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Hallward to receive Speirs
Former Selwyn House Board Chairman John Hallward ’78 will receive the 2015 Speirs Medal, it was announced July 6.
John Hallward joined the board of directors in 1996 and was chairman from 2003 to 2007. Before he became chair, John served as chair of the Finance Committee, where he “led one of the most important and successful strategic planning processes that the school has undertaken,” said former Selwyn House Headmaster Will Mitchell in 2008. “That process,” Mr. Mitchell said, “helped launch us into the very significant facilities and endowment building programs that we have embarked on in the ensuing years.”
As a man who once described himself as “a businessman who is passionate about philanthropy,” it is not so surprising that John comes from a family that has a history of service to their community.
His late father, Hugh ’40, a cofounder of the Montreal Expos, served as Chair of McGill University’s Board of Governors and as president of the McGill Alumni Association. John’s mother, Martha, was a member of the Selwyn House Board of Directors from 1994 to 1997, and served on the board of the school’s Veritas Fund—the investment arm of the school—from 1980 to 1986.
John has been a member of the Selwyn House board that manages the Veritas Fund since 1999, serving as Chair since 2013, and has also sat on the board of the Lucas Fund since 2003.
After attending Selwyn House from 1967 to 1975, John graduated from Bishop’s College School and, later, earned a B.Com. from Queen’s University. He worked as a research associate for Procter and Gamble in Toronto and as a research manager for Johnson and Johnson in Montreal. In 1986 he co-founded Tandemar Research, which was acquired in 2000 by the Ipsos-ASI marketing group, the third-largest market research company in the world. He served on the board of Ipsos-ASI and as their president of global product development.
John has visited Selwyn House many times to speak to students about marketing research, and also about his growing interest: philanthropy. John has studied the world’s wealthiest societies and found that, psychologically speaking,
From left: John Hallward with his wife, Karma and her brother (and Selwyn House parent) Tim Price at Founder’s Day 2013
they are among the poorest people on earth. His findings are explored in his new book The Happiness Equation: the Human Nature of Happy People.
John and the Hallmount Foundation have established GIV3, an initiative to promote the personal and community benefits of philanthropy. His first book, Gimme! The Human Nature of Successful Marketing, published in 2007, explored some of these themes. John has spoken to Selwyn House students on more than one occasion on the importance of getting involved in charitable activities.
John’s wife, Karma Price Hallward, has also been an extremely active volunteer for Selwyn House serving as president of the Parent Volunteer Association. She was named an Honorary Old Boy in 2010.
John and Karma have two sons who attended Selwyn House: Derek 2007 and Evan 2009. Their daughter, Laura, attended The Study.
John will receive the Speirs Medal on Founder’s Day, which will be held on November 26, 2015 in Coristine Hall.
The Speirs Medal, named for former Headmaster the late Dr. Robert Speirs, is the highest honour the school can bestow upon any member of its community. It is presented each year as part of the school’s observance of Founder’s Day.
