Joseph L. Rotman, well-known for his gift of $36 million to U of T’s business school, now the Rotman School of Management, has been appointed Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Joseph L. Rotman. Image: rotman.utoronto.ca

Mr. Rotman, a great champion of Canada and Toronto in particular, brought Richard Florida to the city.

He is currently Chair of Roy-L Capital Corporation, a private family investment company. His business career has focused on establishing a number of private and public companies active in oil trading, petroleum distribution, oil and gas exploration, merchant banking, real estate, and venture capital. He is the founder of Clairvest Group Inc., a Canadian-based merchant bank, for which he is still a board member. He was involved with numerous other corporate boards, including the Bank of Montreal, Barrick Gold Corporation, and Canada Northwest Energy Ltd.

In 1994, Mr. Rotman was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Many organizations have benefited from his generous leadership and financial support, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, where he was a past President (1996-1997) and is a current Member of the Art Gallery of Ontario Foundation Board, and a past President (1993-96) and current Member of the Board of Trustees as well as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

VoCA thinks this could be a great sign for the arts…stay tuned.