Richard Currie

Richard James Currie, O.C.,B.Sc.Eng.,M.B.A., L.L.D., P.Eng., was born in 1937 in Saint John, New Brunswick, and is a notable Canadian businessman.

Education

He began his post-secondary education at the University of New Brunswick in 1955, after receiving a Beaverbrook Scholarship to attend the institution, where he was elected president of the first-year class. [http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=210 "Richard Currie named chancellor of the University of New Brunswick"] , "University of New Brunswick", retrieved June 14, 2006] He later received a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemistry degree from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1960 and, after working as an engineer until 1968, he decided to continue his education and get a Masters of Business Administration degree from Harvard University in 1970. [ [http://www.canadianbusiness.com/lifestyle/article.jsp?content=20050411_66891_66891 "Live and Learn: Richard Currie"] , "Canadian Business", retrieved August 16, 2006.]

Career

In 1960, he joined Atlantic Sugar Refineries as a Process Engineer and was a Refining Superintendent from 1963 to 1968. After graduating from Harvard in 1970, he became a Senior Associate at McKinsey & Co., a management consultant firm based in New York. [http://www.cbr.ca/personProfile.aspx?personID=29775 "Executive Profiles: Richard J. Currie"] , "Canadian Business Resource", retrieved August 25, 2006.]

In 1972, he joined Loblaws as a Vice-President, becoming Executive Vice-President in 1974, and President in 1976. Loblaws increased its market share over 350 times in 25 years while under his control, reaching $14 billion before he stepped down on December 31, 2000. Through this, it became the largest private sector employer in Canada.

In 1996, he was appointed President of Loblaws parent company, George Weston Ltd., where he increased the share price from $16 to $123. In 2002 he stepped down Weston and was appointed Chairman of BCE Inc. on April 24 of that year.

He, along with Lynton Wilson, Anthony S. Fell, James Fleck, Henry N.R. Jackman and John McArthur helped establish a chair in Canadian business history at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, which is the first chair of its kind in Canada. Worth $3 million, it will help fund courses and research related to the progress of the commerce industry in Canada, along with the legal, economic and political events that impacted its history. [ [http://www.research.utoronto.ca/edge/fall2004/upfront.html "$3M Business History Chair a First in Canada"] , "EDGE Magazine", retrieved August 25, 2006.]

He currently sits on the board of directors of Bell Canada Enterprises, CAE, and Staples, Inc. and is also a Trustee of The Art Gallery of Ontario and a Director of Historical Foundation of Canada. Along with these titles, he is also Chairman of the Board of Telesat and was a Director of Imperial Oil Limited, and a member of the International Advisory Boards of RJR Nabisco and Jacobs Suchard.

University of New Brunswick Involvement

On May 24, 2003, he was appointed Chancellor of the University of New Brunswick by the lieutenant-governor in council, at UNB's 174th Encaenia. His duties are to serve as the honorary head of UNB and also as a member of its Board of Governors.

In 2004, he established the Blake-Kirkpatrick Scholarships in memory of his two grandmothers: Ida Mae Blake and Jannet Kirkpatrick. [ [http://www.unb.ca/scholarships/documents/BlakeKirkpatrick06.pdf "Blake-Kirkpatrick Application"] , "University of New Brunswick", retrieved August 25, 2006.]

On October 20, 2005, the University of New Brunswick established a Chair in Nanotechnology in his honour. This is the first Chair in Nanotechnology in Canada. [ [http://www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=869 "Chair in nanotechnology establish in honour of UNB chancellor"] , John Suart, "University of New Brunswick", October 20, 2005, retrieved August 25, 2006.]

Awards

*1997, Made a Member of the Order of Canada
*1997, Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year Award
*2001, Awarded Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year
*2004, Promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada
*2005, Awarded Retail Council of Canada's Lifetime Achievement Award
*Inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame

References