Alain Bouchard


Alain Bouchard is a Canadian billionaire businessman. He is co-founder and chairman of Alimentation Couche-Tard, and also serves on the board of directors of Atrium Innovations. Both corporations are based in Quebec.

Early life

Alain Bouchard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec and was influenced by his father, Jean-Paul Bouchard, going bankrupt when Bouchard was a boy. Bouchard's father owned and managed a road-construction business in Quebec. When his father's company went bankrupt, the family moved to a mobile home in the village of Micoua.

Career

At nineteen, Bouchard worked as a stock boy in his brother's Perrette milk store and in 1969 was hired by Perrette's owner to scout and set up new stores. At age 24, Bouchard began working for the grocer, Provigo, and given the responsibility of implementing a new convenience store concept, branded as Provi-Soir. In the late 1970s, Bouchard worked independently as a retailer before founding Alimentation Couche-Tard in 1980. Serving as Chief Executive Officer of Alimentation Couche-Tard from 1980 to 2014, Bouchard led the company as it expanded from one convenience store to more than 12,500 convenience stores around the world. Maintaining a decentralized organization structure and using the best ideas found in the organization has been noted by Bouchard as factors in Couche-Tard's success. In 2003 the company acquired U.S. based Circle K.

Organizations and recognition

Bouchard was a member of the board of Québecor from 1997 to 2009. With a net worth of US$3.9 billion in 2019, Bouchard is in the top 10 of richest people in the province of Quebec and top 25 in Canada and was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year for 2012. He is the recipient of an International Horatio Alger Award.

Personal life

Bouchard is married and a father of four children Jonathan, Karinne, Camille and Rose.