A look at businessman Kevin O’Leary, now running for Tory leadership

By The Canadian Press

Some facts about businessman Kevin O’Leary, who announced Wednesday that he is running for the Conservative leadership:

Biographical facts and Education: Born in 1954 in Montreal, O’Leary completed high school in Ottawa before completing a BA in environmental science and psychology from the University of Waterloo and then going onto an MBA at the Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Business: O’Leary gained marketing experience at Nabisco before founding software company Softkey in the mid 1980s. The company enjoyed financial success for more than a decade before it acquired The Learning Company (TLC) and adopted its name. O’Leary eventually sold TLC to Mattel. He went in to become a co-investor and director at Storage Now, a chain of climate-controlled storage facilities. He ran a mutual fund company, O’Leary Funds Inc, until it was sold in 2015.

Legal troubles: The acquisition of TLC led to significant losses for Mattel, and the company’s shareholders filed a class-action lawsuit against a number of former executives including O’Leary, alleging that they misrepresented the company’s finances. O’Leary denied the allegations in court, and the suit was eventually settled.

Television: O’Leary is perhaps best known for his stints as a caustic, tough-talking judge on CBC’s “Dragons’ Den” and the U.S. equivalent “Shark Tank,” both of which invite prospective entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas before a panel of celebrity advisers who may offer financial backing if the idea is viable.

Politics: O’Leary has proclaimed himself a political agnostic in the past but has aligned himself with the Conservatives.

Family: O’Leary and his wife Linda have been married since 1990. They have two children.

Quote: “I hope to make this a nightmare for politicians who think they can continue wastefully spending our money.”

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