The University of Manitoba (UM) is proud to announce a transformative $5.4 million gift from Drs. Wayne [BSc(ME)/80, LLD/23] and Eleanor Chiu to establish the Chiu Centre for Business Serving Community, a visionary initiative housed within the I.H. Asper School of Business.

“Business is a powerful tool of change, and it must be about more than just profit. It must drive positive social and ecological change,” says Michael Benarroch, UM president and vice-chancellor. “Thanks to this selfless gift to our university, we will spark big ideas that will change how we think about and do business, and that will change the world.”

An award-winning businessman, activist and philanthropist, Chiu grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Hong Kong before moving to Canada to pursue an engineering degree. He says UM provided him with the foundation and education to pursue his dream. As the founder of Calgary-based Trico Group, Chiu, alongside wife Eleanor, have exemplified what it means to build communities through business. Through their decades of work building homes, supporting women, families and new Canadians, and restoring communities in need, they’ve shown what’s possible when business puts people first.

In 2004, Trico was on a corporate retreat in Thailand when a catastrophic tsunami hit. As he clung to a tree watching misery below him, Chiu had an epiphany that led to him and his wife launching the Trico Charitable Foundation in 2008 that focuses on helping businesses solve problems in society.

“We are facing significant challenges in our society, from climate change to social inequality, and we need people who can come up with creative solutions,” says Chiu. “Throughout my career, I’ve always put community first. I firmly believe that doing well by doing good is not only the right thing to do but is also good for business. Through the Centre, students will learn to use entrepreneurial skills to create positive social change.”