Donald K. Johnson, C.C.

Donald K. Johnson, C.C., LL.D., is one of Canada's most respected philanthropic advocates. He holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University and has built an exceptional career spanning capital markets, corporate governance, and public policy.

Mr. Johnson is a Member of the Advisory Board of BMO Capital Markets and previously served as Vice Chairman of Nesbitt Burns, where he earned a distinguished reputation as one of Canada's leading investment bankers.

He is Chairman Emeritus and a Director of goeasy Ltd. (TSX: GSY), and a Director of Murchison Minerals Ltd. (TSX: MUR). He is also a member of the Board of the University Health Network (UHN) Foundation, a member of the 2026 Major Individual Giving Cabinet of United Way Greater Toronto, and Chairman Emeritus and Director of Business/Arts.

Mr. Johnson serves on the Advisory Board of the Ivey Business School at Western University. He is a Board Member of the UHN Foundation; Chairman of the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute Fundraising Campaign at Toronto Western Hospital; a member of the 2025 Major Individual Giving Cabinet of the United Way Greater Toronto and is a Director and Chairman Emeritus of Business/Arts.

In 2002, Mr. Johnson announced a $1.3 million donation to the Ivey Business School at Western University. In 2019, he donated $2.5 million to Ivey to fund scholarships for students. The Toronto campus of Ivey was renamed “The Donald K. Johnson Centre” and in 2023, he made a $30 million donation to support a spectacular new home for The Donald K. Johnson Centre. His generous gift was the largest individual donation received in Ivey’s and Western’s history.

Mr. Johnson is widely recognized for transforming charitable giving in Canada. His successful advocacy led to the elimination of the capital gains tax on gifts of publicly listed securities to registered charities in 2006—a landmark policy change that has generated billions of dollars in new philanthropic support for Canadian charities. He is now leading a national campaign to extend this exemption to gifts of private company shares and real estate, with the goal of unlocking even greater charitable investment across the country.

Mr. Johnson's extraordinary contributions to business, philanthropy, and public policy have been recognized through numerous honours. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005, promoted to Officer in 2009, and in 2026 was elevated to Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.), the nation's highest civilian honour. He is also a recipient of Iceland's Order of the Falcon and has received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees in recognition of his enduring impact on Canadian society.

Mr. Johnson is the author of two books; one in Business Biography and Autobiography, LESSONS LEARNED ON BAY STREET, subtitled “The Sale Begins When the Customer Says NO” and a Health & Wellness Autobiography, THRIVING AT 90 AND BEYOND, subtitled “A Reflective Guide to living well and discovering what’s really important”.