Simon Foster, Chair of the Ontario Arts Council (Toronto)

Simon Foster was appointed to the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) board of directors on March 31, 2023, and was appointed chair on August 8, 2024.

Based in Toronto, he is Vice Chair of Capital Canada Limited. Prior to this, Simon was Founder & CEO of Chatter Research, a customer feedback software platform he created in 2016.

Simon is the co-founder and former Chair of the Framework Foundation, a charity that promotes civic engagement of Canadians aged 22 to 35 through volunteerism. The Framework Foundation has invested almost $1 million into the careers of emerging artists.

From 2007 to 2012, Simon served on the board of Canada’s National Ballet School. In 2011 he was the recipient of Business / Arts’ Arnold Edinborough Award, recognizing an individual under 40 for exceptional leadership and volunteerism in the arts.

Simon is a graduate of Queen’s University and has a master’s degree in political economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.