David Thomson

The fortune began with a multigenerational family media empire

Thomson is one of the heirs to the media and publishing fortune founded by his grandfather Roy Thomson. Forbes identifies the family's largest holding as its stake in Thomson Reuters, placing inherited family ownership rather than a company David Thomson founded at the center of his billionaire wealth. ^[1]

The family's investment vehicle, Woodbridge, holds the controlling economic interest that links the Thomson family to Thomson Reuters. Forbes estimates David Thomson owns an economic share of that broader family structure, while Thomson Reuters identifies him as chairman of both the public company and Woodbridge. ^[1][2]

He also chairs The Globe and Mail and invests privately, including in real estate. Those activities show active capital stewardship, but they sit on top of an inherited ownership base that was already substantial before his current governance roles. ^[2]

Governance adds responsibility without changing the origin of the wealth

Serving as chairman gives Thomson influence over institutions that represent a large part of the family's capital, but chairman status does not mean the entire market value of Thomson Reuters belongs to him personally. The company's public valuation includes shares held by outside investors as well as the family's controlling stake. ^[1][2]

His fortune is therefore best understood as inherited beneficial ownership combined with active governance of family-controlled media assets. The scale of the underlying businesses matters because it drives the value of those holdings, while the original source of the wealth remains the Thomson family enterprise. ^[1][2]