Isadore Sharp
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Founder

Isadore (“Issy”) Sharp founded the company in 1961 with the opening of the first Four Seasons hotel on Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto. After a decade of trial and refinement Mr. Sharp created a single vision that today has made Four Seasons the leading luxury hotel operator exclusively focused on mid-size luxury hotels and resorts of exceptional quality. Four Seasons creates properties of enduring value using superior design and finishes, and supports them with a deeply instilled ethic of personal service. Doing so allows Four Seasons to satisfy the needs and tastes of discriminating customers, and to maintain its position as the world’s premier luxury hospitality company.

The educational background of Isadore Sharp combined with his design and construction expertise, his single focus on satisfying the customer and his leadership skills have allowed him to attract the capital sources and a loyal employee base to create the largest luxury hotel management company in the world.

History

• Graduated in architecture from Ryerson in 1952 and began in the construction business with his father, Max Sharp
• Founded Four Seasons Hotels in 1961
• Built and opened the first Four Seasons hotel in Toronto in 1961

• Director of the National Terry Fox Run
• Director of The Council for Canadian Unity
• Governor of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews
• Honorary Director of The Bank of Nova Scotia
• Director of Clairvest Group Inc.
• Member of the Board of Governors of Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto

• First recipient of the Ruth Hartman Frankel Humanitarian Award for work on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society.
• 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).
• United Jewish Appeal Co-Chairman in 1985.
• NEGEV Dinner Honouree in 1989 by the Jewish National Fund of Canada.

• 2008: became a Companion to the Order of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame
• 2008: inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends Canada under the Visionary category
• 2006: awarded the Ivey Business Leader Award by the Ivey Alumni Association/Toronto
• 2005: awarded the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Toronto Chapter 2005 Outstanding Philanthropist Award
• 2005: awarded The Conference Board of Canada 2005 Honorary Associate Award
• 2005: awarded the American Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2005: awarded the Canadian Hotel Industry Icon Award at the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference
• 2003: awarded the Ontario Ernst & Young 2003 Entrepreneur Of The Year Program's Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2003: 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.
• 1999: presented with the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award.
• 1998: inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.
• 1998: awarded the Ryerson Alumni Award of Distinction which recognises outstanding contributions of graduates of Ryerson Polytechnical University to business and community life.
• 1994: 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.
• 1993: appointed an Officer of the "Order of Canada" which recognises outstanding achievement and service. The investiture was presented in April 1993 by the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa.
• 1992: selected as "The CEO of the Year" by The Financial Post Magazine. The award was presented by the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa.
• 1992: awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Guelph.
• 1989: received the "Distinguished Service Award in International Rehabilitation" by the New York-based World Rehabilitation Fund.
• 1989: voted "Man of the Year" by Foodservice and Hospitality, Canada's hospitality magazine.
• 1988: honoured as "Officer de la Confrerie des Amis de L'hotellerier Internationale" by the International Hotel Association.
• 1988: voted "Corporate Hotelier of the World" by the 40,000 worldwide readers of Hotels & Restaurants International Magazine.
• 1983: awarded a Ryerson University Fellowship.

Kathleen Taylor
President and Chief Operating Officer

Kathleen (Katie) Taylor is President and Chief Operating Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s global operations.

Since joining Four Seasons in 1989, Katie has played a key role in its growth and success, including the expansion of the company’s portfolio to the present 78 roperties in 32 countries, and an additional 31 hotels and resorts now under construction and development around the world.

Prior to assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer in January 2007, Katie was President of Worldwide Business Operations for seven years, overseeing all aspects of the business side of the company, including direction of Four Seasons’ worldwide hotel and residential product design, construction and development activities, managing the company’s acquisition and corporate planning, overseeing the corporate finance and legal affairs groups, and the corporate human resources and corporation administration areas.

Katie’s business achievements have been recognized in recent years with the Schulich Award for Outstanding Executive Leadership in 2001, the IREFAC Chairman’s Award in 2003, and the CGCA Award for Business Achievement in 2006.

A member of the World Travel and Tourism Council and IREFAC, Katie is also a director of the Royal Bank of Canada and a member of its Audit and Human Resource Committees. She is a member of the Cabinet of the Toronto United Way and the chair of its Endowment Giving, and is also a member of the board of The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation in Toronto.

Katie obtained a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business in 1984.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and their three children, and together they enjoy all outdoor sports, including skiing, cycling and tennis.

Jim FitzGibbon
President, Worldwide Hotel Operations

With more than three decades of international hotel experience, Jim FitzGibbon assumed the role of President, Worldwide Hotel Operations at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in January 2007. He is responsible for the Four Seasons portfolio, which now includes 78 hotels and resorts in 32 countries.

Since joining Four Seasons in 1976, Jim has played a key role in the development of the company’s renowned service culture with major operations positions in Canada and the United States, Europe, and Asia. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President, Operations for three years, overseeing the operations of all of the company’s hotels in the Americas.

Having started as front office manager at the Inn on the Park in Toronto, he went on to management positions in Calgary and Vancouver before being appointed general manager of Four Seasons Edmonton in 1982. Jim later moved to Four Seasons Philadelphia before being promoted to general manager of Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas and regional vice president with oversight of Four Seasons hotels in Houston and Austin, and resorts in Palm Beach and Nevis. Later, as president, Asia Pacific, Jim was responsible for the company’s growing portfolio in that region.

Jim’s interest in hospitality began when he was a boy, learning the family business in his native Ireland. Today, he lives in Toronto with his wife Eileen, and has two married daughters. He enjoys golf and jogging, and is an avid horseman.