Philanthropy champion Hilary Pearson was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Thursday, June 11, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution in social investment, in philanthropic leadership and for a stellar career in public, private and notfor-profit organizations.”
Hilary Pearson’s work has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors. She started her career as a financial policy analyst and senior official with the federal government, where she spent more than 12 years. In 1993, she moved to Montreal and joined the Royal Bank of Canada as corporate executive.
In the late 1990s, she committed herself to making a difference in the non-profit sector as a management consultant for organizations varying from national membership organizations and operating charities to local organizations in the health, cultural and social services field.
Her work in the non-profit sector took on a new turn in November 2001, when she was named president and CEO of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, a member association for Canada’s independent and family foundations, which she has led over the last eight years. Ms. Pearson is a member of several non-profit boards, including Imagine Canada, the United Nations Association in Canada and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Ms. Pearson, the granddaughter of former prime minister Lester B. Pearson, also has a strong connection to Carleton University. Her mother, Landon Pearson, is an adjunct professor at the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies and Director of the Landon Pearson Centre for the Study of Children’s Rights.