Quick Facts
Biography
Milton Wong OC OBC (1940–2011) was a Canadian businessman, financier, and philanthropist.
Biography
Born to Chinese immigrant parents. His father was a tailor. He was raised in Vancouver's Chinatown. He was the second youngest of a family with 4 daughters and five sons. Wong became one of Canada's most prolific money managers and was the Chairman of HSBC. Many of his peers consider him one of the most innovative and tenacious financiers of his generation, combined with his business acumen who was able an entire community of businessmen and investors.
Wong's foray in finance started after graduating from University in 1963 and started his own financial management company, M.K. Wong and associates. He later sold this firm to HSBC and became the head of HSBC Asset Manager (Canada) Ltd where took on managing billions of dollars within global assets.
In addition to being a financier, he was an active venture capitalist and invested in numerous start-ups which include Nurse Next Door (a home care company) and Perceptronix Medical Inc. (a company that specializes in early cancer detection testing). He was also an active member of the portfolio management program at the Sauder School of Business.
He was also a friend of former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt and a driving force behind Vancouver's Science World and a broker of British Columbia's first modern-day land claims agreement.
Wong was also a devout Christian.
Boards and memberships
In addition to being active in the world of Canadian finance, he has been on the boards of a myriad of organizations.
- Simon Fraser University Chancellor
- BC Cancer Foundation Co-Chair
- co-founder of the International Dragon Boat Festival
- Salvation Army
- YMCA
- Canadian Red Cross
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Vancouver General Hospital
- Founder of the Laurier Institute.
Death
He died on December 31, 2011 at the age of 72 from complications of pancreatic cancer.
Legacy
He won the Freedom of the City Award of Vancouver for his outstanding contributions to the city. He has been honoured with numerous awards such as the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia and has been commended by numerous Vancouver politicians such as Gregor Robertson and B.C. NDP Leader Adrian Dix for his business acumen, financial impact, civic leadership, and contributions to Canada. In 2013 the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival Society established the Milton K Wong Legacy Project to honour his memory.