Brett Wilson (born on July 1, 1957) is a Canadian entrepreneur, member of the Order of Canada, philanthropist and the lead deal making panellist or "Dragon" of all-time on CBC's Gemini Award-winning Dragons' Den. Wilson was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Wilson was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011.[1]
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Wilson graduated from the University of Saskatchewan 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’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, 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 are currently playing in the Npower Championship,[2] the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system 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.[3]
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.[4]
In November 2011, Wilson purchased a 5% interest in the Nashville Predators of the NHL.[5]
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 Kilimanjaro to support Alzheimer’s research. He has for many years made annual trips with Youth with a Mission to Mexico to build homes with his family.
Wilson has focused his philanthropic initiatives on his home provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He is a supporter of his alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan, and established the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence there in 2007.[6]
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 [7] 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.[8] He is a supporter of the Canadian Olympic Swim Team and made a significant donation toward the men’s 2008 Beijing relay team training.[9] He also supports the sport of volleyball, and now owns the Rally Pointe volleyball centre in Calgary. A much more extensive list of his philanthropic relationships can be found on his personal website.
Wilson was married to his engineering classmate Pamela Janzen in 1981. They divorced in 2001. They have three children - currently 20, 23 and 26.