- Gerry Schwartz
Gerald W. Schwartz OC, born c.1940 in
Winnipeg, Manitoba , is a Canadian businessman. In 1977 he co-foundedCanWest Global Communications Inc, followed byOnex Corporation in 1983. He has been a director ofScotiabank since 1999. The Report on Business ranks Schwartz as one of the 30 wealthiest Canadians with a net worth that exceeds $1.5 Billion (Canadian) Dollars.Early life
He received his B.A. and LL.B. degrees from the
University of Manitoba where he became an active brother of theSigma Alpha Mu Fraternity. He later received an MBA degree fromHarvard University in 1970.Personal life
He is married to
Heather Reisman , Chief Executive ofIndigo Books and Music . Schwartz and Reisman make up what is considered the power couple of Canada. Each runs a high profile and notable Canadian public company. They are noted for their success, wealth, and benevolence. Together they have four grown children: Anthony Yanow, Andrea Johnson, Jill Pickard, and Carey Abromovich and seven grandchildren.upport for Israel
One of his initiatives has been to send hundreds of iPods to IDF troops. [http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=10617] .
In 2005, he started 4-year full scholarship program for IDF's lone soldiers, who came to Israel on their own and served in IDF, called "Heseg". [http://www.heseg.com/page2.asp] The Foundation offers scholarships to successful applicants in order to support their pursuit of academic excellence following their completion of military service. These scholarships consist of full stipends for academic studies as well as financial support for daily living expenses and related benefits.
The Gerald Schwartz School of Business and Information Systems at
St. Francis Xavier University was named in his honour in recognition of his donations to the university.In 2005, he was awarded the
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2005 Ontario Lifetime Achievement award. In 2006, he was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada .In 2006, he made a donation to
University of Waterloo for $500,000 for an exchange program betweenUniversity of Waterloo , Canada andUniversity of Haifa , Israel. [http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=4779 (more information)]Gerry Schwartz also sponsors several awards for
JD/MBA students at theUniversity of Toronto 's Faculty of Law andRotman School of Management .
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