Stephen Smith

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT STEPHEN SMITH

Stephen Smith, one of Canada’s leading financial services entrepreneurs, is the Chairman and CEO of Smith Financial Corporation (“SFC”). Throughout his career, he has been an innovator in the development and utilization of various securitization techniques to finance mortgage assets and a leader in the development and application of information technology in the mortgage industry. SFC is a family holding company which has significant equity investments in a range of financial services businesses: First National Financial Corporation, Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Corporation, Fairstone Bank of Canada, Peloton Capital Management, Equitable Bank, Glass Lewis & Co, and Home Trust Company,Mr. Smith co-founded First National Financial Corporation in 1988, serving as CEO until 2022 at which time he was appointed Executive Chair. In October 2025, he stepped down from the Board and was appointed Chairman Emeritus. He served as Chair of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Company from 20••••23. He is Chair of Peloton Capital Management, a mid-market North American private equity firm, Glass, Lewis & Co, a leading global proxy advisory firm and Fairstone Bank of Canada, a 240 branch bank focused on consumer lending.Mr. Smith is Chair of Historica Canada, the creator of the Heritage Minutes and publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia. He is the member of the Boards of the Rideau Hall Foundation, the C.D. Howe Institute and is a Honourary Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum. In 2015, Queen’s University announced the naming of The Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in honour of Mr. Smith and his historic $50-million donation to the school. Subsequenlty, in 2023, he donated $100 million to Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Queen\'s University. In 2019, Mr. Smith was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2026.Mr. Smith holds a B.Sc (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and a M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. In 2017, Queen’s University awarded him an honourary LL.D.