Major André P. Jean, a 2019 McGill-HEC Montréal EMBA alumnus, was recently appointed Executive Assistant – Director General Conduct and Culture (DGCC) under the authority of Rear-Admiral Luc Cassivi. André Jean has a senior management position within the new Chief Professional Conduct and Culture organization which is working to unify and integrate all culture change activities carried out across the Department of National Defense (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
In this capacity, he assumes the responsibilities relating to the direction of the members of the DGCC staff as well as the coordination, management and direction of the internal and external mobilization activities of the organization. He also acts as a strategic advisor to decision-makers and communicates with the various directorates. He ensures that the general management receives all the support necessary for the performance of its protocol and governance functions to ensure the change of culture in the organization. Motivated by the values of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) which are pillars of the Canadian identity, his commitment to building an inclusive framework for all communities is unfailing.
The EMBA program has confirmed to André that he has the skills of an excellent manager, his keen sense of human relations and diplomacy, combined with his deep rigor in the processing of files and his understanding of the strategic organizational objectives made him the logical choice for the position of chief of staff. “This strategic position boosts my energy and I will invest myself body and soul in my new functions in order to contribute and guide policies for the inclusion of all people. I am very proud to be, as Luc would say, his second brain.”
“My purpose and personal mission were refined and confirmed throughout the EMBA program. I have maintained the same leadership and upheld my values for years to ensure I am a leading change agent in creating and promoting standards and systems that actively support EDI in the CAF and the DND. The establishment of this new entity of the CPCC is very important to the culture change. The group acts as the single center of expertise and functional authority for the alignment of Defense culture to ensure that professional conduct meets the standards to be upheld within the profession of arms and the Defense team. Interestingly, having dedicated resources in the EDI field was one of the recommendations of my EMBA final paper.”
André continues to be involved as National Military Co-chair, Defence Team Pride Advisory Organisation where he represents members of sexually diverse and gender diverse communities, while by being one of the governors of the Émergence foundation.
For many years, André Jean has help to make the voices of the various diversity communities heard and to promote the inclusion of all in the DND and the CAF. Thanks to his authentic leadership, hundreds of members of the Defense Team have joined the efforts to ensure the sustainability of the current transformations in the organization.
