Henri-Paul Rousseau obtained a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of economics at the Université de Sherbrooke. He continued his education at the University of Western Ontario, where he received the T.M. Brown Thesis Prize for the best doctoral dissertation in economics.
Rousseau has been a vice-chairman of Power Corporation of Canada and of Power Financial Corporation since 2009.
Previously, he held the position of president and chief executive officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Prior to that, he was president and chief executive officer of the Laurentian Bank of Canada, and served as vice-chairman, president and chief executive officer of Boréal Assurances Inc., as well as senior vice-president of the National Bank of Canada. He was a professor of economics at both Université Laval and Université du Québec à Montréal.
He is a director of several Power group companies, including Great-West Lifeco Inc., The Great-West Life Assurance Company, Great‑West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, London Life Insurance Company, Canada Life Financial Corporation, The Canada Life Assurance Company, IGM Financial Inc., Investors Group Inc., Mackenzie Inc. and Putnam Investments, LLC. As well, he was a member of the board of Global Financial Markets Association from October, 2010 to July, 2014.
In recognition for his contributions as an economist, accomplished manager, and involved citizen, he was awarded honorary doctorates from Concordia University, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Université Laval, and Université de Sherbrooke. In 2006, he was named a “Great Montrealer” by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal’s Academy of Great Montrealers. He is chairman of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and is active in a number of community and not-for-profit organizations in the sectors of health and education.