The founder of Acuity Funds Ltd. and Acuity Investment Management Inc. has donated $3.5 million to the Richard Ivey School of Business, towards the formation of a new leadership institute.

The gift from Ian Ihnatowycz and his wife, Marta Witer, will support a chair in leadership, and will provide operational funding for the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership. The institute has a mandate to “secure Ivey’s position as one of the top 10 leadership institutes on a global basis.” It will bring together research, teaching and outreach in pursuit of this mandate.

Ihnatowycz, president, CEO and CIO of Acuity Funds, founded the Toronto-based firm in 1990, and has acted as a pioneer in the field of sustainable investing.

He has served on the boards of numerous not-for-profit and professional organizations and private companies, and is currently a member of the board of directors of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

A graduate of Ivey’s MBA program (1982), Ihnatowycz said there has never been a more urgent need to emphasize and explore the role of leadership in the business world.

“The quality of leadership helps determine the quantity of success,” he said. “Ivey has always attracted talented students with strong leadership aspirations. I believe it is important their skills as leaders be nurtured and developed — so they’re prepared for the evolving demands and challenges that await them.”

Matching funding of $1.5 million from the University of Western Ontario for the institute’s chair position will increase the full impact of the gift to $5 million. The institute will engage in rigorous research projects, extensive case writing, conferences and collaborations.

“Business leaders today need to display vision and leadership and Ian exemplifies both,” said Carol Stephenson, dean of the Richard Ivey School of Business. “He is a passionate leader and we are proud to have his name on our Institute for Leadership.”

Associate professor Gerard Seijts has been appointed executive director of the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership.

“The Institute will articulate the importance of leadership to the Ivey community of students and alumni, and to reach beyond. Strong and courageous leadership can improve the competitiveness of Canadian companies and the resiliency of our economy,” said Seijts, who is the Ivey Alumni Association/Toronto Faculty Fellow in Business Leadership.

IE