James Allen Pattison OC OBC, a corporate tycoon, philanthropist, and investor from Canada, was born on October 1, 1928.
He is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is the CEO, chairman, and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group, the second-largest privately held business in Canada, with more than 45,000 people globally and $10.1 billion in yearly revenues.
Who will Jim Pattison transfer his business empire to?
The nearly 60-year employment history of his administrative assistant Maureen Chant is one sign of his long life. As a night switchboard operator, she was hired in September 1963 and paid 25 cents per hour.
In a telephone interview with the Financial Post from his Vancouver office, Pattison remarked, “She was 23 when she came (to work) with me and now she’s eighty-something.
She continues to be my right-hand “guy.” He teasingly remarked that Chant had reduced her time spent in the office. “It’s sad because she used to work six days a week, but now she only works five.”