Stephan Crétier
Founder, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Named “Entrepreneur of the Decade” by Profit Magazine in 2011 as one of eleven remarkable Canadian CEOs, Stephan Crétier is the Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Garda World Security Corporation, a US$1.4 billion full service security provider with 48,000 dedicated professionals.
Mr. Crétier founded GardaWorld in 1995 with an investment of C$25,000 from a second mortgage on his home and grew it to become one of the ten largest security providers globally. He recently led a transaction valued at C$1.1 billion to take GardaWorld private. Today, as a result of his leadership and direction, the company is Canada’s premier protective services and aviation services provider, among the three largest cash services providers in North America, and one of the leading providers of international services in the emerging markets.
Mr. Crétier is an engaged entrepreneur, business person and philanthropist. He plays an active role as a board member of several organizations, including the Montreal Economic Institute, a leading free market think-tank, and the Ligue Internationale des Sociétés de Surveillance. Throughout his early career, he has been honored on numerous occasions for his accomplishments as a business leader and entrepreneur.
Active in the community, he has presided over several successful charity events in recent years, including the Daffodil Ball, Canada’s largest charity event for the Canadian Cancer Society. In 2007, he was honored by the Canadian Cancer Society for his exceptional contribution to its mission. In 2008, he launched the Crétier Foundation, dedicated to crime prevention and helping young artists in emerging Middle East markets. He has been a long-time supporter of Famijeunes, a front-line humanitarian organization that supports women and children in need in St-Henri, Montreal’s poorest neighborhood.
