The Telfer name is highly regarded at uOttawa and within the Canadian business community. It’s because of Ian Telfer (MBA ’76, Honorary Doctorate ’15) and his legacy establishing and leading some of the world’s most prominent mining and resource companies.
Telfer is also recognized for his philanthropic contributions. His transformational gift of $25 million to uOttawa in 2007 was the largest individual donation ever received by a Canadian business school. The Telfer School of Management was established and named in his honour, and its alumni carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit and vision that Telfer has exhibited throughout his career.
Before Telfer was a notable business leader, he was a 25-year-old working in what he described as “nondescript sales jobs.” With a desire to reboot his life, Telfer applied to MBA programs across Canada. He faced rejection after rejection—but the day before class was set to begin, he was accepted into uOttawa’s MBA program.
“That changed my life,” Telfer said of the acceptance and of becoming a Gee-Gee. “That’s why I love Ottawa U. If they hadn’t called me, who knows what I’d be doing now, because that kick-started everything.”
Graduating with his MBA, Telfer started as a financial analyst with Hudson Bay Mining. Though he didn’t intend to stay in the mining and resource industry, it became the sector where his star would rise in the coming decades.
Telfer earned his reputation as a financially astute and visionary mining entrepreneur by building a series of companies through timely acquisitions and value-driven mergers. The companies he founded or led—TVX Gold in Brazil, Wheaton River (which later merged with Goldcorp), Silver Wheaton, Terrane Minerals, Uranium One, and others—reached a combined market capitalization of more than $50 billion at their peak.
In recognition of his career achievements, Telfer was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, and is frequently recognized as one of Canada’s most powerful business people.
Regardless of his business commitments, Telfer remains one of uOttawa’s greatest ambassadors. He’s a member of the Telfer School of Management’s Strategic Leadership Cabinet, where he collaborates with other executive leaders to identify how the business community and public sector can continue strengthening the school.
In addition to sharing his extensive knowledge with students, staff, and faculty, Telfer continues to put his money where his name is. He donated an additional $2 million to uOttawa in 2015 and $750,000 in 2022. A portion of this most recent gift was directed towards various Gee-Gees varsity sports teams and the rest to support student experience.
As a gracious nod to his last minute acceptance into uOttawa, Telfer also established a scholarship awarded each year to the MBA student accepted to the Telfer School of Management with the lowest grades. His own illustrious career is a testament to how you can start at the bottom and rise from there.
Said Telfer in 2022 when reflecting on his philanthropic contributions to uOttawa, especially his initial $25 million gift: “That donation has been one of the most important things I did in my whole life because it allowed me to meet so many people and learn so much. It’s helped the school and it’s been an incredibly positive experience all the way around.”
Watch Ian Telfer's acceptance speech.