David Pecaut
 | This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. (January 2022) |
David Pecaut | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 14, 1955 |
| Died | December 14, 2009 (aged 54) |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto |
David Kent Pecaut CM (September 14, 1955 – December 14, 2009) was an American-born Canadian civic leader. He co-founded the Toronto City Summit Alliance where he was a chair on the board of directors.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Pecaut was born in Sioux City, Iowa, to Richard and Dorothy (Kent) Pecaut. He attended West High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Harvard University[2] in 1977 and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Sussex in 1978. He began his career at Terra Chemicals in Iowa before relocating to Toronto in the 1980s.[3]
Career
[edit]Pecaut began his consulting career as a special assistant to the president of Terra Chemicals in Sioux City. He later moved to Toronto and joined the Canada Consulting Group (CCG) in the early 1980s. In 1984, he became a partner at Telesis in Rhode Island. He rejoined CCG in 1988, later leading the negotiations that merged the firm with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1993 and founded BCG Canada.[4] In 1996, he contributed to the creation of Career Edge Organization.[3][5]
Pecaut led the formation of the Toronto City Summit Alliance in 2002. He also convened the Toronto Alliance in 2003 to renew tourism after the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak, sparked the formation of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), and initiated an award-winning mentorship partnership program.[citation needed] In 2007, he co-founded Luminato, a Toronto-based international arts festival, with Tony Gagliano.[3][6]
Pecaut was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in November 2009.[7] He drove the creation of the LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact, which was formed in 2012.[8]
He was also the chief executive of venture capital firm iFormation Group when he died.[3]
Legacy
[edit]
Pecaut Square, originally Metro Square, is a public space located between Metro Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. It was renamed after David Pecaut by an unanimous Toronto City Council vote in April 2011.[9][10]
Personal life
[edit]Pecaut married Helen Burstyn in 1990 and had four children.[3] He died of colorectal cancer in Toronto on December 14, 2009, at the age of 54.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "David Kent Pecaut, C.M., M.A., B.A." Governor General of Canada. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Van Paassen, Kevin (December 14, 2009). "Toronto visionary David Pecaut succumbs to cancer". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Toronto civic, arts organizer David Pecaut dies". CBC News. December 14, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "Work & Life at BCG's Toronto Office – Canada". bcg.com. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "A message from our friend, David Pecaut • Career Edge". Career Edge. December 10, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Our Founders". Luminato Festival. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "Mr. David Kent Pecaut". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Our Story". LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ Moloney, Paul (April 12, 2011). "Metro Square renamed Pecaut Square to honour late city builder". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Knelman, Martin (April 7, 2011). "City renames Metro Square to honour David Pecaut". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
