Guy Laliberté

Guy Laliberté, (born 2 September 1959) is a Canadian businessman, investor, poker player, and musician. Along with Gilles Ste-Croix, he is the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. With an estimated net worth of US$1.37 billion (as of January 2018), Laliberté was ranked by Forbes as the 11th wealthiest Canadian and 459th in the world.Following an announcement from the Cirque du Soleil on 20 April 2015 concerning a change in ownership, Laliberté will maintain a stake in the business and will continue to provide strategic and creative input to the company.Starting out busking as an accordion player, stiltwalker and fire-eater, in 1984 Laliberté founded Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus company whose shows have since been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide. In 2006, Laliberté was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.