Ian Telfer has been Chairman of Goldcorp since 2006 and was Chief Executive Officer of Goldcorp and its predecessor Wheaton River Minerals from 2001 to 2006. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, he transformed the company into one of the world’s largest gold mining companies. He also served as Chairman of the World Gold Council from 2009-2013..
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Canada, and member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and Institute of Corporate Directors. With over 30 years’ experience in the precious metals business, he has served as a director and officer of several Canadian and international companies, and developed and operated mines in 12 countries throughout North and South America, Asia and Australia.
Ian Telfer was born in Oxford, England, but the family moved back to Canada when he was a toddler, first to Moose Jaw and then to the Downsview neighbourhood of Toronto, where Ian grew up. He earned a BA in political science from the University of Toronto, in 1968 and an MBA from the University of Ottawa in 1976.
Over the years, Ian Telfer has been recognized for his contributions and achievements, including awards from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the BC &Yukon Chamber of Mines. He has been named Newsmaker of the Year by Business in Vancouver, selected as Western Canada’s Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst &Young. In 2013, he was named one of Canada’s top 25 most powerful business people and listed in Canadian Business Magazine’s "The Power 50.” In January 2015 he was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame.
In addition to his impressive business accomplishments, Ian Telfer is known for his philanthropic endeavors. On May 8, 2007, he made the most generous ever pledge to a Canadian business school when he donated $25 million to the University of Ottawa’s School of Management, a School that is now honoured to bear his name.