Naomi Azrieli
O.C., DPhil
Chair and CEO
Azrieli Foundation
As Chair and CEO of the Azrieli Foundation, the largest public foundation in Canada, Naomi Azrieli has been bringing people and organizations together to address challenges in diverse areas – from healthcare and science to community and education – for more than two decades.
She has created and launched several unique programs at the Azrieli Foundation, including the Azrieli Fellows Program, the Azrieli Science Grants, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence and the award-winning Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program.
She has also co-developed and established numerous innovative initiatives with academic, research and cultural institutions, including: the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Program (with Brain Canada); the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program; the Azrieli Accelerator at the University of Calgary; the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences at the Weizmann Institute; the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre and the Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry, both at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); the Joint Canada-Israel Health Research Program, in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Israel Science Foundation (ISF); the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research at the Montreal Neurological Institute; and CanNRT, Canada’s national Neurodevelopmental Research Training Platform.
Dr. Azrieli sits on several Boards, including as Past-Chair of Brain Canada, where she helped increase the scale, scope and support of brain research across Canada. She is also the President of Omico Investments Ltd. and Canpro Investments Ltd. and is a Director on the Board of the Azrieli Group Ltd., a publicly traded real estate company (TASE: AZRG).
She earned a DPhil from the University of Oxford (St. Antony’s College), a Master's from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a Certificate of Advanced Study from the Harriman Institute and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. She has received honourary doctorates from McGill University (2018) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2025).
In 2013, Dr. Azrieli was awarded France’s Legion of Honor (Chevalier), in recognition of her many years of public service. In 2022, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for her leadership in catalyzing solutions to pressing problems in science, health, education and community, uplifting the country and upholding her family’s legacy of giving.
Dr. Azrieli is a passionate advocate for Holocaust survivors, caregivers and neurodiverse people. One of her proudest accomplishments is establishing Rafiken Social Enterprises and launching The Infinite Bean – a café and chocolatier with a mission of providing meaningful employment to neurodiverse people.
Born in Montreal, she now resides in Toronto with her husband and three children.