Mr. Isadore Sharp, also known as Issy, O.C., is the Owner of Triples Holdings Limited. Mr. Sharp is the Founder of Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest and serves as its Chairman of the Board. He is Founder of Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole and serves as its Chairman. He founded Four Seasons Hotel Prague in 1961 and serves as its Chairman. He founded Four Seasons Hotel New York in 1993 and serves as its Chairman of the Board. He founded Four Seasons Holdings Inc. (formerly Four Seasons Hotels Inc.), The Four Seasons Resort and Club, Four Seasons Hotel Houston, Four Seasons Resort and Club and Four Seasons Hotel London in 1960. Mr. Sharp is the Founder of The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and serves as its Chairman. He served as the Chief Executive Officer at Four Seasons Hotel Houston. Mr. Sharp serves as the Chairman of Four Seasons Hotel Houston, Four Seasons Resort and Club, Four Seasons Hotel Boston and Four Seasons Hotel London. He founded Four Seasons Hotel Boston in 1985. He serves as Executive Chairman of Four Seasons Hotels Ltd and served as its Chief Executive Officer.
He opened the first Four Seasons hotel in Toronto in 1961. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Hotel des Bergues. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels Inc. until August 1, 2010. He served as Chief Executive Officer of The Four Seasons Resort and Club. Mr. Sharp served as an Advisor and Consultant of Clairvest Group Inc. He serves as Chairman of Four Seasons Holdings Inc. He serves as Chairman of Four Seasons Hotels Inc. and The Four Seasons Resort and Club. He serves as Chairman of Hotel des Bergues. He has been a Director of Clairvest Group Inc. since August 13, 1987.
He has been an Executive Director of Four Seasons Hotels Inc., and Four Seasons Hotels Ltd., and its predecessor Corporation since January 9, 1978He serves as Honorary Director of Scotiabank at Scotiabank Subordinated Notes Trust. He serves as Honorary Director of The Bank Of Nova Scotia. He serves as a Director at Four Seasons Hotel London, Four Seasons Hotel Boston, The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company and Four Seasons Hotel Houston. Mr. Sharp serves as a Director of the National Terry Fox Run, the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award Program and The Council for Canadian Unity.
Mr. Sharp serves as an Honorary Director of Scotia Bank , Parent Company of Scotia Mortgage Investment Corp. He served as Director of Pan Cana Resources Ltd. Mr. Sharp is a Member of the Advisory Board of Financial Post, the Governor’s Council of North York General Hospital and the Boards of Governors of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and has been appointed to the Premier’s Advisory Committee on Executive Resources, Province of Ontario. He Initiated the corporate sponsorship program supporting the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope and is Founder of the annual Terry Fox Run Program (the largest single-day fund raising event for cancer research worldwide, having raised over $360 million to date). He has been Co-Chairman of United Jewish since 1985. In 1993, he was appointed an Officer of the “Order of Canada“which recognizes outstanding achievement and service. The investiture was presented in April 1993 by the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa.
He is the first recipient of the Ruth Hartman Frankel Humanitarian Award for work on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society and is the NEGEV Dinner Honouree in 1989 by the Jewish National Fund of Canada. He became a Companion to the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2008 and inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends Canada under the Visionary category in 2008.
He was awarded the Ivey Business Leader Award by the Ivey Alumni Association/Toronto in 2006. In 2005, he was awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Toronto Chapter 2005 Outstanding Philanthropist Award and also awarded The Conference Board of Canada 2005 Honorary Associate Award. In 2005, he was awarded the American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award and also awarded the Canadian Hotel Industry Icon Award at the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference. In 2003, he was awarded the Ontario Ernst & Young 2003 Entrepreneur Of The Year Program’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
In, 1999, he was presented with the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award and in 1998, he was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was awarded the Ryerson Alumni Award of Distinction which recognises outstanding contributions of graduates of Ryerson Polytechnical University to business and community life. In 1992, he was selected as “The CEO of the Year“ by The Financial Post Magazine. The award was presented by the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa. In 1989, he received the “Distinguished Service Award in International Rehabilitation“ by the New York-based World Rehabilitation Fund.
In 1989, he was voted “Man of the Year“ by Foodservice and Hospitality, Canada’s hospitality magazine. In 1988, he was honoured as “Officer de la Confrerie des Amis de L’hotellerier Internationale“ by the International Hotel Association. In 1988, he was voted “Corporate Hotelier of the World“ by the 40,000 worldwide readers of Hotels & Restaurants International Magazine. In 1983, he was awarded a Ryerson University Fellowship. He received International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award by I.H. Asper School of Business of the University of Manitoba in 1999 and Lifetime Achievement Award, International Hotel Investment Fund in 2009.
His career highlights inludes; Authored a book in 2009 detailing the history and philosophy entitled “Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy“ and Founding of Four Seasons Hotels: built and opened the first Four Seasons, a 125-room motor hotel, in Toronto, Canada, in 1961 after founding Four Seasons previous year.
In 1994, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Toronto in recognition of outstanding accomplishments as a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur and for his leadership in service to the community.
In 1992, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Guelph. Mr. Sharp received Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from York University in 2009. He graduated in architecture from Ryerson Institute of Technology in 1952.
In 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Ryerson University in recognition of his exceptional career accomplishments, distinguished leadership in business and the hotel industry, and outstanding commitment and contribution to the community.