Profile

Claude was born in Johannesburg on March 21, 1944 to Lotte Heimann (née Rosenberg) and Wilhelm Otto “Bill” Heimann. He attended Wits University, from which he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1966. In 1969, he married Adele Masail. The marriage was held at the Pine Street Synagogue in Johannesburg. The young couple initially lived in Johannesburg, where they had two children, Nicole Heidi and Marc Steven.

After working in market research for a short time, Claude accepted a position as research director for Reader’s Digest in South Africa. From early on, Claude had been of the opinion that there would not be a peaceful solution to apartheid and he cherished the hope that Reader’s Digest might be able to transfer him and his family to another country. In 1981, an opportunity arose for him to assume a similar position at the Canadian edition of Reader’s Digest. In May 1981, Claude and his family moved to Toronto, initially living at Glengrove Manor on Yonge Street before relocating to Thornhill.

In 1990, Claude left Reader’s Digest to become a partner in Totum Research. Throughout his career, he has served on various boards and committees including the research committee of PMB and the board of directors of CARF, for whom he served as technical director. In addition to this work, he has been active on the board of Temple Har Zion, holding a variety of positions including vice president, vice president for worship, treasurer, and president.