Thomas E. Kierans

Thomas Edward Kierans is one of Canada’s most respected business leaders, the director and chairman of many successful national and international companies, including McLeod Young Weir Ltd. (now ScotiaMcLeod Inc.), where he was president for ten years.  

As President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, Kierans provided national leadership in the area of public policy research and development, cementing the organization’s reputation as a leader among Canadian think tanks.   

His expertise on financial, governance and public policy matters is regularly sought by governments, public and private sector companies. He chaired the Ontario Economic Council, the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mines and Resources’ Energy Options Committee, and wrote the economics chapter of the Spicer Commission (the Citizens’ Forum on Canada’s Future, under Prime Minister Mulroney). Kierans also served as chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation, chair of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and vice-president and chair of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s governing council. 

Today, he is primarily engaged with his appointments as Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School and Massey College. 

Kierans holds a BA (Honours) from McGill University and an MBA (Economics, Political Science and Finance), Dean’s Honours List, from the University of Chicago. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.  

Updated July 2023