Wilfrid J. Wilkinson Trenton, Ontario, Canada President, Rotary International, 2007-08

Chair, 2005 Chicago Convention Committee
Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 1997-01 and 2002-04
Vice President, Rotary International, 1993-94
Director, Rotary International, 1992-94
District Governor, 1971-72

Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, a retired chartered accountant, was a founding partner of Wilkinson & Company, a public accounting firm. He is a past president of the Public Accountants Council for the Province of Ontario and a past treasurer of both the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Quebec and the Royal Canadian Military Institute and was elected a fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Since retiring, Wilkinson has served as the part-time executive director of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. He is also a member of the board of directors of Morris Industries Ltd., a company that manufactures advanced air seedings and tillage systems. He has also been chairman of the Trenton Memorial Hospital fundraising committee, a founding chairman of the Belleville Cheshire Home for Physically Handicapped Adults, chairman of the Board for Loyalist College, and president of the district council of the Boy Scouts of Canada.

A Rotarian since 1962, Wilkinson is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Trenton, Ontario. He has served Rotary International as vice president, director, Rotary Foundation trustee, and district governor. He has also been an International Assembly discussion leader and member and chair of several committees, including the 2005 Chicago Convention Committee.

As a member of the International PolioPlus Committee, Wilkinson has been dedicated to the global effort to eradicate polio. He participated in National Immunization Days in Kenya, Tanzania, and India, and also administered polio drops to children of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He has served as a Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants program volunteer to India. In addition, Wilkinson has had Rotary assignments in South Africa, Namibia, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and many regions throughout the United States and Canada.

Wilkinson has been recognized for his humanitarian service by the Knights of Columbus, the province of Ontario, and the Canadian government. In 2001, he was honored by Pope John Paul II with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal. He is also the recipient of numerous Rotary honors, including RI’s Service Above Self Award and the Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service Award, and International Service Award for a Polio-Free World.

Wilkinson has been married to Joan since 1953, and they have four sons and eight grandchildren.