The Gupta Family Donates $1 Million to Ted Rogers School of Management at TMU
Dr. Steve Gupta arrived in Canada in 1971 with only $108 and a heart full of ambition. The epitome of an immigrant success story, Dr. Gupta has become one of the most notable developers, hoteliers, entrepreneurial leaders, and philanthropists. Today, he continues to pave the way for the next generation of leaders by instilling life-changing educational opportunities.
His company, Easton’s Group of Hotels, and himself have garnered an array of prestigious awards including “Hotel Company of The Year” by Hotelier Magazine. Was voted “Businessman of The Year” by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. He has received the Queen’s Golden & Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service, the Markham Board of Trade Award of Excellence in Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award for Ontario in the Real Estate and Hotels category. Plus, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2022.
On January 26, 2024, Dr. Steve Gupta and his wife, Rashmi, decided to give back to the future of entrepreneurship by donating a gift of $1 million in support of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and its students through The Gupta Family Foundation. The generosity of this gift was celebrated at a lively cheque presentation ceremony at TMU’s Jorgenson Hall.
The power of this gift provides financial awards to the university’s MBA students in hospitality and tourism management, the same industries in which Dr. Gupta’s potential and success reached unprecedented heights, as well as crucial unrestricted support, allowing the dean to focus on priority needs.
Courtesy of the Gupta family, two deserving MBA students will receive the first “Gupta Family Foundation Award” in the winter of 2025 — the first of an ongoing series of awards providing pivotal financial support to two MBA students each year in perpetuity.
“I’m a great believer in higher education,” said Dr. Steve Gupta, founder and chairman of The Gupta Group. “Learning is like breathing — it should never stop. My family and I believe in giving back to our local community and creating opportunities for others to pursue their dreams of success. We are delighted to work with TMU to help make those dreams come true for students. We share with TMU a desire to help people build the skills that shape self-reliance.”
Dr. Cynthia Holmes, dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management, noted, “The Ted Rogers School has one of the most diverse student populations of any business school in Canada: More than 50% of our students identify as racialized, and 30% are first in their family to attend university. A gift like this, from a family rooted in the newcomer experience and earning their success in Canadian business, has special resonance for our community of learners. We are very grateful to the Gupta family for investing in the future of our students.”
This gift is among the many gifts the Gupta family has generously given to communities and causes both locally and abroad.
The Gupta family has held eye camps in India, allowing more than 11,000 people to have cataract eye treatments and be cured of eye disease, and have developed a water and sanitation project for a girls’ school in India. They have also spearheaded the construction of a retirement community in Richmond Hill, Ont., and continue to see through a long-term commitment to the dearly loved Toronto International Film Festival with the TIFF Bell Lightbox box office officially named the Steve and Rashmi Gupta Box Office.
“Dr. Steve Gupta is a prime example of what is possible when passion, grit and determination combine with business acumen and market insight,” said TMU President and Vice-Chancellor Mohamed Lachemi. “These are the qualities and skills we cultivate in our students, as well as the community spirit that drives gifts, such as the one we celebrate today. My thanks to Steve, Rashmi and the entire Gupta family for their support of our students and their vote of confidence in the TMU mission and vision.”
TMU honoured the Gupta family’s generosity by naming the Ted Rogers School’s premiere auditorium “The Steve & Rashmi Gupta Lecture Theatre.” With a 500-seat capacity, it is TMU’s largest lecture theatre that will be used for business classes and instruction in disciplines across the university for years to come.
Philanthropy is simply their passion and their pursuit to make the positive changes they wish to see in the world, is moving.
