Portrait of V. Prem Watsa

Rank #1704

V. Prem Watsa

Net worth $2.5B

Insurance, investments · Canada

Born
Aug 05, 1950
Age
75
Source
Insurance, investments
Residence
Toronto, Ontario
Citizenship
Canada
Marital status
Married
Children
3
Education

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Prem Watsa founded Toronto-based financial services firm Fairfax Financial Holdings in 1985 and remains its chairman and CEO.
  • Born in Hyderabad, India, Watsa later joined his brother in Canada, and then enrolled in the University of Western Ontario's MBA program.
  • He paid his way through school by selling appliances door-to-door and, after a stint as an investment analyst, struck out on his own in 1984.
  • He began acquiring insurance companies, modeling his business after the success of his idol, Warren Buffett.
  • Fairfax now has property and casualty insurance and reinsurance interests across the world plus stakes in companies that include BlackBerry and GE.

Financial assets

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