Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: October 23, 2008
• Invested on: April 07, 2010

David O'Brien is one of Canada's most respected corporate leaders and a generous supporter of university education. Chairman of the Royal Bank of Canada, he has led some of the country's largest companies, including Canadian Pacific and PanCanadian Petroleum Limited. He successfully negotiated the merger that led to the creation of EnCana Corporation, and as its chairman, he helped to build one of the most successful oil and gas companies in the world. An active philanthropist, he supported the creation of a new health sciences centre at the University of Calgary, and endowed McGill University's Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism with five major fellowships. He currently serves as chancellor of Concordia University, where he has helped to establish a centre for sustainable enterprise.