Meet the founders: Lawrence Bloomberg and Manulife Financial

Both Lawrence Bloomberg and Manulife Financial have pledged one million dollars (CAD) to this prize over the next ten years. Here's a little bit about who they are and what they stand for:

Lawrence S. Bloomberg is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of BloombergSen Inc., a Director of the National Bank of Canada and serves as an Advisor to National Bank Financial, where he was formerly Co-Chairman. 

A Chartered Financial Analyst, who holds a B.Com from Sir George Williams University and an MBA from McGill University, Mr. Bloomberg has had a long and distinguished career in the financial services sector. In 1979 he founded First Marathon Inc. and

served as its CEO until 1999, when it was purchased by the National Bank of Canada and merged with its brokerage arm, Levesque Beaubien Geoffrion to create National Bank Financial. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Bloomberg has been actively involved in community initiatives, including many related to health. He is Chairman of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital and a past Chairman of its The Best Medicine fundraising campaign; past Co-Chairman of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network and the Founder and Director of MaRS (Medical and Related Sciences Discovery District). 

Mr. Bloomberg’s long list of impressive philanthropic contributions include: the naming of The Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and the Lawrence and Frances Bloomberg Center Women’s and Infants’ Health at Mount Sinai Hospital and the endowed Lawrence Bloomberg Chair in Accountancy at Concordia University. He was honoured with the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Association of Professional Fundraisers in 2003, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Concordia University and the University of Toronto. He was recently presented with the prestigious Order of Ontario, in recognition of his volunteerism and philanthropic contributions to healthcare, innovation and education.

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Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group, operating in 22 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients around the globe have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. 

In keeping with these values, Manulife has a strong culture of corporate social responsibility, giving back to the communities where they do business. Among other awards, they have been honoured nine consecutive years as a “Caring Company” by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Manulife also recently renewed its long-term sponsorship of the Manulife Centre for Children with Specific Learning Disabilities (MCCSLD). 

As part of Manulife’s corporate giving strategy, the company and its staff dedicate thousands of volunteer hours, as well as substantial financial support, to building stronger communities, promoting health and wellness, enhancing environmental sustainability and harnessing the power of volunteering in the community. 

Recent projects include tree-planting initiatives, emergency relief and renewable energy schemes.

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