Dr. John O’Dwyer

Board Advisor

Dr. John O’Dwyer was born in Dublin, Ireland. Having started his career in accounting, and worked in both practice and industry (VP Finance, CFO, Controller…) he went on to work in Corporate Finance for KPMG. He was then recruited to set up a Corporate Finance Company in Ireland and then a Venture Capital Company, both later being sold to NatWest Bank, UK.

Dr. O’Dwyer came to Canada in 1987 as President and CEO of an aviation services company, after his predecessor was killed demonstrating a prototype military trainer in Bogota, Columbia. He went on to become a partner in an International Management Consulting firm (1994 – 2000) before co-founding a boutique Management Effectiveness Consulting firm (Strategic Advisory International). He is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500, Start-ups, Not for Profits, Institutional Organizations … who want to improve their Individual, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness. Concurrently, Dr. O’Dwyer also owned and operated three other businesses, results: 1 ‘Dog,’ 1 ‘OK’, and 1 ‘Star’.

Since 2017, Dr. O’Dwyer has been an Adjunct Professor & Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management

Dr. O’Dwyer has a PhD in Organizational Behaviour from Ivey; an MBA from Trinity College Dublin; is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA); a Certified Management Consultant (CMC); a Certified Corporate Director (ICD.D); a Certified Executive Coach; a Certified Effectiveness Coach; a Certified Business Coach; and is a Certified Entrepreneur Mentor.

Since 2002, he has designed & co-conducted the GettingItDone® Course www.GettingItDone.biz at Rotman, The University of Toronto: “At 21+ years, we are Rotman’s Longest Running, Most Awarded, Elective MBA Course”; teach in their Executive Programs & EMBA; and design & deliver customized in-house client learning programs e.g., TD, FirstService, Home Trust, and other.

In addition, Dr. O’Dwyer is:
- A Sail Canada Regional Judge, Regional Race Officer, Mark Layer, PHRF Measurer
- Director & Chair of the Finance Committee of Sail Canada: Canada’s governing body for the sport of sailing www.Sailing.ca
- President of LYRA (Lake Yacht Racing Association - North America’s oldest yachting association) and a Director & Treasurer of LORC (Lake Ontario Racing Council)
- Director, Treasurer, & Chair of the Audit Committee of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, Ontario www.WarPlane.com
- Director & Treasurer of the Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce Toronto
- A coach in Futurprenuer, NEXT Canada; Creative Destruction Lab; Dragon’s Nest (Dragon’s Den for High School & Elementary Schools) programs
- A Volunteer Advisor with CESO: recent projects - a valuation for a 1st Nations business, & teaching (virtually) DBA (20+) & MBA (60+) students in the Philippines
- A coach/mentor non-profits, entrepreneurs, artists, new immigrants … e.g., Windmill Microlending

Among his accomplishments are:
- Author; Executive Producer, and acted in seven Indie Movies (to date) & has been in five music videos
- Was in the Army Reserves in Ireland and reached the earned rank of Master Corporal
- Has a pilot’s license and was aerobatic certified; a glider’s license; has raced cars and motorcycles; has skydived – 3 solo jumps; bungee-jumped; white-water canoed the Nahanni River, NWT (22 days); whitewater rafted many rivers; was a runner & ran the New York City Marathon