Last modified on April 9, 2019, at 16:16

Kevin O'Leary

Kevin O'Leary is a Canadian-American businessman, author, and TV personality. Born in 1954 to a middle-class family in Montreal,[1] O'Leary founded The Learning Company, which was later acquired by Mattel for over $4 billion. Known by fans as "Mr. Wonderful," O'Leary has been a host on a range of shows, including Discovery's Project Earth, CBC's Dragon's Den, and ABC's Shark Tank. He has since founded O'Leary Funds, O'Leary Fine Wines, O'Leary Financial Group, and has written a bestselling book series on finance.[2]

Early in 2016, O'Leary publicly announced that he was considering running for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. He later said that he would be financial adviser for candidate Tony Clement, who dropped out of the race soon after. Late in the year, O'Leary revealed that he had a campaign team already set up, and was considering running.[3] O'Leary entered the race briefly in 20l7 before dropping out and endorsing libertarian Maxine Bernier. Many commentators noted O'Leary's lack of social conservative views and the opportunistic demeanor of his candidacy.

References

  1. Richard Feloni, "'Shark Tank' investor Kevin O'Leary explains why 'business is war'," Business Insider, 05/02/2015, https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-tank-investor-kevin-oleary-2015-2?op=1
  2. "Kevin's Story," O'Leary Financial Group, http://kevinoleary.com/story/
  3. Laura Payton, "Kevin O'Leary surprises with potential campaign team assembled," CTV News, 12/12/2016, http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/kevin-o-leary-surprises-with-potential-campaign-team-assembled-1.3200056