Peter Nygård

Not to be confused with Petri Nygård.

Peter J. Nygård
Born	1943 Helsinki, Finland
Citizenship	Canadian
Occupation	Business owner
Known for	Chairman of Nygård International

Peter J. Nygård (born 1943) is a Canadian fashion executive, chairman of Nygård International, a company based in Winnipeg that makes women's wear. He was rated the 70th richest Canadian by Canadian Business Magazine in 2009 with a net worth of $817 million.

Early life

Nygård was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1943. His parents were Eeli and Hilkka Nygård, bakers who immigrated to Canada in 1952, settling at first in Deloraine, Manitoba (where Nygård Park would later be named in honor of Peter in 2002). They moved shortly after to Winnipeg.

He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a business degree, and has received several awards from them.

Nygård has seven children.

Nygård International

On December 1, 1967, Peter Nygård used his life savings and an additional loan of $8,000 to purchase 20% of a woman’s clothing manufacturer. A few years later Peter Nygård owned the company and renamed it Nygård International.

Nygård apparel manufacturing company was founded in 1967 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its Canada headquarters is now in Toronto, Ontario with its world headquarters in Times Square, New York.

Peter Nygård's fashion concept retail store opened in Times Square in Manhattan on Friday, November 6, 2009.

Nygård Cay

In 1987, Nygård built a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m²) compound at Lyford Cay in the Bahamas. It was partly destroyed by a fire on November 10, 2009.

On April 14, 2010 Peter Nygard announced he was planning a $50 million renovation of Nygård Cay, which would take two years to complete and repair the damage and employ 200 construction workers.

The Cay is inspired by the Mayan civilization’s architecture. One of the major buildings is a 32,000 ft2 grand-hall with a 100,000 lb glass ceiling.

Charity

Nygård has supported the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Nygård has been a long time sponsors of amateur sports in the Bahamas. In June 2010, is the main sponsor of Amateur Boxing Federation of the Bahamas' team for Continental Elite Boxing Championships Invitation only event slated for June 13–19 in Quito, Ecuador. Wellington Miller, the president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, said Nygård has contributed significantly to the Amateur Boxing Association of the Bahamas and their Olympic success.

In April 2011, Nygård held the "2011 National Family Island Regatta" at Nygård Cay, which included a press conference to honor sailor and music entertainer ‘King’ Eric Gibson.

In the same month, Nygård also donated $10,000 to Josie Poitier, a member of Holy Redeemer Church, during a Passover/Good Friday Breakfast/Brunch.

Lawsuits

In February 2012, Nygård launched a lawsuit against the CBC regarding copyright issues about private videos taken at his residence, which were then used in an April 2010 documentary.. He had also launched a copyright complaint with the US District Court in New York and a lawsuit in Manitoba to prevent the piece from airing. He had previously sued two former employees for releasing confidential information and his lawyer claimed CBC harassed many of the employees. Nygård launched a civil suit against his neighbor and the Lyford Cay Property Owners Association alleging they conspired with the CBC to damage his reputation; he also filed a private criminal prosecution against three CBC journalists accusing them of conspiring to discredit him and his clothing empire. An ex-FBI agent said he was paid by the CBC to trash Nygård.

External links

• Nygård International
• Canadian Business magazine: Peter Nygård
• May 25, 2000 New York Times article on Peter Nygard
• The Tribune Nassau Bahamas Boxing Sponsorship
• Fifth Estate's "Larger Than Life" episode at CBC