Stephen J. Griggs

Stephen is the chief executive officer of Smoothwater Capital Corporation, Canada’s leading “activist” investor, and is chair of the board of Smoothwater’s TSX-listed activist investments Genesis Land Development Corp. and Equity Financial Holdings Inc.. He is also a director of The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Prior to joining Smoothwater in 2012, he was the president and CEO of OPTrust, a major public sector pension plan with assets of $14 billion and over 83,000 members and retirees, leading its integrated investment and administrative operations. Prior to joining OPTrust, he served for three years as executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, where he represented the interests of leading Canadian pension plans and other institutional shareholders. From 2003 to mid-2007, he was the president and CEO of Legg Mason Canada Inc., one of the world’s largest global investment management firms.

Stephen was also a corporate/commercial and securities law partner with the Toronto law firm Smith Lyons (now Gowlings) until 1994 and remains a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and educational programs on topics related to investor activism and corporate governance, and is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.