The IR world was rocked by the news earlier this month that Lorne Gorber, senior adviser and Quebec lead at LodeRock and former head of IR at CGI, had passed away suddenly.
Gorber, who was a recent inductee into the IR Magazine Hall of Fame after winning the award for Best IR Professional in 2018, was a very highly regarded member of the IR community, both in his native Canada and further afield. He also served as a judge for this year’s IR Magazine Awards – Canada.
He started his career at Abitibi-Consolidated, a Montreal-based pulp and paper company, where he served as director of IR and financial communications for seven years.
From there, Gorber moved on to take over as vice-president of IR at IT and business services company CGI. It was here where he earned his reputation in the IR world, building and managing all aspects of the company’s stakeholder communications and reputation management. In his 14-year career at CGI, Gorber oversaw an IR function that helped the company become one of the world’s largest in its industry, with annual revenues growing from $2 bn to over $12 bn by the end of his tenure.
During his time at Abitibi, Lorne became an active member of CIRI’s Quebec chapter, eventually joining its board before becoming the chapter’s president in 2007.
He continuously wanted the IR profession to strive for a seat at the table with the C-Suite
Ed Miller
In recent years he held roles as an advisor at marketing software platform Ubico and a member of the board of directors of local sustainability body the Council of the Great Lakes Region. He was also chief executive of Bahamas-based blockchain company Blockify, director and co-founder at AI-based IR firm MarketMind and senior advisor and Quebec lead at capital markets consultancy LodeRock Advisors.
Gorber passed away suddenly on July 2. A funeral was held in his memory at Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal on July 5. He is survived by his three daughters Livia, Ella, and Mila.
Those who knew Gorber praised his acumen for storytelling, his ability to build strong relationships and his warm personality.
Ed Miller, head of IR and account management, agency partnerships at Q4, worked alongside Gorber at Abitibi and CIRI, before they later worked together when Q4 listed publicly.
Recalling the time that they started attending CIRI events together, Miller says: ‘We had a colleague, Marie-France [Angers], who would call Lorne regularly to invite him to the CIRI Quebec events. Lorne would always leave this voicemail with a very strong baritone voice, which became quite legendary. Marie-France would say: Who is this old man?
‘Then, when we showed up at an industry event, having done these phone calls for years, we meet Lorne, whom we thought was some 70-year-old man – and he turned out to be this young, vibrant, brilliant guy, full of life. We were shocked and laughed about it with him. We talked about our great back-and-forth relationship and his legendary baritone voice.
‘His knowledge and perspective on IR were invaluable. Lorne was one of the brightest minds in the investor relations world. We benefited from his expertise, cross-border knowledge and global insights. He continuously wanted the IR profession to strive for a seat at the table with the C-Suite.
He cared about everybody and had time for anybody. He was also clearly an incredibly smart man, with an incredible ability to adapt, understand and learn about a whole host of different industries. He commanded a great deal of respect in the IR world.
Glenn Keeling
‘Lorne had an infectious personality. His real gift was converging storytelling with financial information, crafting masterful narratives. In today’s world, I worry that we may bring in people with financial expertise but lacking storytelling skills, which is fundamental in IR. Making numbers come to life, finding hidden gems, and critically thinking through the story are key. Lorne excelled at this, and his ability to find and deliver compelling narratives was unmatched.’
Glenn Keeling, executive chair at Alliance Advisors, had also known Gorber since his Abitibi days and later became closely associated with MarketMind. ‘Of all the folks on the Street, I had probably the most personal relationship with him,’ he tells IR Magazine. ‘I talked to Lorne every single week. I’m going to miss him terribly.
‘He cared about everybody and had time for anybody. He was also clearly an incredibly smart man, with an incredible ability to adapt, understand and learn about a whole host of different industries. He commanded a great deal of respect in the IR world.
‘You won’t find anybody who was more honorable and more participative and more generous with his time. That was something he wore very, very proudly, because he felt strongly about investing in the IR and corporate communications professions – and he was damn good at both.
‘There was never a shortage of great things to chat about. He was one of those guys. You know, I could not see him for five years and it’s like it was yesterday that we were hanging out.’
Adam Borgatti, senior vice president, corporate development and IR at Aecon and chair of the board of directors at CIRI, says: ‘Lorne helped pave the way for the IR profession and was a leader in the IR community on a global scale.
‘His experience, professionalism and good nature were inspirational to many of us who had the pleasure of knowing from him. He was very active in advancing the profession at all levels and his mentorship and guidance will be missed by us all within the CIRI community and beyond.’
Those who knew Lorne are invited to share their recollections of him at his online memorial here.
