Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Stephen Jarislowsky arrived in Canada with vision and determination, built a pioneering investment firm, and – guided by a strong moral compass – helped transform the country's financial services industry. His story is both an inspiring account of entrepreneurial success and a powerful reflection on leadership, integrity, and public service.
This biography offers compelling insight into of one of Canada’s most influential business leaders and philanthropists. Drawing on interviews with family, friends, and colleagues as well as privileged access to Jarislowsky himself, Donald Savoie illuminates a life shaped by many of the defining events of the twentieth century. Born in Berlin in 1925, Jarislowsky was educated in the Netherlands and France before immigrating to the United States. He studied at Cornell University, served in the army, and worked in counterintelligence in postwar Japan. In 1955 he settled in Montreal and founded Jarislowsky, Fraser & Company; over the next four decades he would build one of Canada's premier investment management firms while earning a reputation for ethical leadership and independent judgment. He remained steadfast throughout Quebec’s Quiet Revolution, becoming a proud Québécois while maintaining an unwavering commitment to Canada.
Jarislowsky’s influence reaches far beyond finance, making a mark on corporate governance, the arts, and higher education through the endowment of university research chairs. This book paints a portrait of a businessman and benefactor who has made profound contributions to Canada and, at over one hundred years old, remains steadfast in his enduring commitment to a healthy democratic society.
“A uniquely personal recounting of Stephen Jarislowsky, a man of uncommon intelligence and extraordinary success who has consistently applied his values and beliefs in the service of stronger leadership and more rigorous practice across business, public service, higher education, and philanthropy across Canada.” Hilary Pearson, author of From Charity to Change: Inside the World of Canadian Foundations
“Stephen Jarislowsky is uncommon on many fronts: a self-made billionaire who eschews a lavish lifestyle; a businessman who rails against corporate greed and contributes generously to higher education; a quiet man who never hesitates to speak his mind. Donald Savoie’s book tells the long-awaited story of this remarkable Canadian.” Craig Toomey, author of Up and to the Right: The Story of John W. Dobson and His Formula Growth Fund