Onex’ governance framework embraces an independent board and practices that meet or exceed regulatory requirements.
Board of Directors
Onex’ Board of Directors has adopted a written mandate setting out its responsibilities for the firm’s stewardship. The mandate of the Board is to oversee the management of Onex by its executive officers and managers. Each of our Directors is aligned with the interests of shareholders through mandatory ownership of Onex securities.
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Gerry SchwartzChairmanGerry SchwartzChairman
Mr. Schwartz, 81, of Toronto, Ontario, is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Onex. Mr. Schwartz was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2004 and was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006. He is a director of Indigo Books & Music Inc. and an honorary director of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Mr. Schwartz is Vice Chairman of Mount Sinai Hospital and serves as a director, governor or trustee of a number of other non-profit organizations.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration and Honorary Doctorate degrees from six other universities.
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Lisa CarnoyDirector, IndependentLisa CarnoyDirector, Independent
Ms. Carnoy, 55, of New York, New York, is a seasoned financial executive, serving most recently as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations at AlixPartners. Before joining AlixPartners, she was a senior leader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, including as the Division Executive for the Northeast at U.S. Trust, the private bank within Bank of America, and as the New York City Market President for Bank of America. Prior to her move to wealth management, Ms. Carnoy served as Head of Global Capital Markets and Head of Global Equity and Equity-Linked Capital Markets for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is Chair Emerita of the Columbia University Trustees and currently serves as an Independent Director of the United States Soccer Foundation.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Columbia and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
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Mitchell GoldharDirector, IndependentMitchell GoldharDirector, Independent
Mr. Goldhar, 61, of Toronto, Ontario, is Executive Chairman of the Board of SmartREIT. In 1994, Mr. Goldhar founded SmartCentres and developed 265 shopping centres, many of which were anchored by Walmart. Mr. Goldhar is President and CEO of Penguin Investments Inc., a director of Indigo Books & Music Inc., a Director Emeritus with the SickKids Foundation, is on the Advisory Board for the Canadian Sports Concussion Project and is owner of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club.
Mr. Goldhar holds a Bachelor of Political Science degree from York University and has been an adjunct professor with the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto for 15 years.
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Ewout HeersinkDirectorEwout HeersinkDirector
Mr. Heersink, 72, of Oakville, Ontario, is a Vice Chair of the Corporation and has been an executive of Onex since 1983. He served as Onex’ Chief Financial Officer through 2008 and has also served as a director of several of Onex’ operating companies.
Mr. Heersink is a former Member of the Advisory Council of the Queen’s School of Business. He holds a Bachelor of Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University. Mr. Heersink is also a Chartered Accountant.
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Bobby Le BlancDirectorBobby Le BlancDirector
Mr. Le Blanc, 56, of Newtown, Connecticut, is Chief Executive Officer of Onex and has been an executive of the corporation since 1999. He is also Head of Onex Partners, the Corporation’s large-cap private equity investment platform, and serves as a director of several of Onex’ operating companies. In addition, he is a director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and DREAM Charter School. Prior to joining the Corporation, Mr. Le Blanc held positions with Berkshire Hathaway and General Electric.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from New York University and a Bachelor of Science from Bucknell University.
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John McCoyDirector, IndependentJohn McCoyDirector, Independent
Mr. McCoy, 79, of Columbus, Ohio, retired as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Banc One Corporation in December 1999, where he had been Chief Executive Officer since 1984 and Chairman since 1998. Mr. McCoy joined Banc One Corporation in 1970. Mr. McCoy is a director of a number of non-profit institutions.
Mr. McCoy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Williams College and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
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The Honourable Sarabjit S. MarwahDirector, IndependentThe Honourable Sarabjit S. MarwahDirector, Independent
Mr. Marwah, 71, of Toronto, Ontario is the former Vice-Chair and Chief Operating Officer of Scotiabank. He retired in 2014 after 35 years with Scotiabank. He held several senior positions in the Finance division including Senior Vice-President & Comptroller, Executive Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Marwah is also a member of the Board of Directors of George Weston Ltd. And Cineplex Entertainment and was previously on the Board of Directors of TELUS and Torstar Corporations. He also served as Chair of the Hospital for Sick Children, Chair of the Humber River Regional Hospital and as Director of several other non-profit institutions. In 2016, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada.
Mr. Marwah holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Calcutta, a Master of Economics from the University of Delhi and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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J. Robert PrichardLead Director, IndependentJ. Robert PrichardLead Director, Independent
Mr. Prichard, 74, of Toronto, Ontario, is nonexecutive Chairman of Torys LLP. He is a director of Alamos Gold Inc. and the Chair of VIA HFR – VIA TGV Inc., a newly formed Canadian Crown corporation subsidiary established to manage and develop high frequency rail service in Canada. Mr. Prichard served as the Chairman of Bank of Montreal until May 2020 and previously held the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer of Metrolinx and Torstar Corporation as well as President of the University of Toronto from 1990 to 2000.
Mr. Prichard studied economics at Swarthmore College and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto and a Master of Laws from Yale University. He is also an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Member of the Order of Ontario and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Institute ofCorporate Directors.
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Heather ReismanDirectorHeather ReismanDirector
Ms. Reisman, 74, of Toronto, Ontario, is Founder and Executive Chair of Indigo Books & Music Inc. Prior to co-founding Indigo Books & Music, she held the position of President of Cott Corporation from 1990 to 1992. Ms. Reisman is also an officer of Mount Sinai Hospital and a former member of the Bilderberg Meetings Steering Committee. She is a former Governor of the Toronto Stock Exchange and of McGill University.
Ms. Reisman was educated at McGill University.
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Arni ThorsteinsonDirector, IndependentArni ThorsteinsonDirector, Independent
Mr. Thorsteinson, 74, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the President of Shelter Canadian Properties Limited, a private Canadian diversified real estate development and management company beneficially owned by the Thorsteinson family. He is also a trustee of Lanesborough Real Estate Investment Trust, a director of Bird Construction Inc. and a member of the board of advisors of Onex Real Estate Partners. He is the Founding Chair of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and a Member of the Order of Manitoba.
Mr. Thorsteinson holds Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and Doctor of Laws (Honours) degrees from the University of Manitoba as well as the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
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Beth WilkinsonDirector, IndependentBeth WilkinsonDirector, Independent
Ms. Wilkinson, 60, of Washington, DC is the founder of Wilkinson Stekloff LLP, a specialty trial and litigation law firm. Ms. Wilkinson was previously a partner in two major U.S. law firms and served as General Counsel to Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) from 2006 to 2008.
Ms. Wilkinson holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Committee Composition
The Board has established two standing committees of directors, and the responsibilities of each are set forth in a written charter approved by the board. Other committees are appointed from time to time when required. The proceedings of committees are reviewed by, and their recommendations are brought for consideration to, the full Board.
Independent Directors | Audit and Corporate Governance Committee | Compensation and Management Resource Committee | |
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Gerry Schwartz | |||
Lisa Carnoy | Independent Director | ||
Mitchell Goldhar | Independent Director | ||
Ewout Heersink | |||
Bobby Le Blanc | |||
John McCoy | Independent Director | Compensation and Management Resource Committee | |
The Honourable Sarabjit S. Marwah | Independent Director | ||
J. Robert Prichard | Independent Director | Audit and Corporate Governance Committee | |
Heather Reisman | |||
Arni Thorsteinson | Independent Director | Audit and Corporate Governance Committee | |
Beth Wilkinson | Independent Director |