The Chancellor

Richard W. Pound

Chancellor
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec

Chancellor's biography

On July 1, 1999, Richard W. Pound, OC, OQ, QC, LLD, became the 17th Chancellor of McGill University. As a former Olympic competitor, a lawyer and an international figure of renown, holding three degrees and two honorary doctorates, Richard Pound brings a diverse range of talents and experience to the role of Chancellor.

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, on March 22, 1942, Pound was raised in different towns across Canada, including La Tuque in Quebec and Ocean Falls in British Columbia. At the age of 14, Pound and his family returned to Quebec and made their home in Trois-Rivières, where he continued his lifelong attraction to competitive swimming that began in northern British Columbia.

As a competitor in the Games of the XVII Olympiad in Rome in 1960, Pound was a double finalist in the 100 m freestyle (6th) and 4 x 100 m medley relay (4th), and later won a gold medal in the 110-yard freestyle event, two silver medals in the 440- and 880-yard freestyle relay, and one bronze medal in the 440-yard medley relay for Canada at the 1962 Commonwealth Games. The Canadian champion in freestyle for 1958 and 1960-62, and butterfly in 1961, he was widely considered to be one of Canada's best competitive swimmers of this period. At the time of writing, he is the last Canadian ever to reach the final of the men's Olympic 100-metre freestyle.

A two-degree holder from McGill University in both Commerce (BCom'62) and Civil Law (BCL'67) — for which he won the Carswell Company Prize — Pound also received a Licentiate in Accounting from McGill in 1964. Between McGill degrees, he attended Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) to obtain his Bachelor of Arts (BA'63). He was awarded an honorary PhD by the United Sports Academy in 1989 and a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the University of Windsor in 1997.

Throughout the years, Pound has maintained close ties with McGill through his longstanding service on numerous boards and committees, including his role as the past president of the Graduates' Society of McGill University (now the McGill Alumni Association) and as a former chair of the Alma Mater Fund and McGill's Fund Council. He became a member of the Board of Governors in 1986 and served as its Chair from 1994 to 1999. In addition, Pound has lectured in taxation matters at McGill's Faculty of Law and at the McGill Centre for Continuing Education in the Chartered Accountancy program.

Currently a partner of the Montreal law firm of Stikeman Elliott (Chair of the firm's Tax Section), Pound has occupied senior positions in several other local, national and international organizations.

Pound is perhaps best known for his work within the world of the Olympics. Initially the Secretary of the Canadian Olympic Association from 1968-1976, he was later elected President (1977-1982). In 1972, he was the Deputy Chef de Mission of the Canadian Olympic delegation in Munich.

Since he joined the International Olympic Committee in 1978, Richard Pound has served on the Executive Board from 1983-1991 and 1992-2000, serving as Vice-President of the IOC from 1987 to 1991 and from 1996 to 2000. He was also Chair of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the 1996 Olympic Games. His investigation of the Salt Lake City scandal led to the creation of a new ethics watchdog to monitor future interaction between bidding cities and IOC members. He is also the Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency, established on November 10, 1999, in Lausanne to promote and coordinate the international fight against doping in sport.

Pound currently holds the position of Honorary Consul General of Norway in Montreal. His professional memberships include the Canadian Tax Foundation, the Association de planification fiscale et financière, the Canadian Bar Association, the International Fiscal Association and the International Association of Practising Lawyers. He is a member of the Quebec and Ontario Bars, is a chartered accountant in both jurisdictions and has been appointed to the Federal Court Bench and Bar Liaison Committee. He is an arbitrator and mediator on the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Pound is a published author of two books: Five Rings Over Korea (1994), which deals with the political negotiations leading to the success of the 1988 Olympic Games, and Chief Justice W.R. Jackett: By the Law of the Land, a biography of the first Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. His other publications include: editor-in-chief of the Annotated Stikeman Income Tax Act (Carswell), editor-in-chief of Canada Tax Cases (Carswell), editor and author of Pound's Tax Case Notes (Carswell), a review of every reported tax case decided by the Canadian courts, editor of "Legal Notes" in the CGA Magazine and editor-in-chief of Doing Business in Canada (Matthew Bender & Co., New York).

January 2001