John L. Bragg was born in 1941 and is a native of Springhill, Nova Scotia. He launched Oxford Frozen Foods in 1968 with a production capacity of 2 million pounds of wild blueberries per year. Today, Oxford has the world’s largest berry farm with 14,000 acres of wild blueberry properties in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Maine. The company also owns six processing factories, with a daily production capacity of more than 3 million pounds.

From the beginning, Mr. Bragg focused on developing lucrative business relationships. Most of the wild blueberries processed by Oxford today come from independent farmers who have been dealing with the company for many years. Customers are just as loyal – Oxford’s wild blueberries are recognized as a benchmark worldwide. Over the years, Bragg has developed markets for Oxford all over the world, including large customers in Japan, Germany, France and the United States.

Seeking diversification, Mr. Bragg has ventured into many other businesses and products, including frozen carrots, battered products, building supplies, and telecommunications. EastLink, his telecommunications company, was established in 1970 and is the largest privately owned cable television company in Canada, serving most of Nova Scotia and all of PEI. Delivering state of the art digital video and high speed internet services to urban and rural customers alike, Bragg has displayed his distinctive entrepreneurial flair by successfully launching a local residential telephone system over the cable network, establishing a new business that is unique to Canada.

Mr. Bragg has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Education from Mount Allison University, and became its Chancellor in 2004. He is a director for several well-known Canadian companies, including Sobeys Inc., the Empire Company Ltd., and Canada Bread Ltd. In 1999, Bragg was acknowledged with the Atlantic Canadian Philanthropist of the Year Award.

John Bragg shows few signs of slowing down. In 1994, he was awarded the National Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Governor General of Canada, Ray Hnatyshyn. Soon after, Mr. Bragg was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996. Oxford Frozen Foods continues to provide many opportunities in small town Nova Scotia, demonstrating his commitment to community.

The Honorable John W.H. Bassett was born in 1915 in Ottawa, Ontario to Margaret Avery and John Bassett, publisher of the Montreal Gazette. He would become founder and President of Baton Broadcasting Limited, a company that has since expanded and transformed into today’s CTVglobemedia.

Graduating with a B.A. from Bishop’s University in 1936, Bassett’s career as a reporter began with the Toronto Globe and Mail. Enlisting in the Canadian Army in 1940, he returned at the end of the war to a brief career in politics as a staunch Conservative.

His media acquisitions began with his father’s newspaper The Sherbrooke Daily Record, followed in 1952 with the Toronto Telegram. Baton Broadcasting was founded in 1960 to establish CFTO-TV, Toronto’s first private TV station. It was Bassett’s objective to eventually take over the CTV network, and he succeeded in his goal in 1997.

Bassett also expressed a keen interest in Canadian sports, owning the Toronto Argonauts from 1957 until 1979. He was also one of the “Silver Seven,” who in 1957 oversaw the Toronto Maple Leafs. A major shareholder in both teams, John became chairman of Maple Leaf Gardens’ board of directors in 1964, and President in 1969.

John Bassett’s philanthropy was bestowed generously upon medicine, the arts, and causes for religious tolerance, through such organizations as the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, the Stratford Festival, and the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. A friend of Robert F. Kennedy, Bassett was a pallbearer at his funeral. In 1985, John Bassett was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 1992 he was elevated to Companion, the highest rank of the Order of Canada. His appointment to the Order of Ontario was made in 1988.

Bassett died in 1998 at the age of 83, survived by his wife Isabel Macdonald, Ontario Minister of Culture and Citizenship, and his five children. He was inducted posthumously into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2000, and will be remembered as a prominent figure in Canadian business, sports and journalism.

Richard J. Currie was born in Saint John, New Brunswick and attended the University of New Brunswick, and the Technical University of Nova Scotia graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

Following a career at Atlantic Sugar Refineries, he graduated from Harvard Business School, and joined the management consultants McKinsey & Company, based in New York, until he went to work for Loblaw Companies in Toronto in 1972.

He has served on the Boards of many educational and charitable institutions, including Mount Allison University, Bishop Strachan School, the Canadian Stage Company, The Art Gallery of Ontario and the Historica Foundation of Canada.

Currie’s commercial affiliations have included Directorships of CAE Inc., Staples Inc., Imperial Oil Limited, and as a member of the International Advisory Boards of RJR Nabisco in Atlanta and Jacobs Suchard in Zurich. He also sat as Chairman of the Board of Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE, Inc.), as well as holding the positions of President and Director of George Weston Limited, and Loblaw Companies Limited.

Under his leadership, the market value of Loblaw increased from $40 million to $14 billion, and became Canada’s largest food retailer, with 650 corporately-owned locations and over 400 franchised stores, and during his tenure as President of George Weston Limited, that company grew to be the second largest and most profitable baker in North America.

Other postings included Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Richard Ivey School of Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario, Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick, and as a Member of the Visiting Committee to the Harvard Business School.

The Canadian food industry awarded him its highest award, The Golden Pencil, and the American supermarket industry its highest honour, The Rabb Award. The Retail Council of Canada named him their Distinguished Retailer of the Year in 1997.

In 1997 Currie was appointed to the Order of Canada, and in 2001 was chosen as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year.

William M. Mercer’s early career as an economist at the Powell River Company led to an assignment to establish the company’s pension plan. After struggling with no guidance to gather the necessary information, Mercer realized that there must be a market for the knowledge he’d gained. He subsequently set up William M. Mercer Limited in Vancouver, in 1945.

Bill Mercer’s vision lay in recognizing the value of knowledge and how it relates to pensions as the wave of the future, and in keeping his company independent of any financial interest about which type of pension it recommended. He managed to do so in spite of much pressure and the heated objections of many insurers.

He sought out the best people to work in his new company. As he famously said, “Never be afraid to hire people smarter than you are. Having them snapping at your heels will keep you on your toes.”

Bill was also very involved with the Canadian Institute for the Blind; and donated funds to begin construction of a new library in Nanaimo, in memory of his father.

André Chagnon was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1928. The son of an electrician, Chagnon established his own electrical contracting business, Chagnon Electric, at the age of 29. Seven years later he sold his company and entered the cable television industry. Chagnon founded Le Groupe Videotron in 1964, and under his leadership the company grew into one of Canada’s largest telecommunications companies.

Le Groupe Videotron won international acclaim for its innovative contributions to the field of pay television and telecommunications. The company grew significantly, with substantial holdings in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Its success can be attributed to Chagnon’s vision and perseverance, and he is recognized as a groundbreaker in the industry.

Following the purchase of Le Groupe Videotron by Quebecor Media in 2000, Chagnon began to devote his time and energy to charitable pursuits. He established the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon, dedicated to fighting chronic poverty and promoting preventative healthcare. With over $1.4 billion in assets, it became the largest foundation in Canada.

His outstanding efforts have been recognized in many forms. Chagnon was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992, and an Officer of l’Ordre national du Quebec in 2003. He was also named a co-recipient of the Medal for Exceptional Contributions to Early Childhood Development in 2003, awarded by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development.  In 2005, he was granted the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michel Patry, director of the HEC Montreall business school, has described Chagnon as a visionary, a “bold and tireless entrepreneur who has left a major industrial and commercial legacy in Quebec.” Patry is also one of the many to have also praised Chagnon’s “profound social and philanthropic commitment.” It is certain that André Chagnon’s contributions will continue to influence lives for years to come.

Charles Lake Gundy was born the day his father co-founded Wood Gundy Ltd., one of Canada’s leading securities and investment firms.

Charles joined the firm at age 21, upon graduating from the University of Toronto, and in the course of his 52-year career worked his way up from mail clerk to Chairman of the Board.

Between 1941 and 1945, Gundy served with the Toronto Scottish Regiment in Canada, England and Egypt, rising to the rank of major.

A highly involved supporter of children’s healthcare, he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children for twelve years, and was the instigator of many important studies into the causes of mental illness.

He was a Director of many Canadian companies, including the Abitibi Paper Company, Simpsons Ltd. and Massey Ferguson Ltd.

Henry Newton Rowell Jackman, known to all as “Hal” Jackman, was born in 1932 in Toronto, Ontario. Hal is the son of former Member of Parliament Harry Jackson, whom he credits for an inherited sense of long-term investment savvy.

Jackman has a B.A. from the University of Toronto, and an LL.B. from the London School of Economics. He began his career at the age of 25, as an Executive Assistant to a Federal Minister. His financial instincts subsequently propelled him to the top of Canada’s financial sector, where he chaired or presided over several insurance and investment companies, including National Trust and Empire Life.

In 1991, Jackman was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and served his province in this role until 1997. During this time, he became of patron of more than 150 organizations in the arts, science, sports and charitable arenas. Even after Jackman’s career in public service was over, he continued to actively support many cultural, charitable and health care organizations at the local, provincial and national levels.

In 1997, Hal was named Chancellor of the University of Toronto. During his time as Chancellor, he was particularly generous in his support of educational initiatives, providing funding for scholarships and for the creation of a distinguished chair program.

Jackman has also been a longtime fundraiser for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and became a supporter of the Canadian Alliance when it was formed prior to the 2000 election. He was an advocate of the Unite the Right movement which resulted in the creation of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Henry N.R. Jackman was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1991, and was promoted to Officer in 2000. He was inducted into the Order of Ontario in 1998.

Peter C. Godsoe was born and raised in Toronto, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, a Chartered Accountant’s designation at Price Waterhouse, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

He joined the Bank of Nova Scotia in 1966 as a teller, and successive promotions saw him in positions of increasing responsibility in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and New York, until in 1982 he was appointed a Director and Vice Chairman of the Board.

He was elevated to the role of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 1995, and also held positions on the boards of multiple corporations including Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, ONEX Corp., and Sobeys Inc.

Godsoe was also the Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario from 1999 to 2000.

He has received honorary degrees from University of King’s College (1993), Concordia University (1995), the University of Western Ontario (2001), and Dalhousie University (2004).

In 2001 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2004 he was made an Honorary Commander of the Order of Jamaica.

With globalization and public service as the cornerstones of his philosophy, Mr. Godsoe’s career exemplifies a true balance between leadership, family, community, and the importance of people.

Cedric Ritchie has been hailed by the Financial Post as one of the country’s top bankers, rising from clerk to Chairman during his 50-year career with the Bank of Nova Scotia.

Born in Upper Kent, New Brunswick in 1927, Ritchie possessed only a high school education when he joined the bank in 1945. Over the next 15 years, he progressed from a teller in Bath, New Brunswick to Chief Accountant at the bank’s Toronto branch. Less than a decade later he was appointed Chief General Manager, and in 1972 was named President and CEO. Ritchie became Chairman of the Bank of Nova Scotia in December of 1974. Throughout his career Ritchie led the bank to increased profitability, and retired as Chairman and CEO in 1995.

Ritchie has held positions on the boards of several organizations, including: Chairman of the Phillipes Council, Director of The Canada Life Assurance Company, Director of Canadian National Railway, and Director of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

Cedric Ritchie also holds several awards and designations. He was named the Western Business School of Toronto’s 1993 Business Leader of the Year and the Harvard Business Club of Toronto’s 1993 Business Man of the Year. Ritchie has received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University, Mount Allison University, Queen’s University, St. Francis Xavier University, and the University of New Brunswick. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1981, in recognition of “his wide knowledge of banking and commerce.”

Guy Saint-Pierre.  A native of Windsor Mills, Quebec, Guy Saint-Pierre became the personification of business acumen and industry leadership.

In 1959, he began his career as an Officer of the Royal Canadian Engineers, and five years later advanced to become Director of Imes Inc.

From the mid-1960s to the late 1980s, he continued along a successful path of professional development. During this period he was President and CEO of Ogilvie Mills Limited, and also twice served as a Minister in the Quebec Government.

In 1989, Mr. Saint-Pierre joined SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. as President and CEO, and was appointed as Chairman in 1996.

He served as Director of several major Canadian corporations, including the Royal Bank of Canada, General Motors of Canada Ltd., Alcan Aluminum Ltd., and BCE Inc. He also served as Director of the Conference Board of Canada, the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, the Business Council on National Issues, and the Engineering Institute of Canada. In 1995, he was designated International Executive of the Year by the Canadian Council for International Business.

In 1994, Financial Post Magazine named him CEO of the Year. He was also received the Sir John Kennedy Medal, was awarded a Gold Medalist, Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.

In 1992 was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, and was promoted to Companion in 2002.

J.E. (Ted) Newall was born in Holden, Alberta and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. A leading oil and manufacturing executive, Newall’s distinguished career is marked by outstanding achievement.

Ted began work for DuPont Canada in 1957, starting out in internal sales. In 1958, he received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University in Saskatchewan. For twenty years, Ted Newall advanced through the company, taking the helm in 1979 as Chairman, President and CEO of DuPont Canada and all non-U.S. operations.

From DuPont, Newall went on to become President and CEO of NOVA Corporation in 1991. He successfully oversaw the amalgamation of NOVA Corporation and Trans-Canada Pipeline, arguably the largest merger in Canadian history.

Throughout his extensive career, he has served as director of many large corporations, including Alcan Aluminum Ltd., BCE Inc., Bell Canada Ltd., Canadian Pacific Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and Royal Bank of Canada. Newall holds several awards and distinctions, including winner of the 1998 APEGGA Award for International Business Executive of the Year and 1993 CEO of the Year as decided by Financial Post Magazine, Canada Post and Caldwell Partners. He also holds several honourary degrees.

Ted Newall was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993, in recognition not only of his business successes but his philanthropic ones as well. Ted has been a consistent supporter of his community, co-founding the United Way of Calgary’s Children’s Initiative and sitting on the University of Calgary’s Board of Governors.

Ted Newall and his wife Margaret have three children and eight grandchildren, and continue to be active supporters in their community.