By Fred Sgambati (’83, ’85)

Don Clow (’83) is a go-to kind of guy who always comes up clutch, and the rural PEI native has proven this time and again during his illustrious career as a student-athlete, businessperson, community advocate and philanthropist.

Consider his time at Acadia. He won the Eaton Award for top student-athlete in 1982 and was a key member of legendary Axemen football Coach John Huard’s national championship-winning teams in 1979 and 1981, taking a leadership role in the locker room and on the field.

Flashback to the 1981 Vanier Cup against Alberta, when Don caught three passes to move the team into a position to score in the last three minutes of the game. Acadia earned an 18-12 victory and carried the day, but here’s the thing. If you were to ask Don about it, he would deflect the praise and focus entirely on the team rather than the personal achievement.

It’s a philosophy that has defined his perspective and translated into tremendous success as a business leader. After graduating from Acadia with a degree in business administration, Don earned a Chartered Accountant designation with KPMG. Later, he was President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, completed leadership programs at the Harvard Business School and the University of Western Ontario Ivey School of Business, and in 2002 he was designated a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA). He was named President and CEO of Crombie REIT in 2009, where he grew the company from $1.5 billion to $6 billion enterprise value over 14 years.

A humble person who understands the value of the big picture, Don’s thoughtful approach empowers and elevates those around him to create personal and professional success effectively and collaboratively. No surprise that he has been honoured by Atlantic Business magazine as a Top 50 CEO five times, is a member of the Atlantic Canada Top 50 CEO Hall of Fame, and received Canada’s Most Admired CEO award from Waterstone Human Capital in 2023.  

In addition to his considerable profile in the business community, Don has remained faithful and committed to all things Acadia. He was instrumental in fundraising efforts for the turf on Raymond Field, the football locker room, student-athlete awards, as well as the renovation of Patterson Hall for the F. C. Manning School of Business. More recently, he was part of a group of football alumni to establish an award in honour of Coach Huard and Mrs. Helen Huard. He was a member of Acadia’s Board of Governors, served as an Alumni Association Board member, and was a volunteer leader during the University’s two fundraising campaigns: The Tides Are Turning and Campaign for Acadia.

Beyond Acadia, Don has brought his energy and enthusiasm to address the needs in his community. He recently chaired the QEII Hospital Foundation’s campaign for surgical robotics and in that role helped to raise over $8 million for Atlantic Canada’s first da Vinci Robot to fight prostate cancer, kidney cancer and gynecological cancer, as well as $2.5 million for Atlantic Canada’s first orthopedic robot. His personal passion for healthcare and his desire to have a positive impact on the lives of Nova Scotians led to the success of this campaign, and many others.

The Acadia Alumni Association applauds his remarkable commitment to the University and its constituency, and is pleased to add another accolade to his resume by naming Don Clow as the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

"Don's journey at Acadia was largely defined by his dedication as a student-athlete where, under the mentorship of Coach Huard, he not only showcased his commitment to athletics and academics, but also developed a set of principles that have undoubtedly shaped the trajectory of his success,” says Acadia Alumni Association President Matthew Rios (’14). “While Don rightly deserves plaudits for his significant contributions to the business community here in Nova Scotia, we also recognize and celebrate his generosity of spirit in supporting philanthropic efforts and Acadia University. Don Clow represents the best of our Acadia community, and it is a pleasure and a privilege to honour him as this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.”

Don retired as CEO of Crombie REIT in February 2023 and lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife Shelley. Both of his children – Stuart (’12) and Matthew – attended Acadia and played varsity football.

He will be honoured during the Acadia Alumni Awards Dinner on April 18, 2024 at Pier 21 in Halifax. For more on this year’s event, please visit: https://aualumni.info/awardsdinner.