Board of Directors and Staff Bios
The Honorable Hilary Weston
Patron
Member LSN Board of Directors
The Hon. Hilary M. Weston served as the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. As the representative of The Queen of Canada in Ontario, Mrs. Weston fulfilled the role of ceremonial head of State for the province.
Since leaving public office, Mrs. Weston has agreed to Chair the Renaissance ROM Campaign, which seeks to transform the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto through the largest fundraising campaign in Canadian cultural history. Mrs. Weston continues to serve as Patron of several organizations dealing with social issues and causes.
While she was Lieutenant Governor, Mrs. Weston focused on supporting causes and groups related to women's issues, volunteers and youth. She donated her annual salary to provide business internships and job training for 88 students, and supported organizations helping street youth. In 1998, she created the Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award to honour unsung heroes in community groups she visited and expanded the programme in 2000 to recognize a student in each Ontario secondary school.
Prior to her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Mrs. Weston had a career in business and in the fashion industry. As Deputy Chair of the Board of Holt Renfrew for ten years, she promoted Canadian designers and merchandise, and help to revitalize a business that has been a Canadian tradition since 1837.
Through her volunteer and philanthropic work, Mrs. Weston has supported cultural projects, research into breast cancer and AIDS. In 1979, Mrs. Weston founded the Ireland Fund of Canada and continues as Honorary Patron of the non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. Mrs. Weston explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books, In a Canadian Garden (1989) and At Home in Canada (1995).
Mrs. Weston served as the first Chancellor of the Order of Ontario and received the honour in 2001. She was appointed a Member in the Order of Canada in 2003. She has received honorary degrees from six universities.
Born Hilary Frayne in Dublin in 1942, she is the eldest of five children. In 1966, she married Galen Weston and together they have two children, Alannah and Galen. The Westons moved to Toronto in 1974.
Contact:
The Honourable Hilary M. Weston
Suite 400, 22 St. Clair Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 2S3
Tel: 416-935-4050
Fax: 416-935-4059
Director of Operations: Sarah Dumbrille, sarah.dumbrille@hilaryweston.com
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