Ian Telfer

Ian Telfer is a British-born Canadian mining executive, entrepreneur and former chairman of Goldcorp Inc. Besides leading Goldcorp, he is known for founding and leading other Canadian mining companies, including TVX Gold, Silver Wheaton Corp., and Uranium One, as well as for his philanthropic efforts that include a donation of $25 million to the University of Ottawa's School of Management, now the Telfer School of Management.

Early life and education

Ian Telfer was born in Oxford, England. Telfer's father, John Telfer, served as a Royal Air Force pilot, then as an accountant, while his mother worked as a schoolteacher. Telfer graduated with an uncertainty as to what to do with his life and what his next step would be.

At age twenty-five, following five years of working at "nondescript" sales jobs, Telfer earned his certified accountant credentials,

Wheaton River Minerals Inc.

After a five-year lull, in 2002, the price of gold began to see a rebound. In 2001, Telfer was approached by mining financier, Frank Giustra. At the time, gold was still trading at a low $300 an ounce level. Together, Telfer and Giustra discussed plans of re-entering the gold market and finding an appropriate investment vehicle to do so. Giustra pinpointed Wheaton River Minerals, which at the time was a shell company with $5 to $10 million and 6 employees. When IamGold shareholders rejected the merger, it left the door open for a different merger.

In 2004, Wheaton River merged with established Goldcorp Inc. in a $2.4-billion share swap that saw Goldcorp absorbing Wheaton River. Following the merger, Goldcorp's board of directors appointed Telfer as Goldcorp's new chief executive officer. In 2006, Telfer led in Goldcorp's friendly acquisition of Glamis Gold, a merger that at the time created the world's third largest gold mining company. The new, larger company retained the Goldcorp name. The merger also shifted Telfer from chief executive officer of Goldcorp to the company's chairman.

Silver Wheaton Corp.

In April 2005, Wheaton River Minerals faced a hostile bid for its silver assets by Coeur Mining Inc., then called Coeur d’Alene Mines. Rather than accepting the hostile bid, Telfer led in separating off Wheaton River Minerals’ silver assets into a new company to be called Silver Wheaton Corp. Telfer was also instrumental in brainstorming the concept behind Silver Wheaton, which is a mining company that does not do any mining itself, but instead acquires silver byproduct from other mining companies that are focused on other precious metals.

In April 2006, Telfer stepped down from his role as director of Silver Wheaton Corp.

Other companies

In addition to his work with Wheaton River Minerals and Goldcorp, Telfer has founded and led other mining companies. In 2006, Telfer and Frank Giustra formed UrAsia Energy, a uranium producer operating a mine in Kazakhstan. Telfer served as UrAsia's chairman.

Telfer is also the co-founder of Renaissance Oil Corp., an oil company currently developing shale and oil fields in Mexico. Telfer launched Renaissance Oil after Mexico began privatizing its oil and gas industry.

Charitable work

Over the years, Ian Telfer has contributed to a number of philanthropic causes. In a 2011 interview, Telfer commented that because personal wealth came to him relatively late in life, it has allowed him to think beyond his own personal gain and place a higher value in philanthropic endeavors.

Telfer has been a supporter of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and the Vancouver Playhouse. Telfer has also been a supporter of The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, donating $500,000 to the foundation in 2014.

In 2008, Telfer pledged $3 million to the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative.

University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management

In 2007, Telfer donated $25 million to the University of Ottawa's School of Management, which at the time was the largest donation ever given to the University of Ottawa. It was also believed to be at the time the largest single gift ever given to a Canadian business school. Following Telfer's donation to the school, the University of Ottawa's School of Management was renamed the Telfer School of Management.

In addition to this donation, Telfer established a scholarship at the Telfer School of Management awarded each year to the MBA student accepted to the school with the lowest grades. Telfer was awarded Ernst & Young's 2007 Western Canada Entrepreneur of the year. In 2015, Telfer was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. That same year, Telfer was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Ottawa.

In 2015, the philanthropic contributions of Telfer and his wife were recognized at the "10th Annual Global Forum on Human Settlements" held at the Headquarters of the United Nations In New York.

In 2016, Telfer was inducted into the Business Laureates of British Columbia Telfer has also been the recipient of the Murray Pezim Award presented by The Association for Mineral Exploration.

Telfer often speaks on lessons he has learned during his career and has emphasized the importance of taking advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

Personal life Telfer is married and has two children.