Lindsay and Elizabeth Gordon

Lindsay Gordon is an experienced business and community leader and proud UBC alumnus. The generosity of Lindsay and his wife, Elizabeth (Liz), helped make the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre possible. The couple met during their undergraduate studies at UBC and remain active alumni on behalf of their alma mater.

Lindsay earned a BA in economics in 1973 and an MBA in 1976, both from UBC. He was appointed UBC Chancellor on July 1, 2014.

Prior to becoming Chancellor, Lindsay enjoyed a long and accomplished career at HSBC Bank Canada and at Export Development Canada. HSBC Bank Canada is the largest international bank in Canada and one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. Lindsay joined HSBC in 1987 and was President and CEO from 2003 until his retirement in 2013. During his tenure, HSBC Bank Canada became a philanthropic leader by increasing access to education through scholarships and supporting the environment and community causes.

In 1995 he co-founded CH.I.L.D. (Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders Foundation). Since its inception, the foundation has raised over $27 million for research, built a first-of-its-kind lab, and established two endowed chairs at UBC and at BC Children’s Hospital. Lindsay has also served as a board member of the Business Council of BC, governor of Junior Achievement Canada, and director of the C.D. Howe Institute. He is currently a director of HSBC France, Export Development Canada, and Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping, and he serves on the Presidents Group of the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation of British Columbia.

Lindsay is also a past chair of the Campaign Cabinet for the United Way of the Lower Mainland of BC and a past member of the Campaign Cabinet for the United Way of Greater Toronto. In recognition of his leadership, Lindsay received the 2010 B’nai Brith Award of Merit for Outstanding Canadians and a 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Liz is a native of British Columbia and earned her BA in History from UBC in 1976 and BEd from the University of Ottawa. She began her career as a teacher with the Carleton Separate School Board in Ottawa. Liz has been active in the community in both Toronto, where she ran an “Out of the Cold” program serving the homeless, and in Vancouver since 2004  where she  has been an active volunteer in the Downtown Eastside and  served as a board member of the InnerChange Foundation for 8 years. She has also been a long-time supporter of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and chaired or co-chaired its annual fundraiser four times.

From 2008 to 2015, Lindsay served as co-chair of UBC’s start an evolution campaign, the most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign in Canadian history. Under his leadership, the university raised more than $1.5 billion in support of student learning, research, and community engagement and involved more than 55,000 alumni in the life of the university annually. During the campaign, the Gordons made gifts in support of two priority projects – the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre and the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health.

Lindsay and Elizabeth have two sons and two daughters: Kate, Ian, Alexandra, and Andrew.