About David Sobey

Dr. David Sobey speaking at the annual David Sobey Centre National Retail Innovation Awards

Dr. David Sobey was Chair Emeritus of Sobeys Inc. He served as a director of Sobeys Inc. since 1998 and of earlier Sobeys’ companies beginning in 1958. He was a member of the Advisory Board for the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University, and an Honourary Director of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. Dr. Sobey was the first lay Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University, serving with distinction from 2008 to 2010. He supported Saint Mary’s as a member of the Board of Governors, and as Chair of Building on Strength, a capital campaign that ran from 1993 to 1998 and raised more than $24 million.

Honoured for his many contributions to education and society, Dr. Sobey received an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University in 1991, and was inducted into the University’s Turning Points Hall of Leadership in 2007. He also held honorary degrees from Mount Allison University and St. Francis Xavier University and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1995.

Thanks to the generosity of Dr. David Sobey, the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University is home to one of only a few Canadian university centres on retailing and services. The David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services is a leading source of expertise pertaining to retail and service management in Canada and plays a vital role in building a sector that tops the ranks in terms of share of total employment in Canada.