May 16, 2025
HSC Director Kate Stewart chats with Sébastien Dupuis, CEO of Assumption Life/Assomption Vie, and Frank Gallant, founder of Peak Experiences, about the process and benefits of improving an organization’s culture by investing in leadership and employee training and development. Assumption Life is the recipient of our 2024 Sapphire Award, which is presented to organizations that have reported a very Constructive Culture on at least three consecutive OCIs (Organizational Culture Inventories).
Unless you are filing for bankruptcy, it is never too late to introduce strategies to improve your organization’s culture. Some culture change strategies can be implemented literally overnight, immediately improving your chances for survival. Don’t take my word for it, however: let’s look at the case of Assumption Life, a large insurance firm located in Atlantic Canada.
At the start of the COVID pandemic, Assumption Life knew they had a Passive/Defensive Culture (it was measured in 2019). Unlike most of their contemporaries who “ran for cover” at the start of COVID, Assumption CEO Sébastien Dupuis and VP HR Réjean Boudreau made the bold decision to invest heavily in Organizational Development.
Focusing primarily on leadership training and development, and using external consultants from Peak Experience, Assumption Life transformed its culture into a Constructive one by November 2021. They were so pleased with the intervention efforts that they continued to spend resources on developing their leadership team.
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