Stephen Smith Joins the Smith School of Business Advisory Board

Smith School of Business has a large network of seasoned business professionals who share their knowledge and expertise with school leaders and support the school in a variety of ways: offering advice, making connections, providing financial support, recruiting graduates, sponsoring research and much more.

Dean David Saunders announced the appointment of Stephen J.R. Smith, BSc(Eng)’72, to the Advisory Board in January. Additional appointments to the Smith Advisory Board and the Smith Global Council will be announced in the fall. 

Stephen J.R. Smith, BSc(Eng)’72, is one of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs in the financial services and mortgage industries.

He is currently the Chairman and CEO of First National Financial Corporation, Canada’s largest non-bank lender of residential and commercial mortgages, a business which he co-founded in 1988 and now has over $90-billion of mortgage loans under administration. He is also the Chairman and Co-owner of Canada Guaranty Mortgage, the country’s third largest mortgage insurance provider. Stephen is also the largest shareholder in Equitable Bank, Canada’s ninth largest bank and one of the country’s leading alternative lenders. 

Stephen is Chair of Historica Canada, a Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum, and member of the Advisory Council of the Royal Conservatory of Music. He also serves as a director of The Empire Life Insurance Company, a board member at the C.D. Howe Institute, and a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. 

Stephen is an avid supporter of postsecondary education at Queen’s. In 2015, his $50-million investment in business education was recognized with the new name, The Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business.