Leadership

Peter Lovisek, CEO and Gallery Director 

Peter is a natural history specialist, consultant and entrepreneur with over two decades of industry experience. He was introduced to the fossil and mineral trade as a youth and founded Fossil Realm at the age of 17. Now a well-known advisor and broker, he regularly assists with the development of prestigious collections across the globe.

Exploring the natural world has been a lifelong endeavour for Peter. Family trips to collect fossils and prospect for minerals form some of his fondest childhood memories. In recent years, he's been fortunate enough to dig fossils at renowned sites, including the Green River Formation in southwestern Wyoming. Fossil Realm now acts as a platform to share his passion for natural science with a wide audience.

Peter's diverse interests inform his approach to acquisitions. He formally studied anthropology and cognitive science, yet is drawn to a broad range of fields, including evolutionary biology, cosmology and Eastern philosophy. By viewing an object through multiple lenses, he better appreciates its scientific, historical, and cultural significance. Moreover, Peter considers a specimen's beauty and presence to be highly important. His long time appreciation of the visual arts anchors his assessment of the aesthetic merit of any work or specimen. In this spirit, the Fossil Realm Collection is home to compelling pieces imbued with meaning. 

Born in Toronto, Peter resides in Ottawa with his lovely wife, Hélène, and rambunctious son, Jerome. An avid runner, he has competed in over ten marathons.

Jim Lovisek, Scientific Advisor

Jim's role as scientific advisor and business mentor was indispensable in the early years of Fossil Realm. His enthusiasm for the natural sciences was singular and his eagerness to converse about animals (alive or extinct) was memorable.  

Jim's professional life was coloured by a fascination for the natural world and an adventurous entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to a decades-long involvement in commercial paleontology, he worked as a research scientist (zoologist), educator, nature camp director, and animal trainer/wrangler in the film industry. 

After graduating from university in the mid-1970's, Jim spent several years in the Amazon jungle exploring the region's incredible wildlife. In Colombia, his scientific fieldwork concerned the endangered Amazonian manatee. Later, he studied Caiman Yacare, an elusive crocodilian living in the lowlands of Bolivia. Upon his return from South America, Jim was hired as a research associate at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto; he was involved in many more projects, including an archaeological dig in Belize.

Educating the public was a high priority for Jim. For 16 years he co-directed the Toronto Nature Centre summer camp with his wife, Liz. During this time he also presented hundreds of hands-on wildlife programs across Canada. 

Photo Credit: Nick Iwanyshyn / York Region Media Group