Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet
Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet ( born September 1, 1923 in Toronto, Ontario, † June 12, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario ) was a Canadian businessman, art collector and patron.
Life
Ken Thomson was the third child and only son of Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet ( 1894-1976 ), the founder of The Thomson Corporation. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He then studied at the University of Cambridge and went after his graduation in the parental media business one.
Thomson sr. developed from a small radio station in northern Ontario from the dominant press group in Canada. Later he invested in North Sea Oil (1971-1989) and travel agencies, acquired shares in the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC ) and the Times of London ( 1967-1981 ). Kenneth Thomson acquired in 1979 the majority shareholder of the Hudson's Bay Company. From 1976 to 2002 he headed the Thomson Corporation and was until his death the largest shareholder with a share of 69%. Since 1980, the leading newspaper of Canada, The Globe and Mail, the leading medium of the media group Thomson Corporation or of their media group Bell Globe Media.
Thomson led the transformation and expansion of the family holding on to a dominant provider of electronic information and services. Among many other databases take Westlaw (law ), investment test (finance) and Workopolis ( job offers) a leading position on the market of e- information one. What is Google for the general information that would be as a high-end provider of specialist information Thomson.
According to Forbes Magazine, the family Thomson is the richest in Canada. Kenneth Thomson himself was considered a ninth- richest person in the world, he increased his personal fortune of $ 500 million in 1976 to an estimated amount of approximately $ 19.6 billion in 2006; the Thomson Corporation. 2006 had a market capitalization of $ 29.5 billion, Thomson's greatest gift, however, was his talent, capable and visionary people to discover, promote, and to trust them.
Thomson rarely spoke in public, and if so, about his great passion, art. Special attention he straightened Canadian painters such as Cornelius Krieghoff, Paul Kane and the "Group of Seven". In 2002 he donated to the Art Gallery of Ontario art worth over 300 million dollars. Among the 2000 donated art works until then most expensive painting by an old master that has ever bought was: . The " Betlehemitische Innocents " by Peter Paul Rubens ( see link to Day of the Innocents ) The painting had Thomson in 2002 at auction by Sotheby's acquired for £ 49.5 million. Additionally, he donated the Gallery have $ 70 million for the renovation and expansion to plans by the architect Frank Gehry.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn (born Nora Marilyn Lavis ), the children of David, Peter and Lynne and their families. His business was succeeded by his son and heir of David, the. Previously since 2002 chairman of Thomson Corp. had been.