Maurice Strong is a Canadian entrepreneur and former United Nations under-secretary general who has an estimated net worth of $100 million. Born Maurice F. Strong on April 29, 1929 in Oak Lake, Manitoba, he started as an entrepreneur in the Alberta oil patch. He was also the president of Power Corporation of Canada until 1966. He was the secretary general of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in the early 70's and later the first executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

From 1976 to 1978, Strong was the chief executive officer of Petro-Canada upon his return. He was the head of Ontario Hydro, one of North America’s largest power utilities, and the American Water Development Incorporated. He was also the national president and chairman of the Extension Committee of the World Alliance of YMCA's. Between 1985 and 1986, he was the under-secretary general of the United Nations and Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Office for Emergency Operations in Africa. In 1986, he served as the commissioner of the World Commission on Environment and Development. The International Union for Conservation of Nature then recognized him as a leader in the international environmental movement. In June 1995, he was named the Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank.

Morris Strong was the president of the council of the University for Peace between 1998 and 2006. From 2003 to 2005, he has also served as the personal envoy to UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. Today, he is an active honorary professor at Peking University and the honorary chairman of its Environmental Foundation. He is also the chairman of the advisory board for the Institute for Research on Security and Sustainability for Northeast Asia.

With his endeavors, he was the recipient of several honors, awards and medals including the Order of Canada and the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star along with 53 honorary doctorate degrees and honorary visiting professorships at seven universities. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK), the Royal Society of Canada, and the Royal Architectural Society of Canada.