Belinda Stronach

Member of Parliament, Newmarket-Aurora Executive Vice- Chairman, Magna International Inc. and Co-Founder, Spread the Net. Belinda is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Stronach Group, a privately-held consortium that owns, operates and manages a number of leading businesses in a wide range of industries, including: Thoroughbred racing and gaming; real estate; electric vehicle technologies; medical technologies; and agri-business. She is also the former President and CEO of Magna International Inc., one of the largest global suppliers of automotive systems and components in the world. Under her corporate leadership, the Company attained record sales and profits in each year and its stock price nearly doubled in value. Belinda emerged as a national public leader in 2004 when she ran for the leadership of the new federal Conservative Party of Canada. She was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 2004 as the Conservative MP for Newmarket-Aurora (Ontario). In 2005, she joined the Liberal Party of Canada, and was re-elected to office in 2006, serving as a Member of Parliament until October 2008. While in office, she joined the Cabinet at the invitation of the Prime Minister and assumed responsibility for three separate and senior portfolios as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal, and Minister responsible for Service Canada. Her accomplishments and years in public office were chronicled in the book Belinda: The Political and Private Life of Belinda Stronach, by journalist Don Martin. In 2008, she established The Belinda Stronach Foundation to provide educational opportunities for young women and aboriginal youth, and to improve the lives of young people in developing nations. She is also the Co-founder and Honorary Chair of Belinda’s Place, York Region’s first homeless women’s shelter and serves on the boards of numerous national and international nonprofit organizations dedicated to finding innovative solutions to the challenges of poverty.