We told you he was notable.
Our Notable.ca supporter, friend, and recent ICON at our Fusion Notable Icon Series, Frank Giustra has just been awarded the first-ever Dalai Lama Humanitarian Award.
And it’s a pretty big deal, one that came as a surprise to Giustra. “I thought someone was putting me on,” he told us. “He has never done this sort of thing before.”
The well-known business leader is a regular on the Canadian charity scene… and not just because he shows his face at countless glitzy events in Vancouver (his home base) and around the world. Giustra does as much for charity as he does for the business world. Think: thousands of hours and over $100 million raised.
That’s why Giustra just received the Dalai Lama Humanitarian Award for his work with the Radcliffe Foundation, Street to Home, Boys Club Network, and the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership. The award is inspired by the Dalai Lama’s teachings and both highlights and celebrates innovative approaches to making lasting change.
His Holiness himself presented the award to Giustra at a recent Vancouver luncheon, where a surprise video tribute to Giustra from Bill Clinton was also shown.
“I am obviously very honoured to receive it,” says Giustra of the award. “I have read a lot of what the Dalai Lama teaches, and my life philosophy is very much aligned with his. I will continue to dedicate my life towards philanthropy because I believe in it and it’s the right thing to do.”
From finance to film, to call Giustra successful is an understatement.
He’s the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fiore Financial Corporation, a private firm managing a broad portfolio of private equity investments. He made his fortune in building natural resource companies as well as with the creation of Lionsgate Films and his brand of premium olive oil, Domenica Fiore. He’s currently a board member of Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation, Endeavour Mining Corporation, and Petromanas Energy Incorporated.
And you thought you worked hard.
Somewhere in all the mix, Giustra manages to devote his time to his causes. This includes his role as President of The Radcliffe Foundation, being an active executive member and significant contributor to the International Crisis Group, and sitting on the board of the Street to Home Foundation. As if that wasn’t enough, in 2007 Giustra and former President Bill Clinton launched the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership, with the focus of creating social and economic development programs in impoverished parts of the world.
Why does he do it? “It feels good,” he tells us. “I know it may sound cliché, but it gives me peace and joy to give and see how that giving can make a difference.”
As a father of two, he also does it for his kids: “I do it to make my children proud. I want them to be good and productive global citizens, and the best way to inspire is to lead by example.”
After all, the last thing he wants to be remembered as is “just another dead rich dude.”
#NOTABLE
Cover photo: Screenshot from www.occuworld.org
Dalai Lama Image: https://twitter.com/Frank_Giustra
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