Meet Ronnen
People know my toys better than they know me. I co-founded Spin Master with my two best friends, and we spent over 31 years creating toys and entertainment that became part of childhoods worldwide. Growing up with a learning disability taught me to think differently, and it continues to guide my commitment to helping young people recognize their own potential.
Join me in exploring imagination and the power of play.
My family moved to Toronto from South Africa when I was five. It’s where I met Anton and Ben, childhood friends who would become my co-founders. At ten, I was lucky to be assessed with dysgraphia, a learning disability. And I say “lucky” because had it not been identified, school would’ve been impossible.
You have to embrace the way your brain functions. Mine forced me to be empathetic and rely on my intuition, qualities that have served me well as an entrepreneur. While I barely got into university, and graduated with average grades, it led to something more important: a partnership with my friends, and a business that would change our lives.
It all started with a nylon stocking full of grass seed.
See the world differently.
I’ve come to think of being in business as an artistic pursuit. It’s a bit like painting a canvas: you decide what kind of culture you want your company to have, how you want to treat people, and the values and integrity that show up in the work.
The Ronnen Harary Foundation
I started my foundation in 2020 with two goals: to help make public spaces in Jerusalem more welcoming, and to help young people with learning disabilities reach their academic potential. In five short years, the scope has grown significantly.
MEAD and International Policy
I’m also deeply involved with MEAD, which I helped launch in 2024. It’s an invitation-only gathering of 250 leaders from Canada, Israel, the U.S., and the Arab world, and the first of its kind to bring such a diverse group of policymakers and thought leaders into one room.
This year, I’ve taken on a more formal role as Chairman of the MEAD Foundation. With confirmed interest from several senior U.S. government officials, the president of the U.A.E., Arab and Gulf foreign ministers, and Israeli political leaders, we’re working to build stronger regional consensus around a shared roadmap forward.
Whether I’m funding scholarships or reimagining philanthropy through play, I meet people where they are. My hope is to offer the next generation the support they need to realize their full potential, and grow on their own terms.
In the future I imagine, schools don’t reward strictly conventional learners. They ignite curiosity in everyone. Play isn’t a break from learning. It’s where some of the most important learning begins, and no child should wonder if they have what it takes.
My hope is to help build a world where imagination and information are valued equally, and where every young person feels seen, inspired, and empowered to lead.
This inspired Spin Master’s creation of The Toy Movement, delivering joy to children in crisis. It also motivated our long-running events with Toronto’s Children’s Breakfast Clubs.
Through my foundation, I’ve expanded that mission to support green public spaces, scholarships for students with learning disabilities, and schools like Musrara, which blends art with social impact.
More recently, I’ve focused on homelessness in Tel Aviv, where we’re building a not-for-profit residence with furnished units, community support, and job opportunities. Throughout, my goal has been the same: to help people reach their full potential with dignity and care.
It’s the heartbeat of what I do. Play is imagination in motion; it encourages kids to explore and take risks. That same spirit fuels creativity and innovation at every age.
I witness this every time a child picks up a toy. Play teaches us to connect and understand one another.
This brings it all to life. After all, imagination and empathy only matter when they’re put to work. After all, meaningful change comes from thoughtful steps.
In the future I imagine, schools don’t reward strictly conventional learners. They ignite curiosity in everyone. Play isn’t a break from learning. It’s where some of the most important learning begins, and no child should wonder if they have what it takes.
My hope is to help build a world where imagination and information are valued equally, and where every young person feels seen, inspired, and empowered to lead.
