Thomas Leslie

Background

About Thomas Leslie

Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Thomas became the Executive Director of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation in July of 2022. Prior to this mandate, he was Executive Director of the CIOC since 2012. He joined the CIOC from the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, Montreal, where he earned awards as an administrator who worked on behalf of students and faculty to enhance and modernize administrative policies and procedures. Over the past twenty years he has built a concurrent career as a Canadian Forces Reserve Officer, presently holding the rank of Major and serving as an Area Elemental Advisor for the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Eastern). As a Management Consultant specializing in the creative industries, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with many of the world’s leading artistic organizations. Thomas Leslie is a classical singer who has performed regularly throughout Eastern Canada and the United States. In September 2017, he was featured in a 10-day concert tour of Mainland China. He has music degrees from McGill and Wilfrid Laurier Universities, and an MBA from l'Université du Québec à Montréal. In 2014 he graduated with distinction from the Executive MBA program at l'Université Paris IX Dauphine. He also served as a corporate director of Casavant Frères SEC, representing the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ. A dedicated and passionate civic leader, Thomas is involved with many charitable organizations. Since 2005 he has been a volunteer for the Maison du Parc AIDS hospice in Montreal, serving as producer of their annual benefit concert with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. In 2014 he joined the board of directors of the hospice, becoming board chair in 2019. The annual benefit concert is the biggest source of external funding for the organization. In 2019 he joined the board of directors of the Fondation Pierre Desmarais Belvedère, which awards annual grants to promote, educate and financially support excellence in the arts and culture in Canada. From 2017 to 2019 Thomas served as a member of the Montreal Arts Council Music Committee. He is currently President of the Royal Canadian College or Organists, Canada's oldest professional music association. In this mandate he is helping to oversee a major digital strategies project supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, and a board restructuring exercise. The overarching goal of both these initiatives is to ensure the continued viability of the organization in the digital age. In 2017 he joined the board of the University Club of Montreal, and was elected as President in May of 2022.