David Scrymgeour

T. David Scrymgeour is a Canadian entrepreneur and organizational advisor. As Executive in Residence with the Commerce Program at the University of Toronto, he is active in philanthropic projects in partnership with business, not for profit, political, community and sustainable development organisations.

Business and entrepreneurial

Scrymgeour obtained a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance degree from the University of Toronto in 1979 and then worked with General Motors and IBM, before embarking on his own consulting and entrepreneurial projects which have taken him to Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States and across Canada.

As founder and owner of an information management company, he was at the vanguard of that industry’s computerization of records management.

He has also founded two skills training businesses and is currently the majority shareholder of Green Standards Ltd, a company that provides innovative, environmentally progressive solutions to corporate waste through the repurposing of no longer needed office equipment.

Community and politics

Scrymgeour has engaged as an advisor, donor and/or board member for organizations including the University of Toronto, MaRS Discovery District, One Laptop per Child, the Belinda Stronach Foundation, Canadian Executive Service Organization, Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust, Anglican Church of Canada, the Make Poverty History Campaign and the Canadian Lung Association.^[1]

He has also advised political organisations of various stripes, colours and nationalities.

From 1999 through 2003, he held a number of positions with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada under Joe Clark, ultimately serving as national director of the party in 2002-03. He resigned this position as part of a deal between David Orchard and Peter MacKay that led to MacKay's assumption of leadership and caused a storm of protest within the party.^[2] In early 2004, he managed the lead up to Jim Flaherty's campaign for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.^[3][4]

In 2003, prior to the Rose Revolution which took place in November of that year, he delivered political, organisational and election readiness training in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

In August 2004, he was hired for a dollar-per-year as an advisor to the Green Party of Canada by its leader Jim Harris.^[5] In the position paper, Green and Growing, he outlined a political organization structure that emphasized minimum critical central coordination under an Executive Director and the building of strong, self-reliant, volunteer-based, electoral district associations.^[6] In 2006 he served as interim executive director of the party and as its director of organization.

In the 2007 Ontario provincial election, Scrymgeour was instrumental in helping the Green Party of Ontario to deliver the first full slate of 107 candidates in its history. He then served as chief financial officer from 2007-2010 and as Campaign Chair for the 2011 Ontario General Election.^[7]

Footnotes

1. Information pertaining to Scrymgeour's private career is taken from the "About the author" section of "Green and Growing" and the Rotman Commerce website.
2. Laghi, Brian (5 June 2003). "Deal gives Tory jobs to Orchard supporters". Globe and Mail. pp. A1.
3. Benzie, Robert (19 April 2004). "Flaherty names chief aide". Toronto Star. pp. A06.
4. Urquhart, Ian (16 June 2004). "Tory man to beat in Tory race". Toronto Star. pp. A19.
5. Curry, Bill (20 August 2004). "Tory executive director to advise Green Party". National Post. pp. A4.
6. Green and Growing by David Scrymgeour
7. Green Party of Ontario welcomes new executive | Green Party of Ontario