Gerry Schwartz Net Worth

Gerry Schwartz has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Gerry Schwartz profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $1.6 billion.

Gerry Schwartz is a Canadian financier best known for founding Onex and building it into one of Canada's largest private equity firms. He studied law in Manitoba and later earned an MBA from Harvard in 1970. In the 1970s he worked at Bear Stearns, where he learned the buyout business alongside Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. That early Wall Street experience helped set up the career that later made him a billionaire in finance.

After leaving Bear Stearns, Schwartz returned to Canada and cofounded CanWest in 1977. He launched Onex in 1984 and spent 39 years running the firm before stepping down in May 2023. Onex grew into a major investment company with $50 billion in assets under management and offices in London, Toronto, and the U.S. Schwartz also serves as a director of Indigo Books & Music. Forbes put his real-time net worth at $1.5 billion as of October 20, 2026.

How Gerry Schwartz built his fortune

Schwartz made his money in finance, mainly through Onex. Before starting his own firm, he worked at Bear Stearns in the 1970s and was mentored by Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts. When those Americans left to start KKR in 1976, Schwartz went back to Canada. He then helped launch CanWest in 1977, giving him an early role in building a major media company before his private equity career fully took off.

The biggest engine of his wealth has been Onex, the investment firm he started in 1984. Over time, it became one of Canada's largest private equity firms, with $50 billion in assets under management and offices in London, Toronto, and the U.S. Schwartz stayed at the top of the company for 39 years before stepping down in May 2023. He also sits on the board of Indigo Books & Music, adding another business role tied to his long career in Canadian corporate life.

Forbes net worth over time

Forbes has valued Schwartz's fortune at different levels across the past several years. It estimated $1.6 billion in 2019, then $1 billion in 2020. The figure later returned to $1.6 billion in 2022, before moving to $1.2 billion in 2023. Those swings fit with the fact that his wealth is tied to finance and investments, especially Onex, the firm he created and led for decades.

More recently, Forbes estimated Schwartz at $1.5 billion in 2024 and $1.6 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. On the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker, he stood at $1.5 billion as of October 20, 2026. The broad picture is fairly steady: his wealth has stayed in the billionaire range while remaining linked to Onex, a large private equity business with $50 billion under management and an international office footprint.