Alain Bouchard

Alain Bouchard was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec and was influenced by his father, Jean-Paul Bouchard, going bankrupt when Bouchard was a boy.[3][4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[6] In the late 1970s, Bouchard worked independently as a retailer before founding Alimentation Couche-Tard in 1980.[4] 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.[3] 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.[7] In 2003 the company acquired U.S. based Circle K.[8]

Bouchard was a member of the board of Québecor from 1997 to 2009. With a net worth of US$3.9 billion in 2019,[1][9] 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.[9][4] He is the recipient of an International Horatio Alger Award.[3]

Bouchard is married and a father of four children Jonathan, Karinne, Camille and Rose.[3]