Lino Saputo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lino Saputo
Born
Emanuele Saputo

(1937-06-10) June 10, 1937 (age 84)
Montelepre, Sicily, Italy
CitizenshipCanadian[1]
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Saputo Inc.
Children3, including Joey Saputo[1]

Emanuele "Lino" Saputo, CM OQ (Italian: [emanuˈɛːle liːno saˈpuːto]; born June 10, 1937) is an Italian-Canadian billionaire businessman. He is the founder of the Canadian cheese manufacturer Saputo Inc. According to Forbes, he is the 8th richest person in Canada and the 339th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$5.2 billion as of February 2020.[1]

Early life[]

Saputo was born in Montelepre, Sicily, Italy, in 1937, to Giuseppe Saputo, a cheesemaker, and his wife Maria. He completed his secondary schooling in the early 1950s, and shortly thereafter, the Saputo family immigrated to Montreal, Quebec.

Career[]

Saputo became chairman of the board and president of Saputo Inc. in 1969, and he was named chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) in 1997[2] when the company went public. In March 2004, his son Lino Saputo Jr. was appointed to the position of president and CEO, while Saputo continued as the company's chairman.[citation needed] In August 2017, Lino Saputo Jr. assumed the role of chairman, and Saputo remains the majority shareholder of Saputo Inc.[1]

Possible links to the Mafia have been raised in the past, more recently in January 2020 with Radio-Canada investigative program Enquête. Saputo has repeatedly denied those allegations, writing in his book Entrepreneur: Living our dreams: "We respected the law, kept our distance from criminal organizations, and avoided crossing the wrong people".[2]

Saputo was named in the 2017 Paradise Papers because he held shares in an offshore company, an aviation company, in Bermuda which he had sold off in 2010.[3] A spokesperson said that «was justified for business reasons and not for fiscal considerations».[3]

Other interests[]

Saputo owns a significant stake in a trucking company, TransForce, and has extensive investments in real estate, forest products, hotels and golf courses.[4]

Saputo committed C$7.5 million towards the construction of Montreal Impact's Saputo Stadium at Olympic Park in July 2006.[citation needed]

Honours[]

In 2011, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec.[5] He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in 2012, per the Government House announcement on June 29, 2012, and the Canada Gazette on September 1, 2012.

His son Lino Saputo Jr. was named "Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year" for 2019 by the Financial Post.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Forbes profile: Emanuele (Lino) Saputo & family". Forbes. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Quebec dairy mogul Lino Saputo had secret past dealings with U.S. mobster Joe Bonanno, then lied about it". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. January 16, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Notable Canadian companies, individuals in the Paradise Papers". CBC News. November 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Canada's Richest People: The Saputo Family". canadianbusiness.com. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "National Order of Quebec citation". National Order of Quebec (in French). Archived from the original on April 15, 2012.
  6. ^ Andy Holloway Financial Post (October 10, 2019). "Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year 2019: Lino Saputo Jr". Retrieved November 8, 2019.
Retrieved from ""