Claude Blanchet, entrepreneur, intrapreneur and public sector manager : Supporting the development of Québec

Purpose – Claude Blanchet was the first Director General of the Société de développement des coopératives du Québec (Cooperative Development Corporation), founding President of the FTQ's Fonds de solidarité (Quebec Federation of Labour Solidarity Fund) and Chief Executive Officer of the SGF (Société générale de financement du Québec, or General Investment Corporation of Québec). His lifelong passion has been to support the development of Québec, and he describes himself as being primarily a “builder of collective firms.” The purpose of this paper is to describe the life of a man who was exposed to an entrepreneurial culture from early childhood. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a case study – interview with the intrapreneur. Findings – The paper shows that Claude Blanchet's values changed significantly as a result of his involvement in social movements. His goal became to build a modern Québec state. One of the elements characterizing his entire career is undoubtedly his courage in choosing to take unusual paths. This desire to explore and conquer new spaces is shared by most entrepreneurial actors. However, Claude Blanchet did it for reasons related to the development of Québec society. Originality/value – One of the notable features of this case is the unusual career path taken by Claude Blanchet.