Early Life and Education
David Kenneth Roy Thomson, the 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet, was born on June 12, 1957, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the eldest child of Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, and Marilyn Lavis. He attended Upper Canada College and The Hall School as a child. Thomson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he studied history.
Rise to Success
Thomson's career began as a junior associate at McLeod Young Weir in Toronto. He then entered the family business, holding various positions within companies controlled by the Thomson family. Notably, he served as the manager of The Bay store at Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke and as the president of Zellers. He was also the chairman of Simpsons department store under the Hudson's Bay Company. Upon his father's death in 2006, Thomson became the chairman of Thomson Corporation and inherited his father's British title, Baron Thomson of Fleet. After the acquisition of Reuters in 2008, he became the chairman of the merged entity, Thomson Reuters.
Key Business Strategies
As chairman of Thomson Reuters, Thomson oversees a multinational content-driven technology conglomerate. The company's core business involves providing trusted data and information to professionals in legal, tax and accounting, financial, healthcare, and media markets. Thomson Reuters focuses on technological innovation and strategic acquisitions to maintain its market position. The Thomson family, through The Woodbridge Company Limited, maintains controlling ownership of Thomson Reuters.
Philanthropy
David Thomson is known for his significant art collection and has been a benefactor to the Art Gallery of Ontario.