Intercounsel ^Ltd.

Chief Executive

Intercounsel Ltd. is a private venture development and strategic consulting company wholly-owned by Thomas d’Aquino. Under the leadership of Mr. d’Aquino as Intercounsel’s Chairman and Chief Executive and Susan Peterson d’Aquino, the company’s President, it offers advice to leaders of business, government and the not-for-profit sector on matters related to business strategy, public policy and transformational change. The third key member of the Intercounsel Ltd. team is Vice President, Cheryl Eadie, who is in charge of corporate administration and finance.

Intercounsel’s business operations commenced in 1976 and has served as a strategic advisor to numerous companies and organizations in Canada and internationally.

Canadian Council of Chief Executives – The Business Council of Canada

Distinguished Lifetime Member

From March 1981 to January 2010, Mr. d’Aquino served as Chief Executive and President of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), an organization composed of the chief executives of 150 of Canada’s leading enterprises and pre-eminent entrepreneurs. Mr. d’Aquino assumed leadership of the Council in its formative stages when it was known as the Business Council on National Issues.

With Mr. d’Aquino at the helm, the BCNI/CCCE became the country’s most influential business organization committed to “a stronger Canada and a better world”. The Council was the private sector leader in advancing corporate social responsibility and progressive policies in the fiscal, trade, investment, competitiveness, environmental, security and defence and foreign policy domains.

Upon his retirement from the CCCE, member companies accounted for $850 billion in annual revenues, $4.5 trillion in assets, and were responsible for the majority of Canada’s private sector exports, investment and training. In recognition of “his exemplary leadership”, he was named by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives Board of Directors, a Distinguished Lifetime Member. As of January 2016, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives has been renamed the Business Council of Canada.

National Gallery of Canada Foundation

Chairman Emeritus

The National Gallery of Canada is home to the most important collections of historical and contemporary Canadian art in the world, including the extensive collection of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Created in 1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to increase access to excellent works of art for all Canadians. To do so, it maintains the largest touring art exhibition programme in the world.

Mr. d’Aquino is a founding director and chair emeritus of the Foundation of the National Gallery of Canada, a philanthropic organization composed of a volunteer Board of Directors and supporters from across Canada. During Mr. d’Aquino’s 18-year tenure as Foundation Chair, the Foundation raised over $65 million in financial support for the Gallery and attracted over $70 million in works of art. In addition, Mr. d’Aquino chairs the Foundation’s Distinguished Patrons composed of leading financial contributors to the Gallery from all parts of Canada.

Ivey School of Business

Honorary Professor

In a news release on December 22, 2009, the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) in London, Ontario, announced that Mr. d’Aquino would assume the title of “Honorary Professor.” The honour is extended “to those who have attained academic or professional distinction in their fields to recognize a mutually beneficial scholarly association.”

Mr. d’Aquino is the founding Chair of the Advisory Council of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management. The Lawrence Centre is dedicated to fostering thinking and solutions in the domains of business strategy and public policy.

In 2006, the Ivey School of Business established the annual Thomas d’Aquino Lecture on Leadership.  Mr. d’Aquino presented the inaugural Lecture and subsequent presenters were Clerk of the Privy Council, Kevin Lynch (2007); former Governor of the Bank of Canada, David Dodge; former Deputy Prime Minister, John Manley (2009); business leader Annette Verschueren (2010); banker and former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Michael Wilson (2011); Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney (2013); business leaders Linda Hasenfratz (2014), Tom Jenkins(2016), and Dominic Barton (2017); former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin (2018); The Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce; The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Deputy Chairwoman, TD Securities; Shopify President, Harley Finkelstein; and last year, Goldy Hyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada.

In 2014, Western University conferred on Mr. d’Aquino a degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws.

North American Forum

Canada Chair Emeritus

Formed in 2004, the North American Forum is the continent’s pre-eminent trilateral institution dedicated to advancing Canada, United States and Mexico cooperation in economic, trade, energy, environmental and security matters. Mr. d’Aquino, one of the Forum’s founders, served as Canada Chair from 2012-2022. U.S. Co-Chairs with whom he has served include former Secretary George Shultz and former Defense Secretary, William Perry. His Mexican counterpart is Dr. Pedro Aspe and his American counterpart is Admiral Gary Roughead. The Forum meets once annually and its meetings rotate among Canada, Mexico and the United States. Mr. d’Aquino was succeeded as Canada Chair in 2022 by Goldy Hyder, President and CEO, Business Council of Canada.

Backgrounder

Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation

Director

Mr. d’Aquino serves as a Director of the Montreal-based Jean Paul Riopelle Foundation, dedicated to celebrating the life and works of artist, Jean Paul Riopelle. The Foundation is chaired by Vancouver-based philanthropist, Michael Audain, and Foundation Board of Directors includes philanthropists André Desmarais and Pierre Lassonde. Mr. d’Aquino also serves as Co-Chair of the Jean Paul Riopelle Centenary along with France Chrétien Desmarais. The Foundation’s Executive Director is Manon Gauthier.