| David Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Kenneth Roy Thomson |
| Spouse | Mary Lou La Prairie 1988-1997 Laurie Ludwick 2000-2005 |
| Parents | Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet Nora Marilyn Lavis Thomson |
| Relatives | Roy Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet (Grandfather) Edna Thomson (Grandmother) Peter Thomson (Brother) Shirley Thomson (Sister) Taylor Thomson (Sister) |
David Kenneth Roy Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet (born 12 June 1957) is a Canadian media magnate. 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 the acquisition of Reuters, he is now the chairman of the merged entity, Thomson Reuters. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1]
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 around $23.0 billion Cdn as of 2010, Thomson and his family are the richest in Canada and 16th richest in the world according to Forbes in 2011.[1]
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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. Osmington is a partner in True North Sports and Entertainment, owners of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets and the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba.[2]
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.[3]
"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."[3]
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."[3] He became engaged to actress Kelly Rowan in late June 2007.[4] They broke off their engagement just before Rowan gave birth to their daughter on April 28, 2008.[5] In September 2009, Rowan and Thomson made their first public appearance since their alleged split in early 2008, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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.[6]
Thomson has rarely given 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".[3]
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?"[3]
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ken Thomson |
Baron Thomson of Fleet 2006-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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