Lawrence N. Stevenson

Larry Stevenson is the Managing Director of Clearspring Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Montreal and Toronto. Prior to joining Clearspring, Larry's career included founding and serving as CEO of Chapters, Canada's largest book retailer, where he was chosen as Retailer of the Year in 2000. Chapters quadrupled in size and enterprise value under his leadership. He also served as CEO of Pep Boys, a $2 Billion US automotive retailer traded on the NYSE. Larry spent 10 years at Bain & Company in Boston, London and Toronto, and was the Founder and Managing Partner of Bain & Company in Canada. Larry attended the Royal Military College and served as a Captain in the Canadian Airborne Regiment. He served two peacekeeping tours in Cyprus and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Royal Military College. He has served on the boards of directors of some of Canada's largest and most successful companies over the past 20 years, including Oshawa Foods, Forzani, Sobeys and CAE. He served for 18 years on the board of SNC Lavalin, including as Chairman for his last three years on the board. He has served on numerous not-for-profit boards, including Bishop Strachan School, Frontier College and Shaw Festival, and also served as Chairman of the Retail Council of Canada. He was chosen as Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997. Larry served as the Honorary Colonel of the Queens Own Rifles of Canada and is currently the Chairman of Telecon and Demers Ambulances. Larry resides with his wife in Toronto and is the father of three adult children. He joined the Stratford Festival's Board in March 2021 and will chair the Nominating Committee in 2022.