Scott Griffin, (born 1938) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

businessman and philanthropist best known for founding the

Griffin Poetry Prize The Griffin Poetry Prize is a Canadian poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. Before 2022, two separate awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. I ...

in 2000, one of the world's most generous poetry awards, and Poetry In Voice, a bilingual recitation competition for Canadian high schools. Celebrating its 20th year in 2020, the Griffin Poetry Prize has become known as the most adventurous and generous international literary award. Griffin has been interviewed on CBC Radio, discussing the genesis of his love for poetry, reading from his favourite works and paying tribute to poet

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first m ...

, who received the Griffin Lifetime Recognition Award in 2012. Griffin is chairman, director and majority shareholder since 2002 of publisher

House of Anansi Press House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. History Anansi ...

/Groundwood Books. He is also chairman and director of Steam Whistle Brewing, and a director of ''

Literary Review of Canada The ''Literary Review of Canada'' is a Canadian magazine that publishes ten times a year in print and online. The magazine features essays and reviews of books on political, cultural, social, and literary topics, as well as original Canadian poet ...

''. He was formerly chairman of the Governors of Sedbergh School in Canada, a director of DGC Entertainment Ventures Corp and Chancellor of

Bishop's University Bishop's University () is a small English-language Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Diocese of Quebec, Anglican Bishop of Quebec ...

. Griffin was previously chairman, director and majority shareholder of two

manufacturing companies. General Kinetics Engineering Corporation (

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, Ontario, Canada) designs and manufactures components for military and other tracked vehicles and high-speed rail. Advance Precision Ltd. (

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

, Ontario, Canada) designed and manufactured parts for the automotive industry, and was acquired by a US manufacturing firm. Griffin was on several NGO boards, as a director of Canadian Executive Services Overseas (CESO), a volunteer advisor to CESO and a director of African Medical and Research Foundation (

AMREF Amref Health Africa is a Kenyan-based non-governmental organization focused on providing community and environmental healthcare to countries in Africa. It is considered one of the most prominent health NGOs in Africa. History Originally known ...

) Canada and AMREF International. In 2006, Griffin published a memoir entitled ''My Heart Is Africa'' that recounted his two-year aviation adventure starting in 1996, working for the Flying Doctors Service in Africa. All royalties from the sale of the book are donated to the

Flying Doctors Service. The book was named to ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' top 100 for 2006. Griffin is married to noted jewellery designer Krystyne Griffin and has four children and eight grandchildren. He was appointed an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

on December 30, 2012.

Notes

External links

Griffin Poetry Prize Web sitePoetry In Voice / Les voix de la poésie Web sitePublishers page on ''My Heart is Africa'''The big guys keep being surprised by us' (article about House of Anansi Press in The Globe and Mail, October, 2007)Al Purdy - A Permanent Tribute - Statue of Canada’s Favourite Poet Unveiled in Queen’s Park
Businesspeople from Ontario Chancellors by university and college in Canada Canadian philanthropists 1938 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) University of Puget Sound alumni Canadian chairpersons of corporations Canadian corporate directors Officers of the Order of Canada {{Canada-business-bio-stub, Griffin, Scott