W. Brett Wilson
Encyclopedia
Brett Wilson is a Canadian entrepreneur, member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, philanthropist and the lead deal making panellist or "Dragon" of all-time on CBC's Gemini Award-winning Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den (Canada)
Dragons' Den is a Canadian television reality show, based on the internationally franchised Dragons' Den format, in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hopes of securing business financing. The show debuted on October 3, 2006 on CBC Television...
. Wilson was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan
North Battleford, Saskatchewan
In the late 2000s a large number of Ruthenians have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Battlefords area was home to several aboriginal groups...
. Wilson was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011.
Career
Wilson graduated from the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree and worked for Imperial Oil for three plus years in the oilfields of western Canada. He then graduated from the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
’s MBA program as the first person to graduate with a specialization in entrepreneurship in 1985, and began work as an investment banker with McLeod Young Weir Limited (now ScotiaMcLeod or Scotia Capital). Wilson co-founded an investment banking advisory firm, Wilson Mackie & Co., in 1991 - a firm that enjoyed considerable success brokering oil and gas companies and properties.
In 1993, with Rick Grafton, Jim Davidson and N. Murray Edwards
N. Murray Edwards
N. Murray Edwards is a Canadian businessmen and a co-owner of the Calgary Flames hockey team. With an estimated net worth of $US 2.2 billion , Edwards was ranked by Forbes as the 14th wealthiest Canadian and 540th in the world.- Background :Edwards studied at the University of Saskatchewan,...
, he co-founded FirstEnergy Capital Corp., now a leading Canadian stock brokerage firm that provides investment-banking services to global participants in the energy sector - via offices in Calgary, AB and London, England. The firm is now owned as to 20% by Societe General out of France. Wilson retired from active duty at FirstEnergy in July 2007 but retained his role as chairman of the company until December 2008. His primary holding company, Prairie Merchant Corporation, is the vehicle from which he makes most of his investments. In October 2008 Wilson became a leading investor in Derby County F.C.
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Derby are currently playing in the Npower
Npower (UK)
RWE Npower plc is a UK-based electricity and gas supply generation company, formerly known as Innogy plc. As Innogy plc it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, the highest division of The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and second-highest division overall in the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
after the Premier League.
In 2010, Wilson became chairman of Canoe Financial, a privately owned investment management firm with over $2.0 billion in assets focused on providing investors with unique opportunities to profit from Canada’s increasing prominence on the global stage.
After announcing his departure from Dragon's Den in early 2011, he launched his own entrepreneurship-themed series, Risky Business, which aired on Slice in the fall of 2011.
In November 2011, Wilson purchased a 5% interest in the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the NHL.
Philanthropy
A more comprehensive overview of his community activities can be found on his personal website - but even that listing is incomplete, however it has useful info. Wilson is extremely active in the charitable community, having given, and engaged others to give, tens of millions to nonprofit initiatives. He often takes a hands-on approach to philanthropy, including shaving his head to support Kids Cancer Care, and climbing Mount KilimanjaroMount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
to support Alzheimer’s research. He has for many years made annual trips with Youth with a Mission
Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization...
to Mexico to build homes with his family.
Wilson has focused his philanthropic initiatives on his home provinces of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. He is a supporter of his alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
, and established the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence there in 2007.
In May 2007, Wilson quarterbacked one of the largest fundraisers held in Calgary - a joint 50th birthday party with 12 other community leaders - raising over $3 million for awareness and support of prostate cancer. He then co-chaired the David Foster Foundation event in Calgary in September 2007 which raised over $3 million for families of children requiring organ transplants. In 2009, the Foster event won an award for Best Event Produced for a Non-Profit from the Special Events Magazine International Gala Awards He is now helping out the Tomorrow Project - the largest research study ever undertaken in Alberta, the goal of which is to discover more about what causes cancer, so that it may be prevented in the future.
He is active on profiling and funding research into the issue of domestic abuse, and has funded the Wilson Centre for Domestic Abuse Studies at the Calgary Counselling Centre. He is a supporter of the Canadian Olympic Swim Team and made a significant donation toward the men’s 2008 Beijing relay team training. He also supports the sport of volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and now owns the Rally Pointe volleyball centre in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. A much more extensive list of his philanthropic relationships can be found on his personal website.
Personal
Wilson was married to his engineering classmate Pamela Janzen in 1981. They divorced in 2001. They have three children - currently 20, 23 and 26.Selected Awards
- Canada’s Top 40 under 40 - Caldwell Partners (1997)
- Top 20 Deal Makers in Canada - Globe & Mail (1999)
- Top 10 list of M&A specialists in Canada - Globe & Mail - (2000)
- Management Alumni Excellence (MAX) Award, University of Calgary, Haskayne School of Business (2003)
- International Legacy of Honour, Young Presidents Organization - recognizing the global YPO leader who best exemplifies commitment to excellence in business, community orientation and the ideals of YPO (2004)
- Spirit of Giving Award - Association of Fundraising Professionals (2005)
- University of Calgary Top 40 Alumni (2006–2007)
- Calgary’s Person of the Year - Avenue Magazine (2007)
- University of Saskatchewan Alumni Award of Achievement (2007)
- University of Saskatchewan Top 100 Alumni (2007)
- Distinguished Lecturer, CJ Mackenzie Banquet, University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering (2008)
- Business Person of the Year - Alberta Venture Magazine (2008)
- Nation Builder Award - Canadian Youth Business Foundation (2009)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, Royal Roads University (2010)
- One of Calgary's Top 10 New Mavericks (2010)
- City of Calgary Signature Award – for bringing significant recognition to Calgary (2010)
- Appointment to the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(2011)