Isadore Sharp

Isadore (“Issy”) Sharp opened the Four Seasons hotel in 1960 on Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto. After a decade of trial and refinement Mr. Sharp created a single vision that today has made Four Seasons the leading luxury hotel operator exclusively focused on mid-size luxury hotels and resorts of exceptional quality.

The child of Polish immigrants, Sharp studied architecture in college and started out in the construction business working for his father. Over the years, his educational background combined with his design and construction expertise, his single focus on satisfying the customer and his leadership skills have allowed him to attract the capital sources and a loyal employee base to create the largest luxury hotel management company in the world.

He is a much admired Canadian business leader and was the first recipient of the Ruth Hartman Frankel Humanitarian Award for work on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society. Sharp and his wife, the former Rosalie Wise, live in Toronto. They have three sons, Jordan, Gregory and Anthony. The Sharps lost a fourth son, Christopher, to cancer in 1978.