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A structured approach to strategic planning

Driven by the vision of building a lasting organization, we saw strategic planning as a key process to do so. What started as an intuitive approach in 1991 has evolved into a structured and fully embraced process: the Premier Tech Strategic Planning Model.

Since almost four decades, it has been core to our diversification, internationalization, and long-term growth. Today, it is hard coded in our business DNA — shaping who we are and how we operate.

Planning with purpose

Our strategic planning process draws on three essential sources of insight: data and facts, intuition and experience, and stakeholders’ ambitions. 

Our process focuses on generating and facilitating conversations between team members across Premier Tech — including experts, team members and leaders of Groups and Business Units, as well as the board of directors. Spanning 18 months, multiple forums generate an ongoing, well-rounded dialogue across the organization, bringing together diverse perspectives.

Each cycle provides a structured opportunity to evaluate our progress and assess the external environment which, teamed with post-mortem analyses and progress reports, generates actionable insights. This process helps us identify key trends, opportunities and challenges influencing our strategic direction, objectives and strategies.

— Spanning 18 months, multiple forums generate an ongoing, well-rounded dialogue across the organization, bringing together diverse perspectives. —

Our teams conduct in-depth analysis of internal factors and external forces, including key megatrends, to anticipate and uncover new opportunities. These long-term shifts — across areas such as socioeconomics, geopolitics, technology, and the environment — are strategically important to planning and decision-making. This proactive approach keeps us ahead, intentionally shaping change, not reacting to it. It lets us remain masters of our destiny, setting the pace within our industries and our markets.

To provide structure and support effective coordination, we established 10 years ago a dedicated strategic planning team. These team members are responsible for synthesizing insights from forums and facilitating the multiple discussions happening across the organization. Their work ensures that key information and outcomes are shared across the various forums throughout the entire process, resulting in a concise actionable plan.

« Our whole approach aims to bring the plan to life, taking it from the drawing board to disciplined execution. Its value lies in the process and its coherence, as well as in the unity and agility it brings to our teams — in fact, it is a lot more about planning than the plan itself. »

— Jean Bélanger, president and chief executive officer

« Its value lies in the process and its coherence, as well as in the unity and agility it brings to our teams. »
— Jean Bélanger, president and chief executive officer

Driving agility through integrated planning

To maintain alignment, our strategic plans are designed to seamlessly overlap, eliminating any gaps and ensuring we never lose momentum. Each builds upon the previous one, providing a clear and consistent direction.

Once the strategic direction is well defined, the Groups take ownership of the global Premier Tech objectives, strategies and initiatives, enriching them to fit their specific contexts, markets and industries. Tailored Group RoadMaps then translate the global strategy — the Premier Tech VISION — into clear Group-level objectives and strategies enabling fast and seamless execution. 

Building on this, each Business Unit then develops its specific three-year plan, known as StratPlan, that aligns both with the Group-specific RoadMap and the VISION. Each team brings these plans to life through PapTechs, our yearly tactical and operational plans.

« This structured, layered architecture ensures that all our teams remain aligned with the strategic intent of Premier Tech, creating a clear pathway from high-level global strategy to day-to-day operations. »

— Constance Deschênes St-Pierre, vice-president strategy, planning and sustainability

« We create a clear pathway from high-level global strategy to day-to-day operations. »
— Constance Deschênes St-Pierre, vice-president strategy, planning and sustainability

Setting the pace of strategic planning

The groundwork for the 2031 strategic planning cycle began in fiscal year 2025. So far, more than five hundred team members from across the organization have contributed to some twenty forums held every other month. Fiscal year 2026 will see their work moving from the planning phase to full execution in order to ensure the profitable growth and sustained international development of Premier Tech.

*This story is from the Premier Tech Report 2025.