Jim Lawson

James J. Lawson is Chief Executive Officer of Woodbine Entertainment Group, a businessman and lawyer. Lawson was appointed CEO of Woodbine Entertainment in 2015.

Lawson was formerly the Chair of the Board of Governors for the Canadian Football League Lawson has served twice as interim Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. Lawson stepped down as Chair after the 2019 CFL season.

He has been a partner at Torys LLP and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP During this time, he also played with the International Hockey League's Flint Generals. Following CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon's departure in January 2015, Lawson was appointed as the League's interim Commissioner, remaining until the appointment of Jeffrey Orridge in April 2015. After Orridge left in June 2017, he was again appointed interim Commissioner until the Board selected current Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

Ambrosie presented Lawson with the CFL's Commissioner Award during the league's annual awards banquet.

Westerkirk Capital

He was fired from Westerkirk Capital amid allegations including self-dealing, forgery and misusing his office equipment to view pornography. Lawson commenced legal action for unfair dismissal against Westerkirk and its owner, Sherry Brydson. All legal proceedings were discontinued in September 2017, and Lawson "apologized unreservedly to Ms. Brydson for the circumstances that led to his departure from Westerkirk" as well as withdrawing all allegations he had made involving Ms. Brydson, her family, employees and advisors.

Woodbine Entertainment Group

In 2015, while still Chair of the Canadian Football League's Board of Governors, Lawson became the CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group, Canada's largest racetrack operator, for which he had previously served as Chair.

Prior to the 2010 Queen's Plate, which is held yearly at the Woodbine Racetrack, Queen Elizabeth II, who was in attendance, approached Lawson, whose family was running a horse Ghost Fleet in the race, to discuss horse breeding and his family's history in racing. The Queen was intrigued by Ghost Fleet's lineage to Northern Dancer, the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and a prolific sire.