The Canadian Business Hall of Fame is proud to announce its 2025 Inductees to the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. Congratulations to this year’s exceptional honorees!
Ryan Beedie, O.B.C.
President
Beedie
Ryan Beedie is President of one of the most successful real estate development companies in Canada as well as a dedicated philanthropist.
Born and raised in Burnaby, B.C., Ryan’s passion for real estate was ignited by his father Keith, who founded the Beedie business in 1954. Ryan obtained his undergrad at Simon Fraser University and earned an MBA from the University of British Columbia before joining the company in 1993 and becoming President in 2001. Since then, Ryan has expanded the reach of Beedie across North America and grown the company into the largest industrial real estate owner in British Columbia.
Now encompassing three divisions: Beedie Industrial has built more than 35 million square feet of industrial space across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nevada. In 2023, Beedie completed the largest single-building asset sale globally — $390 million — and holds over 13 million square feet of property in its industrial portfolio. Beedie Living is the residential development arm with more than 11,000 homes currently in planning and development, Beedie Living is one of British Columbia’s most dynamic and fastest-growing residential developers, and is committed to building quality homes in thriving communities. Beedie Capital is a multi-strategy direct investment platform, with a focus on technology, energy and mining. Founded in 2010, Beedie Capital has quickly grown to be the one of the biggest direct investment firms in Canada. Since its inception, Beedie Capital has deployed close to $1 billion in capital. Beedie’s motto “Built for Good” continues to reflect the quality, integrity and generosity that have been cornerstones of the business since its founding 70 years ago.
Passionate about giving back, over the past decade alone, Ryan and his wife Cindy have donated and committed $140 million to more than 350 charities across B.C.. Ryan founded Beedie Luminaries — a program that offers scholarships and wraparound support to promising students from disadvantaged backgrounds — and to date, has awarded over $35 million dollars in scholarships and helped more than 800 students attend life-changing post-secondary programs. Ryan and his father Keith contributed $22 million to Ryan’s alma mater, Simon Fraser University, to help fund the Beedie School of Business.
Avid concertgoers, Ryan and Cindy have hosted four Beedie Rocks concerts at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park since 2016. The concerts always include a fundraising component, benefiting a different charity each time. In August of 2023, more than $2 million was raised for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Ryan is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Order of British Columbia and Canadian Business Leader of the Year - Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He also holds a Guinness World Record for Most Pool Balls Potted Off the Break!
Jacynthe Côté (F. ICD)
Chair, Board of Directors
RBC
Jacynthe Côté grew up on a farm in a small village in northern Québec and studied Chemistry at Laval University. While Jacynthe was attracted to scientific study, she benefited most from learning how to learn. “Throughout my career, it has provided me with the courage to challenge prevailing truths and the humility to never stop looking for ways to grow and develop.”
Jacynthe credits Alcan, which she joined in 1988, with the “organizational intent” to help her gain the right leadership experiences. “Mentoring and coaching are important, but 85% of what makes you as an executive are the jobs you've been offered and navigated through.”
The Montreal-based executive was responsible for Alcan’s global mining and refining operations when, in 2007, the company was acquired by Rio Tinto for US $38 billion. Jacynthe was appointed president and CEO of the business responsible for power generation and primary aluminum activities worldwide. Her decision to stay on with Rio Tinto Alcan was purpose driven. She loved the people and the industry. She also recognized that the fully recyclable metal was an essential part of “lightweighting” transportation vehicles – an essential step to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. During this time, she helped deliver $1 billion in synergies.
In 2009, Jacynthe was appointed CEO of Rio Tinto Alcan, a fully integrated bauxite-to smelting operations with 24,000 employees in 30 countries. That same year, aluminum demand and prices collapsed. Jacynthe initiated a massive transformation by closing and curtailing production, while re-investing over $7B in building more productive plants. These efforts enabled the company to operate in the lowest quartile of the industry cost curve, making the business profitable in good and bad days. Combined with strong innovation programs, the portfolio also generated the lowest carbon footprint in the industry.
In 2014, Jacynthe started her directorship career. “Directorships allow me to contribute in meaningful ways to the present and future success of an organization,” explains Jacynthe, who is a member of the boards of directors of Transcontinental Inc., CGI Inc., and serves as the Chair of Royal Bank of Canada. Previously, she served as the Chair of Hydro Québec.
Jacynthe also dedicates time to help children grow up healthy. As Chair of the Sainte-Justine Foundation, she supports its efforts to advance scientific and clinical pediatric research. And as Chair of Alloprof, she supports the not for profit to help students learn how to learn.
Jacynthe describes family as her “biggest achievement.” But given her demanding schedule, she was not able to be the primary caregiver for her three children, a source of guilt over the years. Yet her career has also helped her stay “relevant” as they grew up. “The time ‘invested’ in my career has allowed me to share perspectives and model behaviours that have helped my children chart their own course. That’s generated a strong return in my relationship with them.” None of this would have been possible without Jacynthe’s husband, Denis Dion, who she describes as “my toughest critic, my mentor, and my rock for more than 45 years.”
Jacynthe has been awarded honorary doctorates by Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and Université de Montréal (HEC Montréal). She has also been designated as a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directorship for her outstanding contributions to Canadian organizations through exceptional governance leadership in the boardroom.
Pierre Lassonde, O.C., GOQ.
Chairman Emeritus
Franco-Nevada Corporation
Pierre Lassonde has a B.A., University of Montreal, a BSc Electrical Engineering from Polytechnique, Montreal and an MBA, University of Utah. He received his P.Eng. Ontario designation in 1976, CFA designation 1984 and OIQ in 2020. He holds honorary Ph. D’s in Engineering from the Universities of Toronto, Montreal and Ryerson, Doctor of Business, University of Utah and Honorary Doctorates of Law from both York and Western Universities, and has also been awarded Doctor of Science by Concordia University.
Mr. Lassonde is Chair and CEO of Firelight Investments, which serves as his family office company. Firelight acts as a merchant bank in the development of mineral properties and natural has, owing substantial stakes in companies such as Franco-Nevada Corporation, Orla Mining, Prime Mining, Foran Mining, Americas Gold and Silver, Birchcliff Energy, and others.
In 1980, Pierre began ten years as president of the gold division of Beutel, Goodman & Company. He co-founded Franco-Nevada Mining Corporation in 1982, which twenty years later was acquired by Newmont Mining Corp., the world’s largest gold producer at the time. Pierre served as President of Newmont from 2002 to 2007 and Vice-Chairman in 2007. He has also served as Chairman of the World Gold Council from 2005 to 2009.
In 2008, Mr. Lassonde led a group of investors and former executives in bringing back Franco-Nevada Corporation to the public market and assumed the role of Chairman. The US $1.2 billion IPO of Franco-Nevada was the largest mining company Initial Public Offering ever done on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Pierre was responsible for leading investors in start-ups, including Metallica Resources/ New Gold who discovered gold deposits in Chile and Mexico, and Enghouse Systems Ltd, a provider of software to the telecommunications companies. Today, both companies have a market capitalization in the billions.
He is an active and engaged philanthropist in Canada, the United States and in Europe through his family foundation the Pierre Lassonde Family Foundation. The main areas of interest for his Foundation are in support for the fields of education, the arts and the overall community.
Pierre’s donations have created iconic programs such as the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and Studios at the University of Utah, the Lassonde School of Engineering at York University, and the Lassonde Mining Engineering program at the University of Toronto and countless Scholarships within various universities in Canada.
He has served on the board of the Denver Opera Company, as President of the Board of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) and presently serves as Chair of the Board of the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA).
Pierre Lassonde is a Fellow of The Canadian Academy of Engineering, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and is a Grand Officer of the National Order of Québec.
Larry Tanenbaum (O.C., Hon LLD)
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited
Larry Tanenbaum is widely honoured for his significant contributions in the areas of business, sports and philanthropy. He continues to enrich the fabric of Canadian life, dedicating himself to empowering people and building communities.
Mr. Tanenbaum is Chairman and CEO of Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited (“Kilmer”), a multi-generational enterprise . For over 50 years, Kilmer has owned and operated leading Canadian businesses in sectors as diverse as heavy construction, road building, private equity, forestry, infrastructure, land development, cable television, and consumer goods.
Kilmer, under Mr. Tanenbaum’s leadership, grew as a multi-faceted civil engineering and construction company which undertook subway and transit system projects in Canada, the United States and South America.
Mr. Tanenbaum served as Chairman of Warren, which was Canada’s largest asphalt paving and aggregate company and later merged into Lafarge North America, North America’s largest diversified construction materials company.
Today, Kilmer remains family owned with a continued focus on private investing, infrastructure & real estate, and sports & entertainment.
Current private investments include majority ownership of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling in partnership with Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling. Kilmer has been a leader in such transformational projects as Port Credit’s Brightwater, the ONroute Highway Service Centres, the Pan Am Athletes’ Village, and Affordable Rental Housing Programs for both Provincial and City governments.
Mr. Tanenbaum is also a giant in professional sports. He is a 30-year veteran of building championship-caliber teams. In 1996, he became a part owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club, and then in 1998, Mr. Tanenbaum was instrumental in the acquisition of the Toronto Raptors basketball team and the Air Canada Centre, thus forming Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). Today, Mr. Tanenbaum is Chairman of MLSE, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the NBA, and a Governor and member of the Executive Committees of the NHL, the NBA, and MLS.
In 2024, Mr. Tanenbaum founded Kilmer Sports Ventures, which was awarded Canada’s first WNBA franchise, and also purchased AS Saint-Étienne, one of France’s most beloved Ligue 1 football clubs.
Mr. Tanenbaum is committed to medical research, brain science and healthy communities. Among his many volunteer roles, he is Co-Founder and Board Member of the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute at Montreal Neurological Institute, Chairman of the Research Board for the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Vice-Chair, Brain Canada.
The Tanenbaum Family Foundation made a significant gift to launch the Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport, in co-operation with the University of Toronto and Sinai Health.
The Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics was established at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2012. To date more than 10,000 patients and over 3,000 clinicians have completed pharmacogenetics testing through this Centre.
Mr. Tanenbaum is an Officer of the Order of Canada and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Toronto. He was inducted into the Ontario Road Builders' Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the 2015 Region Builders Award from the Toronto Board of Trade. In 2020, Mr. Tanenbaum was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Sports Business Journal and in 2024, was awarded the inaugural UNMATCHED Award for Investment In Women’s Sport.