McCall MacBain received an MBA from Harvard Business School (1984),[4] an MA in Law (Jurisprudence) from Wadham College, Oxford (1982), as a Rhodes Scholar and an Honours BA in economics from McGill University (1980).
[13] He is also an avid skier, marathon runner, swimmer, ice hockey player and cyclist as well as a commercial land and sea pilot.
[18] Since its formation in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2007, the McCall MacBain Foundation has made approximately $500 million of grants to fund projects relating to education and scholarships, climate change and the environment and youth mental health.
[25] Additionally, McCall MacBain was honoured in 2014 as a Fellow of the Chancellor's Court of Benefactors at Oxford University and at Rhodes House, where his portrait hangs and a room bears his name.
[28][29] On June 30, 2016, McCall MacBain was named an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston for "his achievements as a business leader and for his contributions to academic institutions as a philanthropist.