He is a three-time kidney-transplant recipient and a cancer survivor, and today philanthropist and marketing agency founder Justin Poy says he is no longer able to separate himself from the healthcare initiatives he donates to—they are an integral part of him.
Poy comes by this commitment for reasons that go beyond his own health experiences. His mother, the Hon. Dr. Vivienne Poy, who served as a member of the Senate of Canada from 1998 until her retirement on Sept. 17, 2012, is also a celebrated entrepreneur (she founded the design company Vivienne Poy Mode in 1981) and philanthropist. Like his mother, Poy is a successful businessperson, having established over 30 years ago the Justin Poy Agency, a full-service strategic and creative agency that focuses on niche market advertising and marketing technologies.
Poy is a senior advisory board member of the Toronto chapter of the North American Association of Asian Professionals, a non-profit organization with more than 28 city branches in an international network that spans the U.S., Canada and China. He is a past director of the SickKids Foundation and a charter member of the board of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, as well as an advisor to the Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library at the University of Toronto and a founding cabinet member of TIFF Bell Lightbox. He is also a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Here, Poy shares how his parents’ example inspired him throughout his career, as well as how his experiences as a Chinese Canadian and as a survivor of severe illness keep him connected to the causes he supports.
How did you first become interested in business and investing?
I grew up surrounded by both public service and entrepreneurship. On one side of my family, I had deep exposure to civic leadership and cultural advocacy, and on the other I was surrounded by sharp business minds who built real legacies. My maternal grandfather, Richard Charles Lee, had a huge impact on my life and I studied the recipe to his success. He balanced business with philanthropy, and I soon learned that it was this balance that earned him a great deal of respect.
Growing up as a young Chinese Canadian in the 1970s was tough. There weren’t many Chinese in Canada at that time and racism was ever-present even in school. The last thing I wanted to be was ‘Chinese.’
As a student, I was naturally curious about how ideas become enterprises and how vision turns into impact. By the time I was at Toronto French School and later at university, I realized I had a knack for connecting people and opportunities. That’s really what pulled me into business and investing—not just the numbers, but the idea of shaping outcomes and capitalizing on trends.
My earliest investments were Silver Age comic books. At 12 years of age, I would read Marvel comics and follow the storylines. Whenever there was an epic moment such as a birth of a new hero, a death or a conflict, I would buy three copies in mint condition: one to read, one to collect/invest and one to potentially sell (short term). I have approximately 15,000 Silver Age comics now and recently sold one book for $5,000 that I paid $35 for in 1984. It was a copy of Iron Man #1. Collecting comics was my first taste of investing.
Who was a champion in your corner?
My mother was always one of my greatest champions. She broke barriers as the first Asian senator in Canadian history and created Asian Heritage Month. Watching her navigate institutions with integrity and vision showed me that nothing is impossible if you’re willing to push boundaries. After raising three sons, she went on to obtain her master’s in history and a PhD and then was installed as chancellor of the University of Toronto, while she was a senator in the Senate of Canada. My father, Dr. Neville Poy, also inspired me with his discipline as a plastic surgeon and innovator. Their combination of service and excellence shaped my own decisions about education and career.
When you entered the business world, what did you want to bring to the table that you perhaps felt was lacking?
When I entered advertising, I saw a massive gap: Canada’s multicultural communities weren’t represented authentically. Campaigns were often tone-deaf or completely missed these audiences. I wanted to change that. I built my career on cross-cultural marketing because I believed—and still believe—that diversity isn’t just a checkbox; it’s the future of business. My goal was to create campaigns that spoke to all Canadians, in their own voices, with respect.
When I started my agency in the early 90s, there was a huge influx of Chinese immigrants coming from Hong Kong. Helping Canadian companies to reach these new immigrants kickstarted my agency and soon after I extended that knowledge to the charitable world, helping many Canadian-based charities to understand the mindset of new immigrants and to raise funds by first giving back to the community before asking for donations.
How did your agency come to be and what have been your greatest career milestones?
I founded The Justin Poy Agency Inc. in 1993 after a brief period of employment at CTV News, starting from scratch with the idea that multicultural marketing could be done on a national scale. From producing iconic campaigns like “Everyone Loves Marineland” to representing major global clients entering the Canadian market, to eventually expanding into film and media production, the milestones have been diverse. Designing all the multilingual packaging for Corel products was one of the first, and that was soon followed by becoming the agency of record (AOR) for the Canadian International AutoShow, Canada’s largest consumer show. To this day, we are still the AOR for the AutoShow and that connected me to many aspects of my business today.
Supporting entrepreneurs of colour isn’t charity—it’s smart business.
In the mid-90s, we were hired by TRADER Corporation to produce the first Chinese version of the AutoMart Magazine. Decades later, that company was sold and the former owner became the chair of the SickKids Foundation, and he called me up and asked me to join the board. This was one of my greatest lessons in understanding that everything is interconnected.
When did you become interested in bringing greater support to the Asian community in Canada?
Growing up as a young Chinese Canadian in the 1970s was tough. There weren’t many Chinese in Canada at that time and racism was ever-present even in school. The last thing I wanted to be was ‘Chinese.’ When I was in my early 20s, my mother asked me to volunteer my time and to sit on a committee to help raise funds for the Mon Sheong Foundation. This foundation has seniors’ homes, ran Chinese schools and was (and still is) highly respected in Canada. It was then that I learned to appreciate my heritage instead of denying it.
After that, I dedicated much of my time to preserving, building awareness and helping young Chinese Canadians to appreciate our shared heritage. Since then, I have become somewhat of a Chinese community leader, from sitting on various boards to producing documentary films. In 2023, our community commemorated the 100th anniversary since the establishment of the Chinese Immigration Act [which effectively banned immigration from China from 1923 to 1947]. I produced a short film titled Eating Bitterness, and was an executive producer of a full-length documentary called Exclusion: Beyond the Silence, which was chosen to premiere at the 2024 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival as well as TIFF’s Asian Heritage Month programming, and it won the Jade Maple Audience Choice Award at the 2025 Toronto Chinese Canadian Film Festival (TCCFF).
How can the business community become more open to young entrepreneurs of colour who might not have the same opportunities as their white colleagues or peers?
They need to recognize that access to capital isn’t equal. Too often, brilliant ideas from entrepreneurs of colour are dismissed because the networks and traditional gatekeepers don’t reflect them. Investors need to proactively seek out diverse founders, build mentorship pipelines, and understand that cultural fluency is a business asset. Supporting entrepreneurs of colour isn’t charity—it’s smart business. There are often opportunities that are tied to cultural or geographical nuances that one may not even be aware of.
What philanthropic initiatives are closest to your heart and why?
As a kidney transplant recipient and a cancer survivor, healthcare initiatives are very close to my heart, as are initiatives that are linked to Asian heritage. As the Honorary Patron of Asian Heritage Month for the Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture, I can honestly say that I get back much more than I give in terms of satisfaction and the feeling of accomplishment. At this point in my life, I could never separate business from philanthropy. To me, they are very closely linked, and not a day goes by that my life isn’t touched by both aspects.
Any upcoming projects that you’re excited about as we head into a new year?
Absolutely. With all the talk of trade wars and tariffs, it has often baffled me as to why we always think of ‘exports’ in terms of hard goods. One of Canada’s greatest strengths is our knowledge and the fact that we have built our institutions through time-tested methods—methodical and well thought out. We may not be known as the most aggressive country in the world, but many countries admire our stability and our values.
After seven tedious years, my business partner and I have finally launched the North American Automotive Alliance Asian Pacific Ltd. (NAAAAP), a Hong Kong-based company that has developed the exclusive automotive retail training program for China, called the Global Dealer Academy (GDA), through an agreement with Georgian College’s Automotive Business School of Canada, one of the world’s best automotive business programs. I am thrilled that I am able to export our knowledge and expertise. Many people in Canada do not realize how valued a certificate from a Canadian college is in a country like China. In many parts of the world, we are seen as the gold standard, and that makes me very proud to be a Canadian.
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