CBHF Honourees
Each year, Inductees of the Companions of the Order of the Business Hall of Fame are given Canada’s highest business honour for their contributions to Canada’s economic development and prosperity. They are leaders. They are mentors. They are role models for future generations of enterprising youth.
Since 1979, more than 200 business leaders have been inducted into the Order of the Business Hall of Fame. The Companions have played a major role in Canada’s business landscape with their collective skills, vision, grit and determination. Today, Canadians enjoy a higher standard of living thanks to the jobs, products and services created by Companions of the Order of the Business Hall of Fame.
Announcing the 2025 Inductees
Each year we gather to recognize Canadian Business Hall of Fame Inductees for their vision, leadership, economic impact and inspiration they provide to Canada’s up and coming leaders.
The annual CBHF Induction Ceremony and Celebration is the signature fundraising event for Junior Achievement of Canada (JA Canada). Proceeds support JA Canada’s mission to develop and deliver financial health, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs that equip youth with the skills and mindset for success.
Ryan Beedie, O.B.C.,
President, Beedie.
Pierre Lassonde, O.C., GOQ, Chairman Emeritus, Franco-Nevada Corporation.
Jacynthe Côté, F. ICD,
Chair of the Board, RBC.
Larry Tanenbaum, O.C., Hon LLD,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kilmer Group of Companies.
Congratulations from the Chancellor
“We congratulate the Canadian Business Hall of Fame Inductees who are recognized for their vision and leadership, national and global economic impact, civil engagement and philanthropy.”
Jim Leech, C.M., C.D., O.Ont, Chancellor CBHF
Chancellor Emeritus, Queen’s University; and Chair, Institute for Sustainable Finance
The Canadian Business Hall of Fame is the signature fundraising event of JA Canada
Contact us for sponsorship opportunities at info@cbhf.ca
Order of the Business Hall of Fame Companions
Jay S. Hennick
2024
Jay S. Hennick
C.M., J.D., C.B.H.F.
Jay Hennick is a Canadian Billionaire, businessman and philanthropist. He is the global Chairman, CEO and controlling shareholder of Colliers International, a global leader in commercial real estate and investment management with more than $4.5 billion in revenues and about $100 million in assets under management. Jay is also the Founder, Chairman and largest individual shareholder of FirstService Corporation, the largest residential property management and services company in North America with more than $4.2 billion in annualized revenues. For over 28 years, shareholders of both companies have received compound annual returns in share value of greater than 20%. Jay is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of Hennick & Company, a private family investment firm established to invest in high-quality, growth-oriented business and real estate assets that the family would be proud to own for the long term. Since its founding in 2014, Hennick & Company has made significant investments in Foster + Partners, a global leader in architecture, infrastructure, design and engineering and Haventree Bank, a leading provider of residential mortgage loans to near prime borrowers, among others. Before establishing FirstService, Jay completed a Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from York University and a Doctor of Laws (J.D) from the University of Ottawa. In 2011, Jay received an Honorary Doctorate from York University and in 2014, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa. In 2019, Jay was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada and in the same year was the recipient of the International Horatio Alger Award. In 1998, Jay also received Canada’s coveted Entrepreneur of the Year and was named Canada’s CEO of the Year in 2001 by Canadian Business Magazine. Jay served as the Chairman of the board of the Sinai Health System and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto between 2013 and 2016. Jay and his wife Barbara are also active philanthropists establishing the Hennick Family Foundation to support many causes in health care, education, and the arts, the largest of which include:- $50 million donation to the Royal Ontario Museum, the largest single donation in the history of the institution to support of a multi-year revitalization of one of Ontario’s most treasured institutions.
- $36 million donation to Sinai Health, the largest single donation in the history of the institution to name “Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital”, the largest complex care and rehabilitation hospital in Canada.
- $10 million donation to the World Holocaust Remembrance Center (Yad Vashem) in Jerusalem, Israel.
- $8 million donation to name the “Hennick JD-MBA Program” at Osgoode Hall Law School and Schulich School of Business at York University.
- $7.5 million donation to name the “Hennick Family Wellness Gallery”, a healing and respite gallery at Mount Sinai Hospital that houses the largest collection of artworks by famed Canadian artist, Sorel Etrog.
- $3.5 million donation to provide special scholarships to worthy recipients at the University of Ottawa Law School; and
- Several smaller benefactions to a variety of causes in health care, arts, and education in Canada.
Louis Audet
2024
Louis Audet
C.M., O.Q., P.Eng., MBA, C.B.H.F.
Louis Audet is Board Chair of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Communications inc. since September 01, 2021. Prior to that, he was executive Chair of the Board during a three year transition period that has led to the successful transfer of the responsibility of President and Chief Executive Officer to his successor on September 01, 2018. Louis had held that position for 25 years, starting in 1994, having received the mantel from his father and company founder Henri Audet.
He joined Cogeco in 1981 and took on a variety of responsibilities as Vice President of sales, marketing and strategic planning before becoming Executive Vice President and eventually President and Chief Executive Officer in 1994. Prior to joining Cogeco, he held engineering positions in outside plant and central office equipment at Bell Canada from 1974 to 1977 and marketing positions at Cable TV Ltd from 1979 to 1981.
Louis obtained his Collegiate Studies Diploma from College Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montreal (1970), he holds a BSc and Professional Engineer diploma from École Polytechnique de Montreal (1974). He also holds a Master in business administration (MBA) from Harvard University (1979).
Having taken Cogeco public in 1985, Cogeco has grown through a series of some 40 acquisitions for the most part in the wireline telecommunication (cable) sector. Under Louis’s leadership, Cogeco has become a leading North American Telecommunications Company delivering high speed internet, land line telephony and video services to some 1.6 million customers in Québec, Ontario and 13 states of Eastern USA.
Louis Audet is currently Chair of the board of the Old Brewery Mission, a leading organization which provides emergency and housing services for homeless people in the Montreal area. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of CableLabs, of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and of the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations (IGOPP). He previously sat on the Boards of Directors of the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association, Clarica, Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, Corporation de l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, the Association Canadienne de la radio et de la television de langue française, Fondation du Centre Hospitalier de L’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and he served as Governor of the Council on Canadian Unity and chaired the Fondation et Alumni de l ’école Polytechnique de Montréal. He was also Chairman of the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Development Fund for 10 years.
Over the years, Louis has often been recognized by both the business and philanthropic communities for his numerous achievements. Amongst his contributions, he acted as co-Chair of the 2017 campaign for Centraide of Greater Montréal and as Chair of the 2015-2021 fundraising campaign for the Old Brewery Mission Foundation. He is currently co-Chair of the 50 million $ 2024-2029 campaign of the Old Brewery Mission.
Louis was named Member of the Order of Canada in 2013 and Officier de l’Ordre National du Québec in 2022. In 2018, he was chosen by the United Nations Association in Canda as it’s annual Global Citizens Laureate. That same year, he received two Honorary Doctorates from Université de Montréal and Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières. He has also been inducted in the Club des entrepreneurs du Conseil du patronat du Québec and was awarded the Order of Merit from the Université de Montréal Alumni Association, as well as the Merit Award from École Polytechnique Alumni Association.
In 1983, Louis married Jocelyne Francoeur his wife of 40 years and they are blessed to have a daughter, Émilie, who joined Cogeco in 2020 where she is growing professionally.
Jocelyne and Louis enjoy travelling, in addition to Europe and Eastern Europe, defining destinations have been India and the Middle East.
Other interests include classical music and the learning of languages, none of which he masters well! At age 68, he undertook learning the piano, which likely will forever remain a work in progress!
Prem Watsa
2024
Prem Watsa
C.M., MBA, C.B.H.F.
Prem Watsa was born in 1950 near Hyderabad, India. His father was a teacher and later became the principal of an excellent boys’ school. My dad was an upright, no-nonsense kind of guy. He expected me to work hard and study. My father was a great influence on me. I will never forget one piece of advice he gave me. He said, ‘Work as hard as you can, as though everything depended on you. Pray as hard as you can, as though everything depended on God.’”
Though not wealthy, Prem, along with his brother and two sisters, had the advantages of loving, attentive parents. The Watsas were Christians. Prem says, “I was brought up on the Christian values of family, honesty and integrity, and doing the right thing.”
While in school, Prem’s strength was in math and chemistry. He applied to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India’s top engineering school and majored in chemical engineering. Out of 50,000 applicants, only 1,000 were selected and Prem was one of them.
By the time he graduated, Prem decided he was more interested in pursuing a career in business than engineering. He applied to the best business school in the country, the Indian Institute of Management. The school received about 10,000 applications for only 100 openings. After failing to make the cut the first time, Prem resolved to study harder and apply again. He worked for a year in a few jobs, studied, and re-applied. This time he was accepted to the prestigious school.
Prem’s older brother had married and settled in London, Ontario, Canada. His father suggested that a better opportunity for Prem might be to attend graduate school in Canada. He left India with only $8 in his pocket. He found a job selling air conditioners and furnaces door to door, which funded his MBA at the University of Western Ontario Business School, later known as the Richard Ivey School of Business.
After earning his master’s degree, Prem began applying for jobs.
Finally, in 1974, he got a job at Confederation Life Insurance Company in Toronto as an investment analyst. His manager, John Watson, became his mentor and taught him all he knew about investing based on Benjamin Graham’s theories of value investing.
After nine years with Confederation Life, Prem and a few partners founded a successful asset management firm, Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. A year later, in 1985, he organized a group of investors to take control of a small Canadian trucking insurance company with $10 million in premiums. That became the base for Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. With Prem Watsa as its Chairman and CEO, Fairfax evolved into a worldwide property and casualty insurance and reinsurance company operating in more than 100 countries, with $28 billion in premiums. Over the past 37 years, Fairfax has increased its shareholders’ equity from $10
million to in excess of $20 billion and book value per share has compounded at approximately 19 percent per year. Fairfax’s stock price has followed suit.
Prem says, “We focused on treating our employees and customers well, and we worked hard for our shareholders. We decided from the beginning that if we were successful, then we would invest in the communities that helped us. We made it a rule that one or two percent of our pre-tax profits would be reinvested back into the communities in which we do business.”
Prem defines success on three levels. “First,” he says, “I am a Christian, so faith is very important. Second is my family. I’ve been married for 50 years and it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have three children and I am the proud grandfather of five grandchildren. Third is my business success. The most important principle we have in our company is honesty and integrity. We will never compromise those values. Nor will we ever succeed at the expense of our families. I like a quote from the Bible, which says, “What profiteth a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?”
He is a member of the Sick Children’s Hospital Foundation and is Chairman of their Investment Committee, member of the Advisory Board for the Richard Ivey School of Business, Chairman of the Investment Committee of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Toronto. He is on the Board of Horatio Alger Association U.S. and President of Horatio Alger Association of Canada. He is Chairman of Fairfax India. He is the Chancellor of Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario and formerly Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Padma Shri Awards, one of the highest awards in India.
Stanley Marshall
2024
Stanley Marshall
BASc (Chem. Eng.), LLB, C.B.H.F.
A professional engineer and lawyer, Stan Marshall joined Newfoundland Power in 1979 and in 1987, he was instrumental in the creation of the utility’s parent company, Fortis Inc. His career with Fortis spanned 35 years with more than 18 years as the Corporation’s President and CEO. Under his leadership, Fortis grew into the largest investor-owned gas and electric distribution utility in Canada and was transformed into a leader in the electricity and gas utility business in North America, serving more than 3 million energy customers across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The Corporation’s total assets grew from less than $1 billion in 1996 to more than $26 billion in 2014.
Stan’s significant accomplishments include leading the expansion of Fortis in western Canada through the acquisition of the Aquila electric utility assets in Alberta and British Columbia (now known as FortisAlberta and FortisBC Electric, respectively) in 2004, the acquisition of Terasen Gas in British Columbia (now known as FortisBC Energy) in 2007, the Corporation’s initial entry into the United States with the acquisition of New York State utility Central Hudson Gas & Electric in 2013 and its subsequent growth in the United States with the acquisition of Arizona State utility UNS Energy in 2014.
In June 2014, Stan retired as President, Fortis Inc. and in December of that same year, he retired as Chief Executive Officer and as Director of the Board of Directors of Fortis Inc.
In April 2016, Mr. Marshall was requested to come out of retirement by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to become President and CEO of Nalcor Energy, with additional oversight as CEO of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Churchill Falls Labrador Corporation. Between 2016 and 2021, one of the most notable successes under Mr. Marshall’s direction was the reorganization and restructuring of the Muskrat Falls project where he was instrumental in procuring additional financing and bringing construction of all major components of the project into operation.
In addition to serving on the boards of Fortis, Nalcor, and their affiliates, Stan served on the boards of two other Canadian public companies – Toromont Industries and Enerflex Ltd.
Currently Stan is on the Board of the Trans Mountain Corporation and is Chair of the committee responsible for overseeing the construction of the oil pipeline expansion project.
In his personal and corporate life, Stan demonstrated a commitment to assisting people and community. While President and CEO of Fortis he ensured that every Fortis company supported charitable and cultural endeavours and encouraged his people to be actively involved in their communities. Within the Fortis family he placed strong emphasis on the development and promotion of young talent. He mentored many young executives and takes great satisfaction in their success.
As CEO of Fortis, Stan was committed to maintaining its headquarters in St. John’s, NL. He has always been a strong supporter of his province and its people. He took a particular interest in documenting the history of Newfoundland where his family has lived in the same small community for over 300 years. Fortis sponsored a five-part CBC documentary series on the history of Newfoundland and also funded a scholarly biography of its most prominent Prime Minister. Stan was personally involved in both productions. He is a proud Newfoundlander, but also takes great pride in being the first member of his family to be born Canadian.
In 2015, Stan Marshall was inducted into the JA Newfoundland and Labrador Business Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions in business and to his province.
Chief Jim Boucher
2023
Chief Jim Boucher
AOE, C.B.H.F.
Jim Boucher is an influential First Nations leader in Canada. Under his direction, Fort McKay First Nation has been internationally recognized as one of the most enterprising Indigenous communities in the world. Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN) is situated in the heart of Canada’s Athabasca oil sands. Mr. Boucher was the long standing Chief of Fort McKay First Nation and Founder and Chairperson of the Fort McKay Group of Companies for three decades (1986-2019). He led his Nation to strategically take advantage of their geographical location by enhancing the community’s social and economic conditions.
Jim initiated effective and long standing partnerships with industry and government and developed many successful First Nation-owned businesses that continue to create economic wealth and opportunity for the community. Jim believes that preservation of FMFN’s traditional ways of life can occur alongside sustainable development. In 2020, Jim co-founded the Saa Dene Group of Companies, to continue his vision of to increase Indigenous, Diversity and Inclusion through economic and social participation in the global economy.
Edward Sonshine
2023
Edward Sonshine
O.Ont, Q.C., C.B.H.F.
Edward Sonshine is the Founder and Chairman of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, which he started as a public vehicle in early 1994 as one of Canada’s first REITs and it is now one of the country’s largest. He retired as CEO in 2021 and continued his involvement as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
He has overseen RioCan’s growth from its initial enterprise value of less than $100 MM when it went public to its current enterprise value of approximately $14 BB.
Prior to founding RioCan, Mr. Sonshine practiced law for 15 years and worked in the real estate industry from 1987 to 1993 before to his founding of RioCan.
In addition to founding RioCan, Mr. Sonshine was a Co-Founder of Chesswood Group Ltd., a publicly traded alternative lender and AWZ Ventures Inc., a venture capital company focused on cybersecurity investments. He currently serves as Chair of both Chesswood and AWZ.
He previously served as a Director of the Royal Bank of Canada from 2007 to 2017 and a Director of Cineplex Inc. from 2010 to 2020.
Mr. Sonshine has always been heavily involved in community work, giving both time and funds to many causes. He has been a major benefactor of Mount Sinai Hospital, United Jewish Appeal, United Way and many others as well as having created the Sonshine Chair in Law and Race Relations at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. He is currently a Director of Mount Sinai Hospital and a former Co-Chair of the United Jewish Appeal Campaign, and a member of the Major Gifts Cabinet of United Way.
Mr. Sonshine married Fran, his wife, in 1968 and they have three children and nine grandchildren.
Mr. Sonshine was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2011, named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2013, and granted a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chamber of Commerce of Canada in 2022. In addition, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by Toronto Metropolitan University in June of 2022 and inducted into the Horatio Alger Society in October of 2022.
Hugh Anthony Arrell
2023
Hugh Anthony Arrell
C.M., C.B.H.F.
Hugh Anthony (Tony) Arrell grew up in a small town in the farming community of Caledonia, Ontario. Tony attended the University of Guelph, where he earned a BSc in Agricultural Economics, and York University’s Schulich School of Business, where he received his MBA.
Tony began his career as an Investment Analyst in 1969 before becoming Director of Research at several prominent investment firms. His investment approach was influenced by a chance encounter with Warren Buffett early in his career and a long association with the late George Gardiner.
In late 1992, Tony became Chair and CEO of a fledgeling operation, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. He gave up his CEO role in 2019 but continues to be active in the firm as Chairman, analyst, and investor.
Tony has also been involved in the business community, serving as Director for several private and public companies. A former Director of the Toronto Stock Exchange, Tony was also a founding Director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance.
Tony’s philanthropic efforts focus on food security, education, and health organizations. In 1999, Tony and his wife Anne established the Arrell Family Foundation to support organizations involved in food security, mental health, and medical research. The couple also supports the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. Tony is also a long-time Director at St. Michael’s Hospital.
Tony has a deep passion for his community, both in Toronto and in Creemore, Ontario, where he and Anne have a farm. In 2019, Tony and several community members incorporated the Creemore Community Foundation to raise the capital to construct the Creemore Village Green, a significant civic enhancement for this rural community.
Tony has been honoured numerous times for his contributions to the community including honorary doctorates and awards from the two universities he attended. In January 2017, he was appointed a member of the Order of Canada.
Tony has been married to Anne for 54 for years. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Madeleine Paquin
2023
Madeleine Paquin
C.M., C.B.H.F.
Madeleine Paquin has been President and CEO of LOGISTEC Corporation since 1996. LOGISTEC offers specialized industrial services including cargo handling in 53 ports and 79 terminals in North America, marine transportation to the Canadian Arctic, and environmental services including the renewal of underground water mains, site remediation, dredging and dewatering, soils and materials management, risk assessment, and manufacturing of woven hoses. LOGISTEC is a publicly traded company with shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Ms. Paquin currently holds directorships in Air Canada Ltd. She has held directorships in several maritime and trade associations such as the Maritime Employers Association and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal, and in prominent company boards such as Sun Life Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway and Aéroports de Montréal.
Ms. Paquin is a Director of CargoM, the Logistics and Transportation Metropolitan Cluster of Montréal, and she is Co-Chair of its Working Group I – L&T Development Opportunities. She is a member of the Marine Industry Forum and the Marine Transportation Advisory Council. Ms. Paquin has chaired he St. Lawrence Great Lakes Trade Gateway Leadership Council and has co-chaired of the Private Sector Advisory Committee for the Ontario-Québec Continental Gateway and Trade Corridor.
Madeleine Paquin has made a significant impact on Canadian business on a national basis and from the very start of her career. She was recognized as a unique leader and trailblazer. Though she has received countless awards and accolades, she remains grounded and focused. Truly a proud “Québécoise” and a proud Canadian.
André Desmarais
2022
André Desmarais
O.C., O.Q., C.B.H.F.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1956, Mr. André Desmarais obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University.
Mr. Desmarais began his career at Campeau Corporation in 1979 as Development Officer. From 1980 to 1981, he was Press Secretary and Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. He was Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation of Canada between 1981 and 1982, at which time he became Institutional Salesman, Options, at Richardson Greenshields of Canada in Toronto.
In 1983, Mr. Desmarais returned to Power Corporation of Canada and, in 1991, was named President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Desmarais is Deputy Chairman of Power Corporation, a position he has held since 1996. He previously served as President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation from 1996 until his retirement in February 2020. He was also Executive Co-Chairman of Power Financial from 2008 until 2020.
He also serves as Deputy Chairman of Power Financial and is a director of many Power Corporation group companies, including Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life, Empower Retirement, Putnam Investments, IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management, Mackenzie and Power Sustainable Capital. He was a director and Vice-Chairman of Pargesa in Europe until November 2020, when Pargesa’s reorganization was completed.
In addition, Mr. Desmarais is Honorary Chairman of the Canada China Business Council; Senior Advisor to the International Advisory Council of China Association for the Promotion of Industrial Development; Member of the Trilateral Commission; Member of the Chairman’s International Advisory Council of the Americas Society; Member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and Member of various foundations.
He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and of the National Order of Québec and has received doctorates Honoris Causa from Concordia University, the University of Montreal and McGill University.
Hassan Khosrowshahi
2022
Hassan Khosrowshahi
O.C., O.B.C., C.B.H.F.
Hassan Khosrowshahi was born in Tehran, Iran in 1940. He was educated in Iran and England and graduated in law and economics from the University of Tehran.
Khosrowshahi joined his family’s business, Minoo Industrial Group in 1959. When the Group was expropriated following the Islamic Revolution it employed over 6,000 people and manufactured products under it’s own brand names and under license for L’Oreal, Sandoz, and Rowntree Mackintosh among others. The distribution arm of the Group was the exclusive distributor for Nestlé Products in Iran from 1954 to 1980.
In 1981, Khosrowshahi immigrated to Canada and founded the Persis Group of Companies. The Group founded Future Shop chain of consumer electronic stores which it sold to Best Buy Inc. in 2001.
Wesbild Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Persis is engaged in developing, holding, and managing real estate. It has developed Westwood Plateau and Burke Mountain in the lower mainland of Vancouver comprised of over seven thousand residential units, developed, owned or operated over three million square feet of shopping centres in Canada and the United States and owns and operates Predator Ridge, the premier recreation resort in Okanagan B.C. with two championship golf courses. When fully developed it will comprise some two thousand residential units.
In 2002, the Group purchased Drug Royalty Inc. (DRI Capital) a finance company focusing on the acquisition of royalty streams on pharmaceutical products. Since 2002, DRI has acquired over US$1.8B in royalty streams. As of February 2021, DRI is operating as the manager of DRI Healthcare Trust a TSX listed company.
In 2007, the Group formed Reservoir Media which operates as a music company focused on publishing, recorded music and management. Reservoir represents over 130,000 copyrights and 36,000 master recordings dated back to early 1900s. Reservoir is now listed on The NASDAQ under the symbol, RSVR.
Khosrowshahi has been appointed a member of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia and inducted into the Business Columbia Business Hall of Fame.
Khosrowshahi has been married to his wife Nezhat since 1968.
Maureen Kempston Darkes
2022
Maureen Kempston Darkes
O.C., O.Ont., D.Comm., LL.D., C.B.H.F.
Maureen Kempston Darkes was appointed General Motors Corporation Group Vice President and President, GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East (LAAM) and a member of the General Motors Automotive Strategy Board, Effective January 1, 2002, a position which she held until her retirement from General Motors in December, 2009. Prior to this appointment, she was President and General Manager of General Motors of Canada Limited (GMCL) and Vice President of General Motors Corporation from 1994 to 2001.
Kempston Darkes currently serves on the board of Brookfield Asset Management, and she is a member of the RCMB Advisory Board. In January 2013, she was appointed the Government of Canada to the Science, Technology and Innovation Council. She has also served on the Board of Brascan, Noranda, Falconbridge, Thomson Corporation, Balfour Beattie plc, Schlumberger Limited, Irving Oil, Canadian National Railway, Enbridge Inc. and The Canadian Olympic Committee. During her tenure as President of GM of Canada, she was a board member of the Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association; the Ontario Government Education, Quality and Accountability Board; and the Ontario Minister of Health’s Women’s Health Council. Kempston Darkes was appointed by the federal government to the Free Trade Agreement Automotive Select Panel in 1989 and, in 1994, to the Transportation Equipment Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade.
Kempston Darkes is a former Director of Bridgeport Health Foundation. She has served as the former chair for major gifts for Women’s College Hospital Fund Raising Campaigns; co-chaired the BC Cancer Foundation’s Millennium Campaign, focused on genome science and research into finding cures for and treatment of cancer.
Kempston Darkes was born and raised in the Toronto area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Victoria College, University of Toronto. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1975.
She has received honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Toronto, University of Victoria, McMaster University, Dalhousie University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Mount Saint Vincent University; and the Law Society of Upper Canada, an honorary doctorate of business administration from Laurentian University and an honorary doctor of commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University.
In 1997, Kempston Darkes received the Order of Ontario and was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000. The American Bar Association in 1998 recognized her with the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. In 1999, she received the Government of Canada’s Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. In May 2011, she was honored with the Global Athena Leadership Award, and in December, 2011 the Automotive Hall of Fame and the Women’s Automobile Association International honored her with the Alice B. Ramsey Award.
Paul Desmarais, Jr
2022
Paul Desmarais, Jr
O.C., O.Q., MBA, C.B.H.F.
Born in Sudbury, Ontario in 1954, Paul Desmarais, Jr. obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and an MBA from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), France.
Mr. Desmarais has been Chairman of Power Corporation since 1996. He also served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation from 1996 until his retirement in February 2020, previously having assumed various positions since he joined Power Corporation in 1981. He is Chairman of Power Financial and also served as Executive Co-Chairman of from 2015 to March 2020, Co-Chairman from 2008 to 2015 and Executive Chairman from 1990 to 2005.
Mr. Desmarais was Chairman of the Board of Pargesa from 2013 until November 2020, when Pargesa’s reorganization was completed. He was a director of Pargesa from 1992 until 2020. Prior to joining Power Corporation, he was with S.G. Warburg & Co. in London, England, and with Standard Brands Incorporated in New York.
He is a Director and member of various Board Committees of many Power group companies including Great-West Lifeco Inc. and its major subsidiaries, and IGM Financial Inc. and its major subsidiaries. He is also Chairman of the Board of Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and a Director of SGS SA. He was a Director of LafargeHolcim from 2008 to 2020, of Total SA from 2002 to 2017, of GDF Suez from 2001 to 2014, and of Imerys S.A. from 1998 to 2008.
Mr. Desmarais is active on a number of philanthropic advisory councils.
He received the Insigne d’Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne of Belgium in 1994. In 2005, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec in 2009. In 2012, he was named Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in France.
