2024 Nation Builder Award — Celebrating Prem Watsa

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.

Prem Watsa: A Nation Builder

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