Jean-Luc DesChamps. (Balance Sheet).

Although he exercises and works out, Jean-Luc DesChamps says, "I'm far from being an athlete." So he's pleased that his contributions to Cirque du Soleil are based on his skills and talents in the financial arena. Just as Cirque's artists train long hours to perfect their acts, he, too, spends long hours traveling and working to simplify the complexity of the entertainment company's global operations.

Title: VP, Finance

Company: Cirque du Soleil, international entertainment and multimedia

Born: Lachenaie, Quebec, May 1955

Spouse: Jannot, for 24 years

Children: Hugo, 20; Marie-Eve, 17

Education: BAA and CA, 1977, from H.E.C., the business school affiliated with the University of Montreal 

Career: Ernst & Young (formerly Clarkson Gordon), 1977-'80, as External Auditor; Catelli (Internal Auditor, then Financial Analyst, then successive positions in the new ventures, control and trade merchandising departments), 1980-'89; a brief stint at Saputo Cheese; Unigesco (Controller of Excelco Foods, then controller for the holding company, and finally VP Finance at Sodisco-Howden Group, formerly Unigesco Inc.), 1989-'98; Gaz Metropolitain (Corporate Controller, then Treasurer), 1998-present, Cirque du Soleil; named in October 2000 as Corporate Controller, moved to current position in December 2001.

FEI Chapter: Montreal

Leisure: "I enjoy relaxing with family and friends at my home, which is near a river in a quiet area in Montreal. I also enjoy theatre, cycling, gardening (I grow raspberries), home improvement, music, including New Age and classical, and trying to improve my golf (with a great deal of difficulty!)."

Time Management: "I can't give any advice on that! In fact, my New Year's resolution was to reduce the amount of time I spend at work. Working in a fast-growing international corporation is very demanding in terms of organization, but after two years, I feel like I'm more in control of things now."

Stress Management: "Make sure you work with the right people; it makes all the difference. I've been lucky, having worked with managers who've each given me something. From Larry Smith, coach of the Montreal Alouettes football team, I learned to make sure that everybody knows their responsibilities. Other keys: find and hire the best people who share your vision and financial discipline, and have fun, but make sure the results are there. At home, it's a different story. Take time to enjoy nature and your family, and the freshness they bring."

Favorite book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey

Favorite Deals: 1) "Finding a new financial institution to replace the one which was no longer interested in working with the company.

Best Job: "My current job is my best, because of the quality of the productions, the creative environment, the human and the international flavor, the complete control of the production and distribution processes, the challenges, the size of the corporation and the operational complexities."

2) "The 'virtual offices' project at Cirque du Soleil. This involves establishing agreements with a network of third-party suppliers across the world (accounting services firms) to assist Cirque's finance directors and accounting staff when we visit countries where we do not have a permanent presence (outside North America or Europe)."

Career and Personal Highlights: Professional: "Cirque du Soleil is a fully integrated business with an international presence. Starting with the creation of our product, the shows, we control the entire process -- from the creative concept, to the design and production of costumes, to international distribution. So we deal with different cultures, tax rules, laws, currencies and more."

Personal: "For my two kids, I help them as much as possible to develop their skills and support their development to make sure they will like what they do in the future. That, basically, is the challenge of parenting."

Email: jean-luc.deschamps@cirquedu soleil.com