Education/training
Grad taking over the financial world, one bid at a timeIf Ian Ball's life was a movie it would be Wall Street meets Boiler Room with a little of The Apprentice thrown in for good measure. At the tender age of 22, he was one of the youngest-ever vice-presidents of a publicly traded Canadian company -- and that was just the beginning. ALLISON ROSNAK |
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 [ 2007-02-28 ] |
At age 22, Ian Ball was one of the youngest-ever vice-presidents of a publicly traded Canadian company. (Toronto Sun 2007)
So, how do you go from a being a promising business administration student at Durham College in Oshawa, Ont., to taking the financial world by storm? According to Ball, you "think big and question fundamental assumptions."
The 2002 Durham graduate has achieved remarkable professional success in an extremely short period of time and is now vice-president of corporate development for McEwen Capital (McEwen)/ Lexam Explorations (Lexam) where he manages a 100,000-acre, $19-million oil and gas exploration project in Colorado.
Ball credits a close friend he met while attending Durham College with changing his life. "He challenged me to take a hard look at what you can accomplish if you aren't afraid to stand out from the pack. I was encouraged to think big, be different and work harder than everyone else."
SET GOALS IN COLLEGE
Ambitious from the start, Ball began to set goals for himself during his third year at Durham College. He had a simple plan -- achieve the highest GPA in his class; get into university; and score the top GPA in his university class.
After graduating with his three-year business administration diploma and the highest third-year GPA in his class, Ball was accepted to Ryerson University in Toronto, where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree, received the Philosophy Award of Merit, and graduated with the top GPA in his class. From there he was accepted into the Golden Key International Honour Society and the rest is financial history.
Always one with a goal, Ball continued to set the bar high -- he set his sights on becoming a vice-president by the time he was 25 with a net worth of $1 million; being CEO of a gold company by 27; and acting as CEO of the ultimate gold company in the world by the age of 29. With his first goal achieved by 22 and his second within arm's length, Ball continues to work hard to ensure he learns everything he needs to know in order to meet goals three and four.
With his career path strategically mapped from the start, he has dedicated himself to a number of significant endeavours since graduating from Durham College, including acting as head of Investor Relations at Goldcorp Inc.; playing a critical role in the creation of McEwen; restructuring Lexam from near bankruptcy to an active exploration company; and successfully completing a number of corporate mergers and acquisitions to the tune of $3.6 billion.
TAKEOVER DEAL
This past summer, McEwen's largest investment, Goldcorp Inc., proposed a $21.6-billion US takeover deal and despite only owning 1.5% of the company, McEwen made its bid to stop the takeover. In addition, Ball has helped McEwen become the controlling owner of 10 public companies; made four unsolicited takeover offers at the same time (believed to be a first in the world); and was involved in a successful $2.6-billion takeover while simultaneously defending a $3.6-billion hostile bid -- an impressive list of accomplishments for someone so young.
With youth on his side and the biggest financial playground on the planet at his fingertips, Ball remains a strong supporter of Durham's scholarship and bursary program, which is designed to assist other students with achieving their dream of a post-secondary education. He has established the annual Ian J. Ball Award, a financial award given to the business-marketing student who has made the greatest improvement in his or her GPA; was recognized as a Durham College Alumnus of Distinction in 2006 for his tremendous accomplishments and ongoing support of the college; and is a strong financial supporter of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine at Toronto General Hospital.
When asked for advice for high school students Ball said: "Although the majority of society dismisses the talent of youth, just take a look at the world's most successful companies -- Microsoft, Dell, eBay Inc., Google or Getty Oil -- each of these companies became leaders when their founders were young. The opportunities are there for those who really want them."
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