Arthur Deane Nesbitt

Group Captain Arthur Deane Nesbitt (16 November 1910 – 22 February 1978) was a Canadian air force officer and businessman. Early life Nesbitt was born in Westmount, Quebec, the son of the very successful stockbroker and co-founder of Nesbitt, Thomson and Company, Arthur James Nesbitt. Trained as an electrical engineer, after his older brother Aird decided to take over permanent management of the family-owned Ogilvy department store in Montreal, Nesbitt joined the family's securities business. On the death of his father in 1954, he became head of the brokerage firm and took over the presidency of the Nesbitt Thomson holding company, Power Corporation of Canada. Under his guidance, Nesbitt Thomson expanded across Canada, and into the United States and Europe. They were the first Canadian firm in three decades to obtain a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

A flying enthusiast, Nesbitt obtained his pilot's license and as a member of the Montreal Light Aeroplane Club, He died in Montreal in 1978 and was interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery.

In his honor, the BMO Nesbitt Burns division of the Bank of Montreal established the A. Deane Nesbitt/Charles Burns Award recognizing exceptional performance.