When Bernard Labelle joined CGI in 1997, the company had approximately 2,000 consultants. Nearly three decades later, he retired from a company of more than 90,000 professionals, having ended his CGI career as Executive Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer. It was a role that did not even exist when he joined CGI, and one Bernard says he could not have imagined himself holding at the time.
Over the years, he built a career spanning client-facing and corporate leadership roles, including leading CGI’s Quebec City business unit before ultimately taking responsibility for the company’s global human resources strategy, including talent management, leadership development, organizational design, compensation and benefits, and HR technology roadmap. For Bernard, that journey illustrates one of the most important lessons of his time at CGI: “The best career opportunities are not always waiting to be discovered. Sometimes, you help create them.”
Creating opportunities to grow
Bernard credits CGI’s value of intrapreneurship and sharing with giving him room to shape his own path. Early in his career, leaders encouraged him to build relationships beyond his immediate team, make his expertise known and seek opportunities to create value.
His advice to others reflects that experience: when considering a career opportunity, look beyond the position itself. “You have to be in a place where you believe you can grow way beyond your competence, way beyond the job description itself,” he says.
Bernard also developed a simple practice for keeping himself accountable for his own growth. Each year, he would ask himself two questions: “Was this my best year ever?” “Am I in the right place to continue growing for the next 3-5 years?” When the answers were unclear, he used the uncertainty as a reason to reflect on what he could change, what he could learn and where he could contribute next.
That willingness to keep learning ultimately took him from operations roles in Canada to leading CGI’s global people strategy. His client-facing experience influenced how he approached that responsibility, bringing a consultative mindset to engaging people in transformation.
A new chapter to share his experience
Today, Bernard describes himself as “semi-retired.” He continues to share his experience through board and university roles while enjoying more time with family and pursuing personal interests.
He continues to serve on several boards and has a particular focus on giving back to his alma mater, Université Laval. As an Executive-in-Residence at the Faculty of Business Administration and a lecturer with the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés, he works with MBA students and current and future board directors.
The experience gives Bernard something in return. He is impressed by the outlook of today’s students and business leaders: their resourcefulness, diversity of thought and ability to network. Above all, they are “open to the world,” he says. Spending time with them gives him hope for the future.
Making time for life
Bernard and his wife, Veronique Martineau—herself a CGI alumna after more than 25 years with the company—share a commitment to giving back. The two were recently recognized by Université Laval for supporting its “Les Cent-Associés” philanthropic initiative.
They also have more time for their personal lives, playing golf and travelling, enjoying summers at their cottage and, most importantly, spending time with their three sons—two of whom are Vice-Presidents at CGI—and their one-year-old granddaughter.
Ideas for a wider world
When asked about books he recommends, Bernard shares two with fellow alumni. “Factfulness” challenges common assumptions about the state of the world and encourages readers to ground their perspectives in facts, which is an idea Bernard finds particularly relevant today. He also recommends *When Cultures Collide,” a guide to working and communicating across cultures that he drew on during his international travels at CGI. It remains close at hand today ahead of his next adventure: a safari in Africa.
Still part of the CGI story
Looking back, Bernard sees CGI’s culture as something that extends beyond the boundaries of the company. The values that helped shape his career continue to influence this next chapter as he shares his experience with boards, business leaders and students.
For Bernard, perhaps that is what being an alumnus is about: “Your role at CGI may end, but the relationships, experiences and values you built there can continue to shape what comes next.”