Heather Reisman

Heather Maxine Reisman
Heather Maxine Reisman
Born	August 28, 1948 (age 78); Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known for	CEO of Indigo Books and Music; co-founder and former chair of Kobo Inc.
Notable work	Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet (2021)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Heather Reisman, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Heather Maxine Reisman (born August 28, 1948) is a prominent Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist. She established and currently leads the Canadian retail giant Indigo Books and Music as CEO, co-founded and formerly chaired Kobo Inc., and was honored as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019.

Early life and education

Born into a Jewish family in Montreal, Quebec in 1948, Reisman pursued her studies at McGill University.

Career

Reisman initially worked as a social worker before transitioning into the business sector by joining her brother Howard’s enterprise. In 1979, she co-founded Paradigm Consulting, where she acted as managing director until 1995.

Following Borders’ unsuccessful attempt to enter the Canadian market due to regulatory barriers in 1995, Reisman launched Indigo Books and Music, securing $25 million from investors. In 2001, Indigo expanded by acquiring competitor Chapters, forming Canada’s largest bookstore chain. She also co-founded Kobo Inc. in 2009, later selling Indigo’s controlling interest in Kobo to Japan’s Rakuten for $315 million in 2011.

Since 1998, Reisman has personally curated over 262 selections known as "Heather's Picks," offering customers a money-back guarantee on these recommended titles, underscoring her role in shaping Indigo’s inventory. Although Indigo has broadened its product range to include gift items, Reisman emphasized in 2018 that “Books were, are, and always will be the heart and soul of our business.” That same year marked Indigo’s entry into the U.S. market with a store opening in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Her leadership roles extend beyond retail; she has served as a governor of both the Toronto Stock Exchange and McGill University, and held board memberships at Williams Sonoma, J. Crew, Onex Corporation, and Mt. Sinai Hospital.

In the realm of media production, Reisman acted as executive producer for the documentaries Fed Up (2014) and The Social Dilemma (2020), partnering with producer Laurie David. Together they authored Imagine It! A Handbook for a Happier Planet (2021).

Advocacy and politics

In August 2006, after differing reactions from Canada’s major political parties regarding the 2006 Lebanon War, Reisman shifted her political allegiance from the Liberal Party of Canada to the Conservative Party of Canada led by Stephen Harper.

In October 2001, she sparked public debate by deciding that Indigo stores would not carry Mein Kampf by Hitler, a move that drew both commendation and criticism.

On July 5, 2010, Reisman initiated an online petition aimed at preventing Iranian woman Sakineh Ashtiani from facing stoning as a form of capital punishment. This campaign attracted international attention and played a part in sparing Sakineh from that sentence.

Reisman is part of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group and attended every one of its conferences between 2002 and 2017.

Israel

Together with her husband, Gerald Schwartz, Heather Reisman established the HESEG Foundation for Lone Soldiers. This foundation annually provides substantial scholarships, living stipends, and career support to former "lone soldiers"—Jewish individuals without Israeli citizenship who have served in Israel’s military.

Since 2007, Reisman’s financial contributions supporting Israeli soldiers have been met with protest movements. The conflict between Hamas and Israel during 2023-2024 intensified scrutiny of HESEG due to its charitable status within Canada while backing soldiers from a nation currently subject to examination by the International Court of Justice.

In November 2023, Toronto Police conducted nighttime raids targeting activists accused of posting allegations outside Indigo outlets that linked Reisman to genocide through her support of HESEG. These aggressive enforcement actions resulted in charges against eleven protesters known as the "Indigo 11." Four individuals entered guilty pleas for mischief—with two receiving absolute discharges and two conditional discharges—while charges against the remaining seven were dropped.

Philanthropy

In 2006, Reisman launched the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation with the mission to enhance library resources in Canadian public elementary schools facing financial constraints, contributing millions of books to more than 3,000 libraries.

Together with her husband, Gerald Schwartz, she founded the HESEG Foundation in 2005, which offers scholarships to former Israeli "lone soldiers"—individuals who are either immigrants or non-Israelis serving in the Israeli Defense Forces without immediate family residing in Israel.

In December 2013, Reisman and Schwartz donated $15 million to Mount Sinai Hospital to support the advancement of emergency medicine services at the institution.

The Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman Foundation contributed $5.3 million in 2018 to St. Francis Xavier University aimed at establishing scholarships, bursaries, and improving recruitment efforts for business students.

In March 2019, they pledged $100 million to the University of Toronto to develop a 750,000-square-foot innovation centre dedicated to technology and artificial intelligence. The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre accommodates the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, as well as laboratories specializing in regenerative medicine, genetics, and precision medicine.

Awards

Reisman was honored with induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in May 2015.

She has received honorary degrees from multiple universities including Ryerson University (2006), Wilfrid Laurier University (2009), Mount Allison University (2010), St. Francis Xavier University (2013), University of Manitoba (2016), McGill University (2017), Weizmann Institute of Science (2017), and University of Toronto (2021).

She holds the title of Officer of the Order of Canada.

In 2009, Financial Times recognized her as one of the world’s top 50 businesswomen. Additionally, she has been featured in the Women's Executive Network's list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women.

In 2022, Reisman was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto, receiving acclaim as "Canada’s Most Recognized Literacy Advocate."

Personal life

Reisman’s father, Mark, was engaged in real estate development; her mother, Rose, operated a clothing retail business; and her brother Howard founded the technology firm Time Systems. She is also related to Simon Reisman as his niece.

Following a previous marriage and divorce, she wed Gerald Schwartz—the founder and CEO of Onex Corporation—in 1982. Together they have four children: two from her earlier marriage and two stepchildren, along with nine grandchildren. The pair are affiliated with the Reform synagogue, specifically Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple.

References