W. Brett Wilson is a widely recognised Canadian investment banker, business banker, businessman, investor and philanthropist who is well known for appearing in season 3 as a panellist on CBC Television’s ‘Dragons’ Den’. In 2015, Wilson was appointed a member of the Order of Canada’s Advisory Council, for his achievements and contributions.
Having graduated with a degree in both Civil Engineering and Entrepreneurship, Wilson went on to work for Imperial Oil initially, before co-founding an investment banking advisory firm, Wilson Mackie & Co, in 1991 and later founding First Energy Capital Corp in 1993. First Energy is a stock brokerage firm that offers investment banking services to global companies in the energy sector, with offices in Calgary and London. Wilson is a widely celebrated philanthropist and has taken on many initiatives to help charity, including climbing Mount Kililamjaro to support Alzheimer’s research, building homes in Mexico for the poor, establishing the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the University of Saaskatchewan in 2007, hosting many charity events, amongst others.
Wilson has appeared on television shows, including acting as a panellist on ‘Dragons’ Den’ and later taking part in his own series, ‘Risky Business’. A popular writer, Wilson regularly contributes to Oilweek, Alberta Venture and National Post and published his book, ‘Redefining Success: Still Making Mistakes’ with Penguin Books in 2012. Wilson has won several awards throughout his career, he has been named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 by Caldwell Partners, Top 20 Deal Makers in Canada by Globe & Mail, Business Person of the Year by Alberta Venture Magazine and many more.
