Ken Rowe founded I.M.P. in 1967 and, as Executive Chairman, remains active in guiding the vision for the Group, one of the largest privately-owned businesses in Nova Scotia.  The strength of its core operating divisions — aerospace, aviation, airline, healthcare and commercial — has made I.M.P. Group one of Canada’s most successful companies.  Today, I.M.P. employs over 3,500 people across Canada and the United States and has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for the past six years.  I.M.P. also operates a very substantial industrial marine supply business, the largest Canadian-owned aerospace and general aviation service company, one of Canada’s largest charter airlines (CanJet), an IT enterprise solutions company and two hotels.

In 1993, Mr. Rowe was appointed Honourary Colonel by the Canadian Defence Department; in 2000, received an Honourary Diploma from Nova Scotia Community College; and, in 2002, was bestowed by Dalhousie University with an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree.  By profession he is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Rowe is past director of a number of public companies, which included the Royal Bank of Canada and Nova Scotia Power Inc., and the recipient of numerous awards including the Order of Canada.  In 1992, Mr. Rowe received the Governor General of Canada’s Commemorative Medal for the 125^th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada recognizing significant contribution to community and to Canada.  In 2005, Ernst & Young presented him with Entrepreneur of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards.  In 2009, Mr. Rowe was recognized as one of Canada’s outstanding aerospace visionaries by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.

As a former Board of Governors member at Dalhousie and current member of the School of Business Advisory Committee, he has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to post-secondary education.  He has also served as chairman, director or president of numerous organizations and charitable groups.  Mr. Rowe and his wife Dorothy have generously supported many worthy causes.

Paul M. Tellier is a Director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Ltd., BCE and Bell Canada, GM Canada, McCain Foods. He is Chairman of Global Container Terminals and a Trustee of International Accounting Standards Foundation (UK). He is also Strategic Advisor to Société Générale, a global bank headquartered in France. Mr. Tellier is co-Chair of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service and is a member of the Independent Advisory Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan.

Mr. Tellier was President, CEO and Director of Bombardier Inc., as well as holding the position of President, CEO and a Director of the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) for 10 years. For 7 years Mr. Tellier was Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Canada, the top public servant in the country. Mr. Tellier has served in many positions in the public sector, including Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in 1979 and as Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources in 1982.

He is a graduate of the universities of Ottawa and Oxford, England and was admitted to the Québec Bar in 1963. Mr. Tellier was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada in 1993. Mr. Tellier has received many honorary degrees including Doctorate of Law and Honorary Doctorate from McGill University; Doctorate in Science from the University of New Brunswick; Doctorate of Commerce from the University of St. Mary’s, Halifax; Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa; and Doctorate of Law from the University of Alberta.

Mr. Tellier has won numerous awards over the course of his career including Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year, 1998; Canada’s Most Respected CEO – KPMG/Ipsos-Reid Survey, 2003; Governor General’s Outstanding Achievement Award, 1990; and Public Policy Forum Outstanding Performance Award, 1988.

Jack Cockwell, Group Chairman and Director of Brookfield Asset Management Inc., is recognized as one of Canada’s most highly regarded and respected business leaders.

As a business strategist, he has played a leading role over the past 35 years in the development of numerous prestigious office properties, hydroelectric power dams, base metal mines and forest product mills in North and South America and in the process, helped build one of Canada’s largest industrial groups. More recently, he participated in a sweeping consolidation of these operations into a streamlined asset management company focused on real estate and power generation, with direct investments of $20 billion and a further $30 billion of assets under management.

Mr. Cockwell joined Touche, Ross & Co. in Cape Town in 1959, prior to moving to their Montreal office as a manager. He joined Edper Enterprises Ltd. in 1968 and served as Executive Vice-President until 1979, when he became Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Brookfield. In 1991, he was named President and CEO of Brookfield. Since March 2002, he has served as Group Chairman of Brookfield.

A strong believer in continuing education, he has played an active role at Ryerson University for a number of years as a member of its board of governors and as Campaign Chair for The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education.

As past-Chairman of the Royal Ontario Museum, he helped initiate, launch and finance a major rebuilding project. He continues to serve on the museum’s Boards of Governors.

Mr. Cockwell is currently a director of Astral Media, Waterfront Toronto and various Brookfield associated companies. He is also a founder and director of the Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve, a developer of accessible wilderness trails, nature guides and related environmental

Since 1992, Jim Balsillie has been co-CEO at Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the world renowned BlackBerry wireless solution. At RIM, Jim is responsible for driving corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales, and finance.

In 2002, Mr. Balsillie founded The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a world-class global research institute focused on the restructuring of international governance. In 2007, Mr. Balsillie announced the creation of the new Canadian International Council (CIC) of which he is the Chair. In 2008, he founded the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Mr. Balsillie is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He is a chartered accountant and a fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. He also holds numerous honorary doctorate degrees.

Joseph L. Rotman received his B.A. from the University of Western Ontario in 1957 and his M.Comm. from the University of Toronto in 1960. During 1960-61 he studied at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in the Ph.D. program. Mr. Rotman was awarded an honorary LL.D. from the University of Toronto in 1994. His appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada was announced on January 4, 1995.

In July 2008, Joseph L. Rotman was appointed to a five-year term as Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, the principal conduit of federal support for Canada’s professional artists and arts organizations.

Mr. Rotman is Chairman of Roy-L Capital Corporation, a private family investment company, and has been involved in establishing a number of private and public companies active in oil trading, petroleum distribution, oil and gas exploration, merchant banking, real estate and venture capital. He has served as a Director on numerous corporate boards including the Bank of Montreal, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Northwest Energy Ltd., Clairvest Group Inc., Masonite International, Tarragon Oil and Gas and TrizecHahn Corp.

Mr. Joseph L. Rotman has been involved in the advancement of Canadian life sciences research, the development of Canada’s innovation capacity, and related public policy, including Canadian Institute of Health Research: Governing Council and Chair of the President’s International Advisory Committee; Chaired the Expert Panel in preparation of “People and Excellence: The Heart of Successful Commercialization” for Industry Canada; MaRS (Medical and Related Sciences Discovery District), a founder and a member of the Board of Directors; Chaired the preparation of the Ontario BIOCouncil Report.

Through active involvement and financial assistance, Mr. Rotman and his wife have supported the development of internationally-renowned Canadian institutions, including The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest to create leading-edge knowledge in cognitive neuroscience; McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health at the University Health Network and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

On January 27, 2015 the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and Junior Achievement of Canada bid farewell to Mr. Rotman. We were very privileged to work with him as an active member of the Circle of Inspiration, an exclusive network of business and community leaders that provide support to JA Canada. Mr. Rotman was a role model for the next generation of business leaders in Canada who were supported by his commitment to philanthropy and mentorship.

Mike Lazaridis is known in the global wireless community as a visionary, innovator, and engineer of extraordinary talent. He traces his passion for his work to his hometown of Windsor, Ontario where his love of science and fascination with electronics were nurtured in supportive family and school environments.

As President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), a company Mr. Lazaridis founded while a student at the University of Waterloo, he is responsible for product strategy, research and development, product development, and manufacturing.

Mr. Lazaridis is also a leader in his community and a passionate advocate for education and scientific research. He is a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ontario Research and Innovation Council, and a Governor of the Information Technology Association of Canada. Mr. Lazaridis is also a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo and, in May 2003, was installed as its Chancellor.

Mr. Lazaridis supports his community and country through generous philanthropic gifts made possible by his success in business. He has donated $50 million to the University of Waterloo to help establish the Institute for Quantum Computing.

His most noted gift of $100 million established the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Mr. Lazaridis’ leadership and tireless effort have generated more than $100 million in additional private and public sector funding for this world centre of excellence, based in Waterloo and affiliated with more than 30 Canadian universities. Since its opening in 2001, Perimeter has attracted the attention of the world’s scientific community.

In recognition of his technical innovations, the University of Waterloo awarded Mr. Lazaridis with an honorary Doctor of Engineering in 2000 and McMaster University awarded him with an honorary Doctorate in 2005. In 2002, Mr. Lazaridis shared Canada’s most prestigious innovation prize, The Ernest C. Manning Principal Award, with RIM colleague Gary Mousseau.

Like his engineering and scientific work, Mr. Lazaridis’ community achievements have been widely recognized. He was named an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2006 and was listed on the TIME 100 List of Most Influential People in 2005. Mr. Lazaridis is a member of Maclean’s Honour Role of distinguished Canadians, is a recipient of the 2002 Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Community Leader of the Year Award and has been previously recognized as Canada’s Nation Builder of the Year and Ontario’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

Philippe and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien were owners and operators of Telemedia Inc., a privately-owned media and communications company started in Montreal, Canada in 1968 until 1998, at which time they voluntarily relinquished control of the company to their three children, Philippe III, Nanon and Francois.

The de Gaspé Beaubiens are well known for their expertise in the area of family business education and in 1993 founded the Institute for Family Enterprise (the name was changed on May 1, 1999 to The Business families Foundation). The mission of this international non-profit organization is to ensure the future of families and their businesses. The Foundation develops and delivers stimulating educational programs based on innovative research in close cooperation with Universities, other families in business and the Professionals who counsel them.

Nan-b and Philippe are Co-Chairs of the Board of the Business Families Foundation. They have spent more than 30 years studying numerous family business organizations around the world that recognise the complexities of combining family and business. They have written and spoken about their philosophies in addressing the special issues that arise in a family enterprise and the family that controls the enterprise including conducting workshops at the World Economic Forum in Davos. They are passionate in their commitment to generating knowledge about family business and building the field’s academic credibility.

Arthur Irving grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick, and attended Acadia University before joining Irving Oil in 1953. He worked with his father, K.C. Irving, and his brother Jack, and became President of Irving Oil in 1972. He is now Chairman of the Company and continues to work with his brother Jack and sons Kenneth and Arthur Jr.

Throughout his career, Arthur Irving has demonstrated a strong enthusiasm for people, the environment, education, and his community. With the help of many good people, Irving Oil grew into new markets while retaining a strong customer focus and emphasis on long-term relationships. Irving Oil became a regional market leader in refining and marketing, expanded its refinery in two major upgrades, and built Irving Canaport, the western hemisphere’s first deepwater terminal able to receive supertankers.

Today, Irving Oil operates the largest single refinery on the Eastern Seaboard, in Saint John, N.B, located just 65 miles from the U.S. border. The 300,000 barrel per day refinery is responsible for meeting 60 per cent of petroleum product demand in the U.S. Northeast, north of New York and 20 per cent of all U.S. gasoline and diesel import demand. In 2003 Irving Oil became the first oil company to receive a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Excellence Award, for its clean gasoline, and a year later Irving Oil was named North American Refiner of the Year by World Fuels. The company is currently building, in partnership with Repsol YPF, the first new LNG Terminal on the East Coast of North America – Canada’s first. Canaport LNG will be operational at the end of 2008.

Arthur Irving enjoys his dogs, motorcycles, gardening and the outdoors. He has a strong interest in canoeing, hunting and wetlands preservation. He has canoed seventeen remote rivers in the Canadian Arctic and has served for 20 years on the Board of Directors of Ducks Unlimited, two of those as President. Under his Presidency, many milestones were reached, including the 1986 signing of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

Arthur Irving has been Chancellor of Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, since 1996. Recognized as one of Canada’s leading educational institutions, this year Acadia was named the number one undergraduate university, along with Mount Allison, in the annual Maclean’s Magazine University Ranking.

In 2002, the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens were dedicated at Acadia University. A centre of excellence for the study of the natural environment, this gift from the Irving family fulfilled Arthur Irving’s vision of creating a place for students, faculty, staff and the community to meet and work in a natural setting. It is a research and teaching centre of the highest standards concentrating its studies on the ecology and native flora and fauna of the Northeast.

Arthur Irving is married with five children: Jennifer, Kenneth, Arthur, Emily and Sarah and lives in Saint John with his wife Sandra.

James K. (J.K.) Irving is a native New Brunswicker who along with his brothers Art and Jack has carried on the work of his father at the Irving companies. As sons of industrialist K.C. Irving the three brothers had the benefit of growing up with a mentor who knew which end of a wheelbarrow to take hold of – a homespun phrase K.C. himself often used to describe someone with common sense.

Over the past 60 years J.K.’s drive and and entrepreneurial spirit has expanded the diverse businesses of J.D. Irving, Limited. Today the company employs over 15,000 people with operations in Canada and the United States.

J.K. Irving began his career in the woods of northern New Brunswick. Under his leadership an integrated group of valueadded forest products operations have expanded significantly. Today many of these mills are sustained by J.K. Irving’s strong commitment to reforestation – over 700 million trees planted since 1957 – a national record for any private company in Canada.

J.K. Irving continues to follow the basic formula learned from his father: build a great team of employees, invest, produce an excellent product, give superior service, and then reinvest again. Over the years he has expanded, renewed, and modernized the operations of J.D. Irving, Limited. These operations are North American leaders and include forest products, shipbuilding, agri-foods, transportation, and retail. Today, his sons Jim and Robert have taken up his legacy and are running the businesses.

Throughout his career, J.K. Irving’s primary motivation and greatest reward has been the challenge of building best-in-class businesses from the ground up with a team of people who share his passion for detail and quality. The completion of the largest single contract in Canadian history – 12 Canadian patrol frigates – ahead of schedule and below budget is but one example of his disciplined resolve to deliver the best possible performance.

J.K. Irving is also a dedicated builder of community and environmental initiatives. Under his leadership, J.D. Irving, Limited has received national and international honours for its many efforts in environmental research and habitat conservation. In more recent years he has focused on the development of New Brunswick’s youngest citizens through the award-winning “Pals for Prince Charles” business- education partnership initiated in 2000. The most encouraging result has been the growth of the program, impacting hundreds of young students in Greater Saint John.

In 1997 Mr. Irving’s contributions as a business and community leader in New Brunswick were recognized when he was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Irving and his wife Jean (Saunders) reside in Rothesay. Mr. Irving credits his wife with providing the strong foundation of support and faith that has enabled him to succeed. They have four children and several grandchildren.

John Cleghorn joined Canadian Pacific Railway as a director in October 2001 and became Chairman of the Board on May 5, 2006. He is also a director of Molson Coors Brewing Company and was Chairman of the Board of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. from May 2002 until he retired in May 2007. He was Chairman and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC Financial Group) until he retired on July 31, 2001.

Born in Montreal July 7,1941, he graduated from McGill University with a B. Comm. in 1962. He joined Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young) becoming a chartered accountant in 1964, following which he was with St. Lawrence Sugar and then Citibank and its affiliate, Mercantile Bank.

He joined Royal Bank of Canada in 1974, becoming president in 1986; chief operating officer in 1990; chief executive officer in 1994, and chairman and chief executive officer in 1995.

He is Governor Emeritus of McGill University and Member of the McGill Desautels Faculty of Management’s International Advisory Board, Chancellor Emeritus of Wilfrid Laurier University, Director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and Governor of Historica Foundation of Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and a fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Quebec. He holds honorary degrees from Acadia, Bishop’s, McGill and Wilfrid Laurier Universities and the Honorary Associate Award from The Conference Board of Canada. John and his wife, Pattie, are currently supporting research projects in the faculties of Medicine and Management at McGill University. They are also funding the Cleghorn Battlefield Fellowships for students at Wilfrid Laurier University to tour Canadian battlefields and cemeteries in Europe.