What is your best habit and what is your worst habit?
I wake up early in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., and I feel very rested. I take two hours to read emails and newspapers. It is time for myself before meetings, calls and get-togethers. My worst habit is not making important decisions ahead of time. For example, when I know someone isn’t the right fit for a position, I wait too long before making the best decision for them, me and the company. I often should have made the decision sooner rather than later.
What do you do when you need to come up with an idea?
Life, business, and sports have one thing in common: surrounded by the best, you usually achieve the best results. You should not isolate yourself in a room alone. I really enjoy sharing ideas.
Who do you admire in the business world?
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Jeff Bezos. I admire those people who give a lot, who are grateful for where they are in life, and who feel a moral and social responsibility to redistribute wealth in part because of their good fortune.
How can you separate?
I got my first BlackBerry in 1999. If I’m guilty of one thing, it’s that the phone is never more than six inches from my hand. I don’t write emails when I’m talking to someone, but I’ve never activated a message saying I’m out of the office for 15 days without access to my emails. Not a day went by without a response. This may not be a good thing, but it is the truth.
What advice would you give to the younger version of yourself?
I would first tell him that he won’t believe what he’ll get to in life and in the business world. I never thought I would achieve the success I have. So I would simply tell him: “Let yourself dream. »
What’s the app you can’t live without on your phone?
probably Twitter, Unfortunately. Because I want to hold social positions that are important to me. I’m open to discussion, however TwitterSince I am not a paid journalist or columnist, my opinions and thoughts are pure. I may be wrong. But my thoughts aren’t about pleasing my boss, my schedule, or getting money. 90% of my tweets are in French, even if my followers speak more English.
What activities do you do outside of work?
I play many sports and play a lot (hockey, golf, tennis, surfing, snowboarding, etc.). I also take trips often with friends. I have a very active social life. So there are a lot of dinners, evenings and charity events, in particular. These things comfort me a lot. But I don’t feel too nervous, because I’m very passionate about what I do. So I don’t really have to find ways to get out.
Your best investment?
Playtika (mobile gaming) remains the best investment I’ve ever made. The company was sold for $4.4 billion in 2016. I am also a co-founder of another company called Paysafe (formerly SureFire). We have made this company very successful as well. And on the pride side, that’s when David Bonderman asked me to be part of the ownership group of the Seattle Kraken, in the National Hockey League. There are few things that give me as much pleasure as being part of this group.
A good manager is someone who…
This is the person who wants you to succeed and grow. This is not someone who micromanages or yells. He is someone who respects your ideas and gives you the opportunity to grow in the organization.
The perfect retirement?
We have two fears in life. Health and finance. So the ideal retirement is to have no financial worries and be healthy.
Who is Mitch Garber?
• Mitch Garber was born in 1964 in Montreal. He is a father of two children and lives in Montreal.
• He holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University (1986), as well as a Law Degree (1989) and an Honorary Doctorate (2017) from the University of Ottawa.
• He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019, and was inaugurated in October 2022
• A shareholder in more than ten companies, in addition to shares in about twenty other companies and interests in about twenty investment funds, most of which are outside the country
• Member of the Management Committee and minority shareholder of the Seattle Kraken, of the NHL
• Former Chairman of Cirque du Soleil and former Chairman of the Board of Invest in Canada, the agency responsible for foreign investment in the country
“Music guru. Incurable web practitioner. Thinker. Lifelong zombie junkie. Tv buff. Typical organizer. Evil beer scholar.”
