and faculty to strengthen research and practice at the intersection of private enterprise and the law.
Mr. Desautels was a three-time graduate of the University of Manitoba. He also received honorary degrees from his alma mater (1999), the University of Toronto (2003) and McGill University (2007). Desautels was the President & CEO of the Canadian Credit Management Foundation, which selectively supports institutions of higher education, particularly universities, chairs and professorships. Before this, he was the President of Creditel of Canada, which, under his leadership, grew to become the country’s largest commercial credit and debt recovery bureau. After Creditel’s sale in 1996, Desautels used the proceeds to launch the Canadian Credit Management Foundation, a non-profit organization that to date has given over $100 million to post-secondary institutions in Canada.
In 2014, Marcel Desautels received the Outstanding Philanthropist award from the Greater Toronto Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. He is also a winner of the CCAE Friend of Education Award for his lifelong philanthropic commitments to higher education and was a member of the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.
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