The highly intellectual Gerald W Schwartz’s impact on the Canadian business landscape is second-to-none. Through wit, motivation and business savvy, Schwartz grew Onex, the company he founded less than three decades ago, into one of the top private equity players in Canada by 2011. Following five degrees, including an MBA from Harvard University and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Tel Aviv University, Schwartz joined Bear Stearns, where he learned the ropes of deal-making and leveraged buyouts. It was his collegial business style and incredible entrepreneurship that led him to be inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2004.