Presented to people of Caribbean heritage who have made significant outstanding contributions on an international scale in their respective fields, or people who have brought to prominence issues which affect the Caribbean (West Indian) Region.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Global activist for peace, democracy and human rights.

Studied at the Pretoria Bantu Normal College before teaching at Johannesburg Bantu High School before studying theology at St Peter's Theological College in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, and King's College London where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in theology.

The first Black Archbishop of Cape Town, he became Secretary General of the South African Council of Churches, rising to international fame for leading opposition to apartheid. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism in 1986; the Pacem in Terris Award in 1987; the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999; the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. After the fall of apartheid, he headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Received an honorary degree in 1986 from The University of the West Indies, the University of Toronto in 2000 and the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Continues to use his positional power and high profile to campaign for poverty, HIV/AIDS, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and land rights globally. Tirelessly dedicated his energies to bringing peace for groups across the world who are struggling for self-determination, environmental justice and climate change. Always advocating for the oppressed, like visiting in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada in 2014 and joined with Indigenous communities in the fight against pipelines and oil sands.

Archbishop Tutu married Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, a teacher whom he had met while at college in 1955. They have four children: Trevor Thamsanqa, Theresa Thandeka, Naomi Nontombi and Mpho Andrea.

Archbishop reads the Bible every day and recommends that people read it as a collection of books, not a single constitutional document: "You have to understand is that the Bible is really a library of books and it has different categories of material; There are certain parts which you have to say no to. The Bible accepted slavery. St Paul said women should not speak in church at all and there are people who have used that to say women should not be ordained. There are many things that you shouldn't accept." His daughter, Mpho Tutu, has also followed in her father's footsteps and in 2004 was ordained an Episcopal priest by her father.

Dr. Shirley Thompson

Dr. Shirley Thompson

Dr. Shirley J. Thompson is a renowned and award-winning English composer of Jamaican descent who serves as Reader in Composition and Performance at the University of Westminster, London. Dr. Thompson’s compositional output consists of large works including symphonies, ballets, operas, concertos, and ensembles, as well as music for TV, film, and theatre.

Her co-scored ballet, PUSH, has been premiered in more than 38 countries over the last 10 years and was originally produced by Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2005. In 2002, she became the recipient of a commission to compose a large work for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Thompson composed a symphony, New Nation Rising: A London Story, which was premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, as well as being performed to Queen Elizabeth II in London.

In 2004, Thompson became the first woman in Europe in forty years to compose and conduct a symphony. In 2012, the concept of A London Story was assumed for the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Thompson is also the first woman to
conduct and compose music for a major BBC drama series.

Her works have been performed worldwide in places such as: LACMA Sundays Live in Los Angeles; V & A Pavillion, Cape Town, South Africa; London Coliseum, England; Theater Heilbronn, Germany; Athens Arena, Greece; Le Metropole, Lausanne, Switzerland; Opera de Lyon, Theater Champs-Elysees, Odyssud Theatre, France; Teatro Comunale, (Modena); Teatro Arcimboldi (Milan); Auditorium Conciliazone di Roma (Rome); Teatro alla Fenice (Venice); San Carlo (Naples) Italy; Teatro Real (Madrid) Spain; St George’s Theatre, New Zealand; Sydney Opera House, Australia; City Center, New York, USA; Royal Festival Hall, Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, London; Moscow State Opera House and Marinsky Theatre, Russia.

Thompson has been developing an exciting and ground-breaking series of stage works over the last 5 years entitled Heroines of Opera. The heroines include Queen Nanny of the Maroons, Dido Elizabeth Belle and The Woman Who Refused to Dance (on the slave boat). Through these operatic works Thompson is creating for the first time in opera history, triumphant female heroes who are not femme fatales, the usual status of women in opera.

Orville “Shaggy” Burrell, C.D.

Orville “Shaggy” Burrell, C.D.

Emerging in the early '90s, Shaggy was the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae. Not only did he become the genre's most commercially potent artist in the international market, he was also more than just a typical flash in the pan, managing to sustain a career over the course of several highly popular albums. Perhaps in part because he wasn't based in Jamaica, he never really needed to have it both ways: virtually ignoring the hardcore dancehall crowd, his music was unabashedly geared toward good times, a friendly (if horny) persona, and catchy party anthems. He wasn't shy about lifting hooks wholesale from pop hits of the past, a chart-ready blueprint similar to that of hip-hop stars like Puff Daddy, but he also had fairly eclectic tastes, giving his records a musical variety lacking from other dancehall stars. As a result, he became one of the scant few reggae artists to top the album and pop singles charts in America, not to mention numerous other countries where he's had even greater success.

Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica, and was nicknamed after the Scooby-Doo character. At age 18, he joined his mother in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, and soon began performing with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Musik. A steady income proved to be a more pressing matter, however, and in 1988 Shaggy joined the Marines.

Shaggy still had obligations to the military, and his budding career was interrupted by Operation Desert Storm in 1991; he was sent to Kuwait for a five-month tour of duty. After returning to Camp Lejeune, Shaggy resumed his sessions in New York, and waxed a cover of the Folkes Brothers' ska hit "Oh Carolina." Originally recorded for Prince Buster's label, the song was given a modern dancehall update complete with a prominent "Peter Gunn" sample. At first, "Oh Carolina" was simply another local hit, but thanks to some overseas promotion, it was picked up for release in the U.K. by Greensleeves in late 1992. It was an instant smash, vaulting all the way to the top of the British pop charts early the next year and doing the same in several other European countries.

Now firmly a star in Europe, Shaggy went on to conquer the U.S. with his next album, 1995's Boombastic. The title track was an inescapable hit, selling over a million copies; it reached number three on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts, and also became his second U.K. chart-topper. "In the Summertime," the flip side of the American single release of "Boombastic," climbed into the U.K. Top Five as a follow-up. Meanwhile, the album went platinum, nearly reaching the R&B Top Ten, and spent a full year at number one on Billboard's reggae album chart; it also won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. A third single, "Why You Treat Me So Bad," featured guest rapper Grand Puba and nearly reached the British Top Ten in 1996, but failed to make much of an impact stateside.

Shaggy followed his breakout success with an extensive world tour, consolidating his European following, and recorded a hit duet with Maxi Priest, "That Girl," in 1996. He returned to solo action in 1997 with the Midnite Lover album. The first single, a dancehall version of Big Brother & the Holding Company's "Piece of My Heart" featuring duet partner Marsha, was a relative flop in the U.S., though it had some international success. Similarly, the album was a commercial disappointment, and Virgin, assuming that Shaggy's moment had passed (as it quickly had for many of dancehall's crossover hitmakers), dropped him from its roster.

Undaunted, Shaggy turned to movie soundtracks to keep his name in the public eye. He appeared on a minor hit duet with Janet Jackson, "Luv Me, Luv Me," from the soundtrack of How Stella Got Her Groove Back in 1998, and followed it by contributing the solo cut "Hope" to For Love of the Game in 1999. By this time, he was able to land a new deal with MCA, and rewarded them with one of the biggest-selling reggae albums ever. Released in 2000, Hot Shot started off slowly as its lead single, "Dance and Shout," flopped in the States. However, a radio DJ in Hawaii downloaded the track "It Wasn't Me" (featuring Rik Rok) from Napster, and began playing it on his show. Soon it was a national hit, rocketing up the pop charts and hitting number one in early 2001; naturally, it did likewise in the U.K. and many other European countries. Its follow-up, "Angel" — a rewrite of the country hit "Angel of the Morning," featuring Rayvon on vocals — also went straight to number one in the U.S. and U.K. Hot Shot, meanwhile, spent six weeks at number one on the album charts and eventually sold over six million copies in the U.S. alone — an almost unheard-of figure for a reggae release.

While Shaggy prepared his follow-up album, more pieces of product hit the market in 2002: Virgin put out Mr. Lover Lover: The Best of Shaggy, Vol. 1, a compilation covering his years at the label, while MCA issued a remix album, Hot Shot Ultramix. Before the end of the year, Shaggy released his new album, Lucky Day, which was loosely designed as a respectful tribute to womankind. Its first two singles, "Hey Sexy Lady" and "Strength of a Woman," didn't fare well in the U.S., but the album sold respectably well, going gold by year's end and charting in the Top 30 on both the pop and R&B listings. In 2005 he returned with Clothes Drop, this time on the Geffen label. Early in 2007 his "Church Heathen" single began dominating the dancehall scene thanks in part to its video starring the legendary Ninjaman as a priest. The big hit single landed on Shaggy's album Intoxication, released that same year. In 2011 he returned with the single "Sugarcane" and the EP Summer in Kingston. Both were released on his own label.

Shaggy is also widely known for his philanthropic efforts which raise millions of dollars for the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Shaggy was introduced to the Bustamante Hospital for Children whilst visiting a friend’s son who had been admitted there. He was so moved by what he saw, that he vowed to do whatever he could to make things better there for Jamaica’s children. This visit opened Shaggy’s eyes to the obstacles children faced with receiving medical care in Jamaica and the region, it being the only full service children’s hospital in the English speaking Caribbean, he resolved that something had to be done in order to improve the conditions there. For eight years he quietly made personal donations of medical equipment, which the hospital desperately needed, such as:

2001- two (2) Ventilators

2002- Electroencephalogram (EEG) Machine

2003- Table Top Sterilizing Machine

2005- Funded the Upgrade of the Medical Oxygen System

2006- Funded the Beautification of the Administrative Block

2008- Collaborated with Scotiabank to create a park & recreation area

To Date The Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation has raised a total of just over US$1,000,000 (J$90 Million) for the hospital, and has covered the costs for an overall audit to be done on all medical equipment (working or otherwise) at the Bustamante Hospital (June - July, 2011). In addition, the Foundation has donated two (2) new fully equipped dental chairs for the hospital’s Dental Unit, as the existing unit was forced closed for several months due to non-functional dental chairs. The new chairs were delivered and installed earlier last year along with 378 pieces of medical equipment.

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traore

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traore

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré was appointed to the Criminal and Penal Division as well as the Youth Division of the Court of Quebec in April 1999. She sits in Montreal.

Ms Westmoreland-Traoré was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1967 and The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1997; she specialized in immigration and citizenship law, human rights, family law and non-profit organization law. She was a professor in the Department of Legal Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal from 1976 to 1991. From 1996 to the time of her appointment, she was Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Windsor. She is well known for her role in establishing the Conseil des communautés culturelles et de l'immigration du Québec, over which she presided from 1985 to 1990. From 1991 to 1995, she was Ontario's Employment Equity Commissioner. In 1995, she was a United Nations consultant, on contract, advising Haiti's Commission on Truth and Justice.

Juanita has a long history of community involvement on human rights and equality issues both nationally and internationally. She was a board member of the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges from 2003 to 2009 and a co-chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges from 2004 to 2010.

A graduate of Marianopolis College, she obtained her law degree from the University of Montreal, and a Doctorate of State from the University of Paris II.

In 1991, she was named an officer of the Ordre national du Québec. She has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ottawa and the University of Quebec in Montreal.

She has been honored by the Bar of Quebec and the Canadian Bar Association as one of the women pioneers in the legal profession, being the first person of African origin elevated to the Bench in Quebec. In 2000, the Quebec Regional Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress awarded Judge Westmoreland-Traoré the inaugural Alan Rose Prize for human rights. In May 2003, she was honored by the Montreal Association of Black Business Persons and Professionals with the Jackie Robinson's Achievement Award and in August 2005 with the Touchstones Award by the Canadian Bar Association.

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré is the spouse of Ismaïl Traoré; they have two adult sons.

Tessanne Chin

Tessanne Chin

Singer

Tessanne Chin is NBC's 'THE VOICE 2013"

Tessanne Chin is a reggae fusion recording artist, with a solo album In Between Words and is known for her hit singles "Hideaway", "Messenger" and "Black Books." She is the fresh soulful voice of a new generation of musical talent that has come out of Jamaica. Her sultry fusion of dancehall and reggae with edgy rock riffs mixed with the honest, heartfelt and conscious lyrics she pens herself, creates a musical style that is uniquely her own. And now with the title of The Voice 2013, her powerful vocals, and extraordinary stage presence have been showcased internationally.

She comes from a family steeped in music - her mother was the trumpeter and singer in her band called the Carnations and her father was the drummer. The family owns a recording studio in Jamaica.

Tessanne started performing when she was six years old with Cathy Levy's "Little People and Teen Players Club", one of Jamaica's top performing arts schools. Most of her vocal coaching came from her mother and also from noted vocal coach Lecie Wright. She learned firsthand about cultural diversity when she moved to England at age 12, where she coped with the move by devoting a lot of time to writing songs.

She has opened for musical icons such as Patti Labelle, Peabo Bryson and Gladys Knight, and toured for 3 years with Jimmy Cliff, recorded with superstar Shaggy and collaborated with many artistes including Trinidad and Tobago's KES. In 2013, she took part in season 5 of the American singing competition The Voice as part of Adam Levine's Team.

The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P was first elected to Parliament for Vancouver Centre in 1993 becoming the first rookie to defeat a sitting Prime Minister. She has been re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Dr. Fry began in 1993 as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. She spent 6 years from 1996-2002 in Cabinet serving as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Minister for the Status of Women. She was on a number of Cabinet Committees regarding health, social policy, volunteerism, homelessness and same-sex benefits. She was also the Minister responsible for the Vancouver agreement.

She immigrated to Canada in 1970. She practiced family medicine at St. Paul's Hospital in the West End of Vancouver for two decades and was a local, provincial and national leader in medical politics. She served as president of the Vancouver Medical Association (VMA), BC Medical Association (BCMA), and the Federation of Medical Women.

As a Minister, Dr. Fry represented the Canadian government as Head of delegation at many high-profile, multilateral Conventions of the United Nations, Francophonie, Commonwealth, Organization of American States and Council of Europe, most notably Canada's 4th Report to the UN Commission on Human Rights, UN's Beijing Plus 2000 and the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban. She was recently re-appointed the Special Representative on Gender Issues of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA).

In 2006, Dr. Fry ran for the Leadership of the Liberal Party as the first immigrant woman to do so with her "True Grit" campaign. Dr. Fry served as Opposition Critic for Sports and the 2010 Olympics, and for Canadian heritage. Currently, Dr. Fry serves as BC Federal Liberal Caucus Chair and the Federal Liberal Health Critic.

She lives in Vancouver and has three sons. She continues working hard at key priorities of representing her constituents and fighting for issues such as justice and human rights, health care, poverty, housing and homelessness, education and many other issues.

Dr. the Honourable Jimmy Cliff, OM

Dr. the Honourable Jimmy Cliff, OM

Reggae Legend

Jimmy Cliff was reggae's first international star and remains its greatest living ambassador, having taken the music of Jamaica to all corners of the world. He had hits outside of Jamaica as far back as 1969, when "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" reached Number Six in Britain and Number 25 in the U.S. Yet his career breakthrough came in the Seventies, with the release of the soundtrack to The Harder They Come. That album served as a primer on reggae music for the uninitiated, and half of its tracks were by Jimmy Cliff. They included three songs that have become reggae standards: the ebullient "You Can Get It If You Really Want," the anthemic "The Harder they Come" and the hymn-like "Many Rivers to Cross."

In addition to writing and singing those songs, Cliff starred in the ?lm. The Harder They Come was the first feature film written and directed by a Jamaican and shot on location using an all-native cast. Cliff played a budding singer from the Jamaican countryside who gets caught up in the renegade world of drugs and violence in the slums of Kingston. The movie became a huge success in Jamaica and a cult classic elsewhere. The soundtrack, released in America on Chris Blackwell's Mango label (a subsidiary of his Island Records) in 1973, proved to be a steady seller, though it didn't enter Billboard's album chart until March 1975 - still a full two months before Bob Marley and the Wailers first cracked the U.S. charts with Natty Dread.

Jimmy Cliff was born James Chambers in St. James, Jamaica. He adopted the stage name "Cliff" to acknowledge the heights he intended to climb. His First recordings date back to 1962, and two of his songs ("Ska All Over the World," "Trust No Man") were included on a 1964 anthology, The Real Jamaican Ska, released in the U.S. on Epic Records. Hooking up with legendary Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, Cliff unleashed a string of hit singles in his homeland throughout the Sixties, including "Hurricane Hattie," "Miss Jamaica" and "King of Kings." He was among those chosen to represent Jamaica at the 1964 World's Fair in New York.

Blackwell groomed Cliff to be the artist who would break reggae into the international mainstream. Cliff moved to London for a period to further that goal. Hard Road to Travel, his first British album, was released in 1968, and the Top 10 success of "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" followed the next year. His controversial 1970 single "Viet Nam" was a minor British hit. That same year, his version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" - with Stevens producing and playing piano - went to Number Eight in the U.K. A cover of Cliff's "You Can Get It if You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, his friend and fellow Jamaican singer, soared to Number Two on the British charts in 1970 - a few years before the inclusion of Cliff's original version in The Harder They Come. Cliff's 1972 single "Trapped" was also produced by Cat Stevens. Subsequently covered by Bruce Springsteen, it received great exposure from its inclusion on the We Are the World charity album from 1985.

His last album for Island Records was 1973's Struggling Man, at which point he signed with Reprise and embarked on a period of stylistic experimentation that included such albums as Another Cycle (a soul/pop album cut at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios), Unlimited and Brave Warrior. One of the standouts in his catalog, Give Thankx (1978), included the militant anthem "Stand Up and Fight Back." In the early Eighties, he returned to rootsy reggae on Give the People What They Want (1981) and Special (1982). The latter album, his first for Columbia Records, was recorded at Channel One Studios in Kingston with some of Jamaica's best producers and engineers. Cliff dubbed his touring band Oneness, and they performed all over the world, including Africa.

Cliff returned to movies with his appearance in the 1985 comedy Club Paradise (starring Robin Williams), set in the Caribbean. Cliff and Oneness toured with head-liner Steve Winwood in 1986. In 1993, Cliff's recording of Johnny Nash's early-Seventies hit "I Can See Clearly Now" - included on the soundtrack of Cool Runnings, a film about the Jamaican bobsledding team - became a Top 20 hit.

Jimmy Cliff's role as a reggae pioneer was celebrated in 2003 with a Deluxe Edition reissue of The Harder They Come and a two-disc Jimmy Cliff Anthology.

"My role has always been as the shepherd of reggae music," Cliff has noted. "When they wanted to bring reggae to America, they sent Jimmy Cliff. When they wanted to bring reggae to England, they sent Jimmy Cliff. When they wanted to bring reggae to Africa, they sent Jimmy Cliff."

Dr. Budhendranauth Doobay

Dr. Budhendranauth Doobay

Philanthropist & Medical Doctor

Dr. Doobay is a household name in many South Asian homes across Canada. He represents not just a leader in the Hindu community, but an individual who recognizes the importance of religious freedoms and coexistence in our multicultural community. As a cardiovascular surgeon, he spent most of his clinical career practicing at McMaster University as an Assistant Clinical Professor but his career expands beyond his work in the operating room. He built the first Hindu temple in Toronto and was at the core of developing the Hindu contribution to the beautiful multicultural city that Toronto has become. He helped organize parades of thousands of individuals during Diwali and built a Museum of Hindu Civilization and World Peace, the only religious institution that houses icons of all the major religions of the world. His temple has also built a Memorial for the Fallen Canadian Soldiers, the only non-Governmental body to honor their contribution to our country's freedom.

His passion for health care and medicine lead to his creation of a medical clinic in his Father's hometown in Guyana for which he sends medications and aid. In addition, he oversaw the creation of a Dialysis clinic in Guyana. This clinic offers dialysis to individuals with end stage kidney failure who would otherwise have had no access and would have succumbed to their illness. They have provided dialysis for over 40 patients since its creation. In this effort, he has motivated other physicians from Canada to travel to Guyana with him to participate in this effort. To further combine his passion for health, culture and religion, he built a senior's home adjacent to the temple in order to allow seniors a comfortable, supportive living environment and proximity to their religious community

He has been at the forefront of his temple's numerous relief work including building homes in Gujarat after the earthquake, raising over ten thousand dollars after the flood in Pakistan, contributing to flood relief in Guyana and raising over one-hundred thousand dollars after the earthquake in Haiti.

Given his great contribution to our South Asian society, he has been recognized by numerous awards including the Order of Ontario, The Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medal and he sits as the Government of Canada representative on the Global Center for Pluralism, a committee which is made up of other dignitaries such as Kofi Annan and The Aga Khan. Most importantly, Dr. Doobay acts as a role model for many young South Asians looking to make a contribution to their society.

Dr. Lennox Lewis

Dr. Lennox Lewis

Boxing Legend

Lennox Lewis has accomplished more in one boxing career than most people can imagine. He is known for his calculated fighting style and grace in the ring. Muhammad Ali famously said to Lewis, "You're the greatest one there is, like me." George Foreman has described Lewis as "beyond doubt, the greatest heavyweight of all time." Lewis' decision to retire as the reigning heavyweight champion of the world in 2004 re-affirmed his reputation as a man who makes decisions for himself and sticks to his principles.

Lewis retired with an impressive record of 41 wins - 2 losses - 1 draw, 32 wins by knockout. Before turning pro, Lewis held a remarkable amateur record of 85-9, which he capped with a gold medal for Team Canada at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

After turning professional in 1989, Lewis went on to gain the European title in 1990 and the British Commonwealth Heavyweight title in 1992. He was officially crowned the WBC Heavyweight Champion in January of 1993. In November 1999 Lewis and Evander Holyfield met once again in the ring after their earlier fight ended in a controversial draw. This time Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World, unifying the WBC, WBA, IBO and IBF titles. Along with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield before him, Lewis is one of three boxers in history to have won the heavyweight championship three times. The crowning moment in his career came in June 2002 when Lewis ceremoniously defeated Mike Tyson. The Lewis/Tyson 2002 fight was the highest grossing pay-per-view professional boxing fight for five years.

Lewis's athletic accomplishments have been acknowledged with numerous international honors. In 1988 his adopted home of Canada awarded him a CM - Member of the Order of Canada. The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada's honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. In 2002 he was honored by his birth country of England when Queen Elizabeth II awarded him a CBE - Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The CBE is an esteemed honor for a British citizen, just one rank below knighthood. In 2008, Lewis was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Council's Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. In June 2009, Lewis was also inducted in his first year of eligibility into the revered International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Lewis keeps busy with business ventures and charitable projects. He is a major contributor to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, and lent his talent and expertise to build a new Canadian youth boxing center in Kitchener Waterloo named in honor of his amateur boxing coach Arnie Boehm. He sponsored a youth chess team, which eventually won the US national championship before graduating. He is an annual supporter of countless charities which focus primarily on youth issues, including the Rotary Club of Grand River's Downtown Mudpuppy Chase for KidsAbility Centre. Lewis did national public service announcements against domestic violence in the UK and in the US for Do Something. He also contributed to Chicken Soup for the Soul for Preteens with a chapter on overcoming challenges in youth.

Lewis has made several television appearances, including Late Night with David Letterman. Among many others, he has had cameo roles in the film Ocean's Eleven and the TV show Entourage. His film career includes a starring role in the independent feature, Johnny Was, and several producing credits. In 2008, he finished fourth out of 14 on Donald Trump's first airing of the Celebrity Apprentice. He was a ringside boxing analyst for HBO's Boxing After Dark for four years. In 2011, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree at the fall convocation of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada

Lewis and his wife Violet are the proud parents of Landon, Ling, Leya and Leviah. In his spare time, he is passionate about boxing, chess, poker, and improving his golf game.

Dr. The Honourable Michael Lee-Chin, OJ, O.Ont.

Dr. The Honourable Michael Lee-Chin, OJ, O.Ont.

Michael Lee-Chin, Chairman, Portland Holdings Inc., is widely regarded as a visionary entrepreneur whose philosophy of “doing well and doing good” has resulted in phenomenal success and inspiring philanthropic initiatives.

Born in Port Antonio, Jamaica in 1951, Michael immigrated to Canada in 1970 to study civil engineering at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. After beginning post‑graduate studies, Michael decided to explore career opportunities within the mutual fund industry. At the age of 26, Michael became a financial advisor and, with growing success, progressed to the position of branch manager.

In 1983, at the age of 32, Michael borrowed money to purchase $500,000 of Mackenzie Financial stock. After four years, this stock appreciated seven-fold, and Michael used the profits to make his first acquisition, a small Ontario-based investment firm called AIC Limited. At that time, Advantage Investment Counsel (a division of AIC Limited) had assets under management of just $800,000. Within 20 years, AIC grew from less than $1 million and – at its business peak – posted more than $15 billion in assets under management. In September 2009, AIC’s retail investment fund business was sold to Manulife Financial. However, Michael and his team continue to sub-advise the flagship Advantage Series of funds for Manulife through Portland Investment Counsel. Michael has managed the Advantage Fund since inception.

As the founder of Portland Holdings Inc., Michael Lee-Chin’s business accomplishments span various countries and numerous sectors.

At the helm, Michael established an investment philosophy and guiding principles for each of the Portland group of companies. Although some companies may not have possessed strong balance sheets or a guiding framework prior to acquisition or establishment by Portland, it has been under Michael’s stewardship that each of the Portland group of companies has come to display the following attributes:
• Solid returns on equity;
• Positioned in a long-term growth industry;
• Entrepreneurial, competitive and hard-working management;
• Potential to be a global leader;
• Possessing competitive advantages (for example, brands, relationship networks, licenses, etc.); and
• Possessing quality tangible assets.

Following the acquisition of AIC Limited in 1987, Michael set about developing the Berkshire group of companies – comprising an investment planning arm, a securities dealership, and an insurance services operation. Under Michael’s stewardship, Berkshire was able to amass more than $12 billion of assets under administration by 2007. At that time, Berkshire had also grown to form a network of 750 financial advisors operating in 250 offices across Canada. In 2007, Manulife acquired Berkshire from Portland Holdings in exchange for shares, making Portland one of the most significant shareholders of Manulife. In 2002, Portland’s interests expanded internationally with the acquisition of National Commercial Bank (NCB) Jamaica Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Since becoming part of the Portland group, NCB profits have increased to approximately US$130 million from US$6 million. NCB today stands as Jamaica’s largest bank with 45 branches, 2,400 employees, and offices
in the Caymans and the United Kingdom. NCB was awarded the Latin Finance 2007 Bank of the Year Award.

In April 2006, Portland acquired an 85% controlling stake in the United General Insurance Company, the largest auto insurer in Jamaica, and renamed the firm Advantage General Insurance Company. A controlling interest in CVM Communications Group (consisting of radio and television stations and newspapers) was purchased at the same time.

In 2005, Portland partnered with Risley Group to form Columbus Communications Ltd. – a Barbadian corporation that holds controlling interest in a number of telecommunications providers in the Caribbean including Cable Bahamas Ltd., Caribbean Crossing Ltd., Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited (operating under the name Flow America), Fibralink Jamaica Limited, and Columbus Communications Trinidad Limited (operating under the name Flow Trinidad).

Columbus is a diversified telecommunications company whose core operating business is providing cable television services, high speed internet access, digital telephone and internet infrastructure services (retail) and, the development of an undersea fiber optic cable network as well as the sale and lease of the telecom capacity provide by the network (wholesale). It operates in 21 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

In the tourism sector, Michael has guided Portland through a number of acquisitions in the Caribbean. Among them, the Trident Villas and Spa in Jamaica, Reggae Beach and Blue Lagoon.

The first Portland acquisition in the health care industry sector was announced by Michael in July 2006, when Medical Associates Limited, a privately held hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, joined the Portland group.

Portland also runs a Private Equity Fund focused on investing in the Caribbean region; clients include OPIC; a division of the US government, European Investment Bank (EIB), Verizon pension fund and Export Development Canada (EDC).

Under Michael’s stewardship, Portland Holdings Inc. today owns a collection of diversified businesses, operating in sectors that include financial services, telecommunications, tourism, media and health care.

Over the years, Michael’s vision for sustainable growth for Portland Holdings Inc. is anchored in two principles. First, Portland will invest in businesses that are economically substantial and provide exceptional products and services into the marketplace. And, equally important, these businesses must also seek to improve the social well‑being of the communities in which they operate. Michael formally established as the Portland mantra – “prosperitas cum caritate” – which in Latin speaks to his goal that businesses must “not only do well, but also do good” – that is the measure of success.

In 2008, Michael Lee-Chin received one of Jamaica’s highest national honours – The Order of Jamaica, for his significant contributions to business and philanthropy.

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