Christopher Ondaatje

Philip Christopher Ondaatje, the former Tory supporter, gave the Labour Party £2 million in January 2001 and £101,200 in March and April 2001. He was born in Sri Lanka and then moved to Canada. He set up the Pagurian Press, before becoming a banker and financier. He sold the Pagurian Corporation in 1988, at which time it had assets of $500 million and controlled other companies' assets worth over $1 billion.

He is the brother of the famous writer Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient. He was one of the founders and partners of Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon & Co (LOM) in Toronto from 1970-88, which he bought out in 1992 and then sold in 1995. LOM was the first independent equity house in Canada. They operate in Corporate Finance, share trading and financial research.

He is a member of the Chester Yacht Club of Nova Scotia and the Mid Ocean Golf Club in Bermuda. His father was a wealthy tea planter until India gained independence in 1948.