Mitch Garber (born September 5, 1964) is a Canadian lawyer, investor and business executive.
He is a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
.
Current Activity
Garber is an active investor/Board member, partnering with leading private equity firms, including;
* Minority owner and board member of the National Hockey League (
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
)
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...
, led by co-majority shareholders
TPG Capital
TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American investment company based in Fort Worth, Texas. The private equity firm is focused on leveraged buyouts and growth capital. TPG manages investment funds in growth c ...
founder,
David Bonderman
David Bonderman (born November 27, 1942) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the founding partner of TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group), and its Asian affiliate, Newbridge Capital. He is also one of the minority owners of the ...
and Samantha Holloway, film producer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television Film producer, producer. He has been active in the genres of Action film, action, Drama film, drama, Fantasy film, fantasy, and Science fiction film, science fi ...
,
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
CEO
Andy Jassy
Andrew R. Jassy (born January 13, 1968) is an American business executive who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Amazon. Before being appointed by Jeff Bezos and the Amazon board during the fourth quarter of 2020, Jassy served ...
, team CEO
Tod Leiweke
Tod Leiweke (born January 12, 1960, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American sports executive who is currently part-owner, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Seattle Kraken.
Career
In the early 1980s, Leiweke was vice president of th ...
, and a group of local Seattle business leaders including David Wright,
Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer (born February 7, 1966) is an American businessman and majority owner of Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. He is also one of the minority owners of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, and a former minority o ...
, Ted and Chris Ackerley, and Jay Deutsch. He is also a board member of the One Roof Foundation, Seattle.
* Co-investor and board member of
Rackspace
Rackspace Technology, Inc. is an American cloud computing company based in Windcrest, Texas, an inner suburb of San Antonio, Texas. The company also has offices in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Austin, Texas, as well as in Australia, Canada, United ...
, an
Apollo Global Management
Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, ...
company
* Co-investor and board member of the
Fosun
Fosun International Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate holding company. Founded in 1992 by Guo Guangchang and four others, the company is headquartered in Shanghai and was incorporated in Hong Kong in 2004. Its Co-CEOs are Chen ...
held Lanvin Group including iconic French fashion house
Lanvin
Lanvin () is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Paris. Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, it is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Bruno Sialel ...
, Austria-based
Wolford
Wolford, headquartered in Bregenz on Lake Constance in Austria, is a textile manufacturer of tights, bodysuits and underwear, as well as women's clothing and accessories.
Wolford has 16 subsidiaries and markets its products in approx. 60 co ...
, Italian shoe designer
Sergio Rossi
Sergio Rossi is an Italian fashion brand which focuses on footwear. Founded in Italy in 1951, the brand was acquired by the Gucci Group in 1999. It then became part of the Kering Group under François Pinault, from 2005 until 2016, when Invest ...
.
* Co-investor and board member of
Shutterfly
Shutterfly, LLC. is an American photography, photography products, and image sharing company, headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company is mainly known for custom photo printing services, including books featuring user-provided ima ...
, an
Apollo Global Management
Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, ...
company
* Investor and Chairman of Aiola.com an Israeli Artificial Intelligence company
* He was the inaugural Chairman of Invest In Canada (
Investment Canada
Invest in Canada is an arms-length Government of Canada organization that promotes and attracts foreign direct investment into Canada. It was created through the ''Investment Canada Act'' and launched on March 12, 2018 as a departmental corporati ...
), the Canadian government agency responsible for attracting and facilitating foreign direct investment (FDI) into Canada from 2018-2022.
Education and recognitions
*
Bialik High School Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
('81).
* Diplôme D'études Collégiale (DEC),
Vanier College
Vanier College ( French: ''Collège Vanier'') is an English-language public college located in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public colle ...
('83).
* Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Relations
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
('86)
* Law Degree
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
('89).
* Honorary Doctorate Juris Causa
University of Montreal
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
('21)
* Honorary Doctorate degree
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
('17).
* McGill University's
Desautels Faculty of Management
The Desautels Faculty of Management is a faculty of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The faculty offers a range of undergraduate and graduate-level business programs, including the Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Adminis ...
Achievement Award for significant contributions to Canadian society in business and community service ('17)
* Inducted to Wall of Fame
Vanier College
Vanier College ( French: ''Collège Vanier'') is an English-language public college located in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public colle ...
('19).
* Order of Merit from
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
Faculty of Civil Law ('20)
*June 2019 was named to the
Order Of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
by the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
for his many entrepreneurial contributions as well as his philanthropic leadership and commitment to education, health and culture in Canada.
Professional career
From 1990 to 1999, Garber practiced law in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
at the firm Lazarus Charbonneau. He left Lazarus Charbonneau in 1999 to pursue his business career at SureFire Commerce Inc., an online
payment processing
A payment processor is a system that enables financial transactions, commonly employed by a merchant, to handle transactions with customers from various channels such as credit cards and debit cards or bank accounts. They are usually broken do ...
start-up company he helped create with Montrealers Joel Leonoff and Rory Olson. In 2003, he engineered the merger of SureFire, then named Terra Payments Inc., with
Optimal Group Inc., a
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
-listed company, to form
Optimal Payments, Inc., of which he became CEO. He left the company in 2006 to become CEO of
Party Gaming Plc. He led the company successfully until leaving to return to Canada in 2008. (In 2017, renamed, and led by its original co-founder Joel Leonoff since 2008, Optimal Payments, now
Paysafe Group
Paysafe Limited (formerly known as Optimal Payments PLC) is a multinational online payments company. The group offers services both under the ''Paysafe'' brand and subsidiary brands that have become part of the group through several mergers an ...
, sold to
CVC Capital Partners
CVC Capital Partners is a Luxembourg-based French private equity and investment advisory firm with approximately US$133 billion of assets under management and approximately €157 billion in secured commitments since inception across American, E ...
and
Blackstone.
In 2009, Garber joined with private equity firms
TPG Capital
TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American investment company based in Fort Worth, Texas. The private equity firm is focused on leveraged buyouts and growth capital. TPG manages investment funds in growth c ...
and
Apollo Global Management
Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, ...
, principal owners of
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...
to lead its newly-created and stand-alone digital gaming and entertainment business. Garber would serve as CEO of the new entity, named Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), and was its first private investor.
In 2011, Garber led CIE's acquisition of Playtika, a small Israeli start-up developing games for Facebook.
In 2013, Garber added the role of CEO of Caesars Acquisition Company (CACQ), a
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
-listed offshoot of
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...
. In addition to the CIE assets, the
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...
, and Playtika, being rolled into CACQ – CACQ also controlled multiple Las Vegas hotel and casinos, notably
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl En ...
,
The Cromwell
The Cromwell Las Vegas (formerly Barbary Coast and Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon) is a luxury boutique casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It was originally opened by Mi ...
,
The LINQ
The Linq (formerly Flamingo Capri, Imperial Palace and The Quad) is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It opened as the Flamingo Capri in 1959, on propert ...
,
Bally's,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and outside of
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, the
Horseshoe Baltimore
Horseshoe Baltimore is an urban two-story casino, and the second largest casino in Maryland with a 122,000-square-foot gaming floor.Rector, Kevin. "As Horseshoe Casino Rises, Officials Work behind the Scenes for Smooth Launch." Baltimore Sun. N.p ...
and
Harrah's New Orleans
Harrah's New Orleans is a casino in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Mississippi River. It is a casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room. The ...
.
On July 31, 2016, CIE announced the sale of Playtika to a Chinese consortium involving Giant Interactive Group, one of China's leading games companies, and
Yunfeng Capital
Yunfeng Capital (YF Capital; ) is a Shanghai-based private equity firm founded in 2010. It was founded by Jack Ma (Organizational founder, founder and former Chairperson, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, Alibaba) and David Yu (founder of Targe ...
, the private equity firm of
Alibaba
Ali Baba (character), Ali Baba is a character from the folk tale ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves''.
Ali Baba or Alibaba may also refer to:
Films
* Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1902 film), ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' (1902 film), a F ...
Founder and CEO,
Jack Ma
Jack Ma Yun (; born 10 September 1964) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. In addition, he co-founded Yunfeng ...
, for $4.4 billion.
As of May, 2019, it is the sixth-largest sale in the history of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. In January 2021, Playtika went public on Nasdaq with an enterprise value of 11 billion dollars, the largest IPO of an Israeli based company.
He has been credited with helping to save
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...
from bankruptcy, and left Caesars Acquisition Co., on October 6, 2017 after overseeing the sale of Playtika and the successful merger of (CACQ) and
Caesars Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...
.
Philanthropy
Along with his wife, Anne-Marie Boucher, Garber commits a considerable amount of his time and money to philanthropy.
Philanthropic initiatives Garber and Boucher have been and are currently involved with, include; :
*Garber was co-chair of the 2020-2022 Combined Jewish Appeal campaign in Montreal, raising $130 million
*Garber was co-chair of the 2016 $55 million
Centraide
United Way Centraide Canada (french: Centraide United Way Canada) is the national organization for the 71 autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways and Centraides across Canada.
The United Way Movement in Canada is a federated network of local Unite ...
(United Way) campaign in Montreal
*Garber has chaired the annual fundraising Ball/Event for; The Montreal Museum of Fine Art, The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, The Goodman Cancer Centre, The Douglas Mental Health Institute, The Cummings Senior Citizens Centre, The Montreal Children's Hospital & The St Mary's Hospital.
*Garber is a board member and past chairman of the faculty advisory board of the
McGill University Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University. It was established in 1829 after the Montreal Medical Institution was incorporated into McGill College as the college's first faculty; it was t ...
*Garber and Boucher established The Garber Family Post Doctorate Fellowship in Hereditary Cancer at
McGill's Faculty of Medicine as well as the Garber-Rovinescu Priorities Fund for brain research at the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
Brain and Research Institute.
*Garber and Boucher support Aleh Jerusalem and
Aleh Negev
Adi Negev ( he, עַדִי נֶגֶב), formerly named Aleh Negev, is a rehabilitation village for disabled children and adults in southern Israel. Located near Ofakim and covering , it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council.
...
hospitals in Israel and Boucher is a board member
*Garber and Boucher support the St. Mary's Hospital and Boucher is Past-Chairwoman of the Board
*Garber and Boucher support the
Weizmann Institute
The Weizmann Institute of Science ( he, מכון ויצמן למדע ''Machon Vaitzman LeMada'') is a public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, 14 years before the State of Israel. It differs from other Israeli univ ...
in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and Boucher serves on the International Board
*On the occasion of Boucher's 50th birthday, Garber established the Anne-Marie Boucher Scholarship Prize endowment at Boucher's former high school, Mont de Lasalle, to encourage students to graduate. Mont de Lasalle high school has one of the highest student drop-out rates in Quebec/Canada. Boucher actively oversees the annual program and awards.
*The Hall of Honour at Montreal's
Bialik High School, part of the school's 2009 expansion, bears his name
Varia
-Garber is a frequent public speaker on social responsibility, philanthropy and business.
-In 2015 and 2016 Garber was a member of the cast of the French-Canadian version of
CBC’s hit show, ''
Dragons' Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'', called ''Dans l’Oeil du Dragon'', becoming its first ever Anglophone judge.
-In 2016, Garber's life was profiled by the award-winning news magazine television series,
W5.
-In 2016, Garber addressed the Cercle Canadien on business and politic
-In 2016, Garber eulogized show business icon and friend
René Angélil
René Angélil (; January 16, 1942 – January 14, 2016) was a Canadian musical producer, talent manager and singer. He was the manager and husband of singer Celine Dion.
Early life
Angélil was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father of ...
at his Las Vegas memorial servic
-In 2017, Bloomberg ranked Garber as the 7th highest-paid executive in America, with total annual compensation estimated at $91 million, alongside the likes of
Tim Cook
Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011. Cook previously served as the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs.
...
and
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...
.
-In 2019, Garber was awarded the
Order Of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
.
-He is part of the Stephen Bronfman led group attempting to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal.
-He was a part-time sports radio talk show host in Montreal from 1991–1999.
Notes
External links
* http://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/mitch-garber-rose-from-humble-beginnings-to-head-up-a-2-5-billion-empire-1.2773973
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garber, Mitch
1964 births
Anglophone Quebec people
Canadian radio sportscasters
Businesspeople from Montreal
Businesspeople in the casino industry
Harrah's Entertainment
McGill University alumni
Living people
University of Ottawa Faculty of Law alumni
Canadian chief executives
Canadian chairpersons of corporations
Chief executives in the hospitality industry
Members of the Order of Canada