After a day on the markets, Sébastien Mc Mahon rolls up his sleeves and shreds on his Gibson Les Paul
Chief strategist, senior economist, VP of asset allocation and portfolio manager. These are not titles that scream rock and roll. Yet, Sébastien Mc Mahon, who holds these titles at iA Financial Group, is also lead guitarist in iA’s employee band.
Mc Mahon has been playing electric guitar for almost 30 years. Now he plays with other iA employees – including CEO Denis Ricard – at company events and an annual charity concert.
Mc Mahon plays for his love of music. He adds, though, that the time he spends on stage often dovetails with his career.
“When you’re playing with a band, there’s a kind of connection,” Mc Mahon says. “But I do hundreds of conferences every year, I’m on TV all the time – that showmanship bleeds from one world into another. You learn to be on stage and play a role.
“Sometimes I play the role of the economist on stage, sometimes I play the guitarist.”
Fun Fact
The iA Band’s annual show in Quebec City has raised almost $75,000 for the United Way since 2018
Key Dates
1952 – Gibson releases the Les Paul electric guitar; Mc Mahon now plays a Tobacco Burst model
1969 – Jimi Hendrix plays Woodstock, Mc Mahon’s dream concert
1991 – Mc Mahon hears the song “November Rain” and becomes a guitarist
