The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid Event
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
The Empire Club of Canada is thrilled to announce Prem Watsa, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, as the recipient of the 2024 Nation Builder Award.
This prestigious honour will be presented to Mr. Watsa at a special ceremony on January 28, 2025, at the iconic Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.
Prem Watsa’s story is both inspiring and impressive – embodying resilience, ingenuity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence and integrity in business. As a newcomer to Canada, he supported himself through an MBA program at Western University and began his career as an investment analyst. Mr. Watsa went on to found Fairfax Financial Holdings, today a leading Canadian company in the global insurance sector with a market capitalization of more than $40 billion.
His commitment to philanthropy has been longstanding, with a focus on education and healthcare initiatives and on investments that uplift communities across the country. He has brought his passion and expertise to support a wide range of organizations including SickKids Hospital, the University of Waterloo, Huron University, the Royal Ontario Museum and St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
The January awards ceremony will offer attendees the unique opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Watsa as he reflects on his remarkable journey and the milestones that have defined his career. Following Mr. Watsa’s address, Andrew Willis, Business Columnist for The Globe and Mail, will engage Mr. Watsa in a fireside chat.
The event will also feature important testimonials from esteemed colleagues, such as The Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada and Kathleen Taylor, Chair of the Hospital for Sick Children and the Past Chair of the Sick Kids Foundation, and more.
See you on January 28, 2025!
Prem Watsa is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings
Limited, a holding company which, through its subsidiaries, is engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and the associated investment management.
In 1985 Prem took control of Markel Financial which was controlled by the Virginia based Markel family. In 1987 he then re‐organized and renamed it Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. He has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since its inception.
Since 1985, Fairfax has compounded book value by about 19%. Fairfax has total assets of approximately US$97 billion, revenues of approximately US$43 billion and common shareholders’ equity of approximately US$23 billion. The company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
He holds a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India and obtained his MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Western Ontario, an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from Wycliffe College of the University of Toronto and an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Tyndale College.
He is a member of the Sick Children’s Hospital Foundation and is Chairman of their Investment Committee, member of the Advisory Board for the Richard Ivey School of Business, and Chairman of the Investment Committee of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Toronto. He is on the Board of Horatio Alger Association U.S. and President of Horatio Alger Association of Canada. He is Chairman of Fairfax India. He is the Chancellor of Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario and formerly Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada.
Andrew Willis is a business columnist for Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. He been in journalism and communications for more than three decades, including serving for six years as senior vice-president at Brookfield Asset Management. He has co-written two books and frequently serves as a commentator on radio and BNN Bloomberg television.
