The Real Peter Nygard Biography

Nygard was born in Finland in 1941 and he, his younger sister and parents immigrated to Canada in 1952.  Peter’s father was offered a job as an assistant baker in the tiny community of Deloraine Manitoba and they were provided with a 12 x 15’ coal bin to live in. The next year the family moved to Winnipeg where eventually they were able to open their own bakery.  Deloraine later created a park in his honor – featuring the coal bin “homestead”.

Peter excelled at school and received recognition and awards for both academics and athletics during his secondary school years.  He constantly contributed money to assist his family through varied and multiple jobs and he concluded his high school years as the most accomplished student in the graduating class.  Peter was later asked by the school to return and deliver a speech to the graduating class.  This speech provides a road map to his success in business and life and was still being quoted 50 years later.

      Peter enrolled in the University of North Dakota where he graduated in Business and Finance.  Peter returned to Winnipeg where he was hired by the T. Eaton’s Company – then the premiere and most sophisticated department store chain in North America - as part of their Young Executive program.  He worked side by side with the Eaton brothers and was identified by the Eaton family and their executive management team has having the potential to eventually run the entire Eaton’s operation.

Despite having no direct knowledge or experience in the ladies apparel manufacturing industry – Peter was recruited to become an equity partner in the Winnipeg garment manufacturer “Jacob Fashions.”  Peter shortly after saved enough money to buy control of the business and renamed it TanJay Fashions – a brand that would become recognizable around the world as a Winnipeg based woman’s fashion brand.

Peter grew the business across Canada first with additional manufacturing and sales offices across the country.  Peter was always committed to the health and comfort of his associates.  He was the first company in Canada to ban smoking by associates or visitors in the buildings or elsewhere on the premises.  He created the first air-conditioned manufacturing plants – transforming the industry from Sweatshops to Fashion Houses.  

He then created a US design and sales base in Los Angeles and New York and soon became the No1 designer brand in most North American department stores.  Sacks 5th Ave featured his product in all of their showcase windows and labeled him as a “Creative Genius”.

Peter Nygard developed manufacturing partnerships around the globe – but held his partners to the highest standards of employee welfare and working conditions.  He and his partners employed 20,000 people around the world, 5,000 in North America and 800 in his home town of Winnipeg.

Peter Nygard applied his creative skills to technology uniting this world wide network of associated business through leading edge use of computer technology.  For years the company tag line was “Nygard – where Fashion meets Technology”.  As with his anti-smoking stance – Peter led the Green Environment movement with in industry with his Paperless agenda – supporting digital document use and banning wasteful printing of documents and reports.

As a result of his leadership with in the Winnipeg Apparel industry and his business association with countries world wide – Canadian Trade Minister Hon Ed Lumley appointed Peter Nygard as “Chairman of the Advisory Board to Develop Industry Strategy” – From this grew NAFTA in which Nygard played a part in negotiating the initial Canada, United States and Mexico agreements – as well as initial trade agreements with the then opening market of China.

Given his leadership role nationally and internationally, Nygard was asked to be the key note speaker at global business conferences

⦁ 1988 - Peter Nygard gave the Opening Keynote Address at the 15th International Small Business Congress, Helsinki, Finland, which attracted 1,700 delegates from 47 countries of the world to hear 75 speakers of international business 

⦁ 2013 - keynote speaker at Gallery Lafayette "Computerization at that time was a vision in progress & the industry did do it on the shoulders of IBM. But I had already experienced the vision & had become a world leader in it. My entire speech had to do with computerizing the whole retail process. I was the keynote speaker at the Awards Dinner because of that unique perspective I could present to the participants." - Peter Nygard

Nygard lost his beloved mother and his sister to breast cancer and he has committed his personal and corporate efforts to supporting research and raising money to combat this disease.  Over the course of the past 20 years Nygard has raised over $20,000,000 to support breast cancer research.  He has also provided support in other ways by providing Mobile Mammography vehicles to extend coverage to rural areas and the creation of the Tumor Bank at the Manitoba Cancer Clinic.

Peter Nygard’s other great passion is to contribute to the development of anti-aging and the preservation of health.  He has contributed millions of $ to the research and development of Stem Cell treatments around the globe.  He is recognized as a global leader and expert in this area.

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