ViRTUS was founded on a simple but powerful belief: leadership should create sustainable success, not personal sacrifice.
Since 2000, that belief has shaped how we work with leaders, teams, and organizations to create meaningful results and healthier, more sustainable ways to lead.
25+ years of leadership, built with purpose.
OUR STORY
Built on courage, character, worth, and excellence.
The name ViRTUS was chosen with intention. Working with an etymologist, the founders selected a name derived from the Latin root associated with courage, character, worth, and excellence — principles that remain at the heart of our work today.
In the years that followed, ViRTUS evolved from facilitating CEO and executive peer groups into a trusted strategic partner for leadership teams. Our work expanded from British Columbia into markets across Canada and the United States, supporting organizations through leadership development, strategic planning, and cultural transformation.
2008 — A NEW CHAPTER
Mike Desjardins, who had served as Managing Partner from the company's inception, led ViRTUS through its next stage of growth and ownership transition, becoming sole owner in 2008.
2019 — B CORP CERTIFIED
In 2019, ViRTUS became a certified B Corporation, joining a global community of businesses committed to high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
For ViRTUS, certification formalized a belief that had been part of the company from the beginning: strong businesses can create meaningful impact for their people, clients, communities, and the world around them.
It started with a different idea about leadership.
The roots of ViRTUS trace back to 1998, when leadership mentoring and facilitation began as a passion-driven endeavour focused on helping leaders grow with greater clarity, purpose, and accountability.
It quickly became clear that many successful leaders and organizations were searching for something more enduring than performance alone. They wanted a model of leadership grounded in character, sustainability, and long-term impact.
2000 — ViRTUS IS BORN
That early momentum led to the formal launch of ViRTUS on October 1, 2000. Four partners came together, each investing $25,000 to transform the vision into a business.
From the beginning, ViRTUS was designed to serve senior leaders through trusted relationships, strategic insight, and meaningful leadership development.
The work has evolved.
The purpose hasn't.
Today, ViRTUS partners with large, complex organizations across a wide range of industries, including organizations generating more than $100 million in annual revenue and multi-billion-dollar enterprises.
While our reach and work have evolved significantly over more than two decades, our purpose has remained remarkably consistent: helping leaders and organizations achieve exceptional results while building healthier, more sustainable ways to lead.