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Stephen A. Jarislowsky (1925–2026): Visionary investor, philanthropist and friend to Concordia

Major donor left his mark on business ethics and the arts at Concordia and across the country
October 8, 2026
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By Alyssa Tremblay, BA 14

Source: University Advancement
A man in a suit smiles and is wearing an Order of Canada medal. Stephen A. Jarislowsky was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Stephen A. Jarislowsky, LLD 03, one of Canada’s most generous patrons of the arts, a leading figure in corporate governance and a major donor to Concordia, has died at the age of 101.

Jarislowsky and his wife, Gail M. Jarislowsky, MA 91, were also prolific supporters of education. The Jarislowsky Foundation established more than 50 endowed chairs at universities and institutions across Canada, supporting research in a wide range of disciplines.

Thanks to their support, two significant initiatives were established at Concordia: the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Corporate Governance and the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art.

“Stephen A. Jarislowsky was not content to just leave his mark in the investment world,” says Paul Chesser, BA 94, GrDip 97, vice-president of Advancement at Concordia. “All Canadians benefited from his positive influence on corporate governance and ethics, as well as his passion for giving back to his community.”

Far-reaching legacy

Born in Germany in 1925, Stephen Jarislowsky spent his childhood moving throughout Europe between the First and Second World Wars. It was while attending school in the Netherlands, amid studying music and frequent museum trips, that his passion for the arts was first kindled.

This interest was further cemented when, while enrolled in a French boarding school, Jarislowsky lived with art critic and Impressionist scholar John Rewald.

In the early 1940s, Jarislowsky immigrated to North Carolina, then studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, before serving in the United States Army.

He developed a zeal for East Asian culture while stationed in Japan during the Second World War, and subsequently completed a master’s degree in Far Eastern studies at the University of Chicago. He soon followed that with an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Early in his career, Jarislowsky worked with Alcan Aluminium, first as an engineer in Kingston, Ontario, then in sales administration and finance at its Montreal office.

He ran a publishing house in New York City for a time before settling back in Montreal in 1955, where he founded Jarislowsky Fraser, which grew into one of Canada’s leading investment management firms.

Two men in conovcation robes are side-by-side, one is signing a book as the other looks on. Jarislowsky, pictured with then-chancellor Eric Molson, LLD 06, was awarded an honorary degree from Concordia in 2003.

Jarislowsky parlayed his success to support education and the arts across Canada.

Each of the research chairs endowed by the Jarislowsky Foundation is designed to encourage researchers working across the country in a wide range of disciplines, including science, medicine, business and the arts.

What’s more, the Jarislowsky Foundation donated $2 million in 2016 to establish the first-ever chair at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, with a focus on Quebec and Canadian contemporary art from 1945 to the present day.

Concordia’s benefit

During his career, Jarislowsky established himself as a vocal advocate of business ethics, establishing multiple university research chairs for corporate governance — including at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business.

Established through Jarislowsky’s generosity, the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Corporate Governance is closely linked with the Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations, founded in 2005 by Concordia, HEC Montréal, the Jarislowsky Foundation and the Autorité des marchés financiers.

Jarislowsky’s legacy at Concordia also includes the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art, part of a network of research groups within the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Founded in 1998 and led by a research chair, the institute seeks to initiate national and international conversations about historical Canadian art and to forge links between established and emergent scholars working across the country and abroad.

Jarislowsky’s example prompted others to pay it forward.

To pay tribute to his mentor and embolden the next generation of investors, major Concordia donor J. Sebastian van Berkom, BComm 69, LLD 17, announced that students in his namesake Sebastian van Berkom Small-Cap Investment Management Program would be known as Stephen A. Jarislowsky Fellows.

“Stephen was just the ideal mentor — I attribute many of my successes as a small-cap investor to his shrewd advice,” said van Berkom, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Van Berkom Global Asset Management.

Other recognitions

Jarislowsky participated in a number of civic, charitable and corporate boards. Among his many accomplishments, he was co-founder and director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance and was a long-standing director at the Canadian Foundation for Advancement of Investor Rights (FAIR Canada).

In recognition of his overall success, Jarislowsky was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2007.

Jarislowsky was the recipient of numerous awards. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec. He received honorary degrees from 20 universities across Canada, including Concordia, which recognized him in 2003.

Concordia’s Faculty of Commerce and Administration, now the John Molson School, presented Jarislowsky with its Award of Distinction in 1988. The Fine Arts Award of Distinction was presented to the Jarislowskys by Concordia in 2002 for their leadership in support of arts and culture.

Stephen A. Jarislowsky is survived by his wife, Gail, his children, Michael, Alexandra and Marika, and a large extended family.


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