David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Thomson
Born David Kenneth Roy Thomson
June 12, 1957 (1957-06-12) (age 51)
Residence Flag of Canada Toronto, Canada
Occupation Chairman of Thomson Reuters
Title David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet
Net worth ▼ US $18.9 billion (2008)[1]
Predecessor Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet
Relatives Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, grandfather
Edna Thomson, grandmother
Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, father
Nora Marilyn Lavis Thomson, mother
Taylor Thomson, sister
Peter Thomson, brother

David Kenneth Roy Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet (born 12 June 1957) is a Canadian businessman. He is the son of the late Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet and his siblings are actress Taylor Thomson and Peter Thomson. David Thomson was the chairman of Thomson Corporation since 2002 and after acquisition of Reuters, he is now chairman of merged entity, Thomson Reuters. He currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2]

Thomson attended Upper Canada College and received a BA (subsequently upgraded to an MA) in history from Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge in 1978.

With an estimated net worth of just under $19 billion Cdn as of 2008, Thomson and his familly are the richest in Canada and 31st richest in the world according to Forbes Magazine down from 10th in 2007.[3]

Contents

[edit] Business career

Thomson has worked a number of positions in companies controlled by his family. He was manager of The Bay store at Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke, and President of Zellers. He founded a real estate firm Osmington Incorporated, owned and operated outside of the Thomson empire.

According to a plan devised decades ago by Thomson Corporation founder Roy Thomson, when Kenneth Thomson died (June 2006), control of the family fortune passed on to David.[4]

"David, my grandson, will have to take his part in the running of the Organisation and David's son, too," Roy wrote in his 1975 autobiography. "With the fortune that we will leave to them go also responsibilities. These Thomson boys that come after Ken are not going to be able, even if they want to, to shrug off these responsibilities."[4]

[edit] Personal Life

Thomson's "particularly bitter divorce action against his second wife" received extensive coverage in Maclean's news magazine but was largely ignored by other media. He is the father of three children, including two daughters from his first marriage. "Thomson's son from that marriage, who was born after the couple separated, is the company's designated heir."[4]

Like his mother, David Thomson is a patron of the Art Gallery of Ontario. With the death of his father, he became the 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet on 12 June 2006, his 49th birthday. He is an avid art collector and owns the world's top collection of John Constable.[5]

Thomson has given hardly any interviews to the press and maintains a low public profile.

"The only substantial interview he has given was to James FitzGerald, who wrote a book about the elite private school (Upper Canada College) they both attended in Toronto," according to a July 3, 2006 article in The New York Times. "In his comments to Mr. FitzGerald 12 years ago, David had little positive to say about many people in the business world".[4]

In the interview, Thomson said: "When you try to live a more balanced life, traditional businessmen think that you are not a real man. But who is not the real man? You are telling me? You have not taken a weekend with your wife, you have no spare time that you use constructively, you do not have any hobbies, you do not know how to spell Mozart. And here you are telling me that I am weak?"[4]

He became engaged to actress Kelly Rowan in late June 2007.[6] They broke off their engagement just before Rowan gave birth to their daughter on April 28, 2008.[7]

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ken Thomson		 Baron Thomson of Fleet
2006-present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent

[edit] References

  1. ^ cbc.ca – Forbes List
  2. ^ Forbes (April 8), #10 David Thomson & family, <http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/10/07billionaires_David-Thomson-family_D47G.html>. Retrieved on 8 April 2007 
  3. ^ cbc.ca
  4. ^ a b c d e [1]"In Canada, the Torch is Passed on a Quiet but Profitable Legacy," by Ian Austen, The New York Times (Business Day section) p. C1, July 3, 2006; accessed on July 3, 2006.
  5. ^ thestar.com
  6. ^ people.com
  7. ^ people.com

[edit] External links

 This biography about a Canadian businessperson is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.