John Cleghorn

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John Edward Cleghorn, O.C. (born July 7, 1941) is a Canadian businessman and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Bank of Canada from 1994 until 2001.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, he received a B.Com. from McGill University in 1962. While at McGill, he was a defensive lineman for the McGill Redmen football team that won the national championship. In 1964, he became a Chartered Accountant.

He joined the Royal Bank in 1974, becoming President in 1986, Chief Operating Officer in 1990, Chief Executive Officer in 1994, and Chairman in 1995. A champion of corporate restraint, he sold off the corporate jet, closed the executive dining rooms, and ended the use of the executive limousines. He frequently rode the subway or flew economy class in order to interact with customers[1]. He also took part in merger talks with Matthew Barrett, Chairman and CEO of the Bank of Montreal, though Finance Minister Paul Martin later blocked the proposed arrangement. He retired as Chairman and CEO in 2001, and was succeeded by Gordon Nixon.

He has been a director of SNC-Lavalin and Nortel Networks since 2001. He played an influential role in the board meeting that forced CEO Frank Dunn and two other senior executives to resign in April 2004 after financial results had been misrepresented. Cleghorn also criticized his friend and Nortel Chairman "Red" Wilson for not acting quickly enough when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had launched a probe several months earlier, eventually causing Wilson to resign.

From 1996 to 2003, he was chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University. He has also been a member of McGill University's Board of Governors for many years.

In 2001, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Academic Offices
Preceded by Willard Z. Estey	Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University 1996–2003	Succeeded by Bob Rae