Canadian-born Mort Zuckerman is the co-founder and chairman of commercial real estate firm Boston Properties, the business to which he owes his fortune. His avocations are journalism and public punditry, and he has been able to indulge those with his ownership of the New York Daily News and news magazines US News and World Report, as well as frequent appearances on television talk shows and cable news programmes. Mr Zuckerman has been in particular demand in recent weeks, after it was revealed that his charity was one of the victims of the Bernard Madoff scandal.

A 71-year-old who was educated at Montreal's McGill University before earning an MBA at Wharton and anLLM (Master of Laws) degree from Harvard Law School, Mr Zuckerman is a US citizen and longtime resident of Manhattan's posh Upper Eastside.