Mihalis "Mike" Lazaridis, OC, O.Ont (Greek: Μιχαήλ Λαζαρίδης; born March 14, 1961, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Greek Canadian businessman, founder and Vice Chairman of Research In Motion (RIM), which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. As a passionate advocate for the power of basic science to improve and transform the world, in 1999 he founded Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, where he also serves as Board Chair.[2] He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada. With an estimated net worth of $US 800 Million (as of June 2011), Lazaridis was ranked by Forbes as the 17th wealthiest Canadian and 651st in the world.[3]

Personal, education, and career history

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Greek parents (specifically Pontic), Lazaridis was five years old when his family moved to Canada in 1966, settling in Windsor, Ontario. At age 12, he won a prize at the Windsor Public Library for reading every science book in the library.[4] In 1979, he enrolled at the University of Waterloo in electrical engineering with an option in computer science. In 1984, Lazaridis responded to a request for proposal from General Motors to develop a network computer control display system.[5] GM awarded him a $600,000 contract. He dropped out of university that year, just two months before he was scheduled to graduate. The GM contract, a small government grant, and a $15,000 loan from Lazaridis's parents enabled Lazaridis, Mike Barnstijn, and Douglas Fregin to launch Research In Motion. One of the company's first achievements was the development of barcode technology for film. RIM plowed the profits from that into wireless data transmission research, eventually leading to the introduction of the BlackBerry wireless mobile device in 1999, and its better-known version in 2002.
Donations

On October 23, 2000, Lazaridis founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics with $100 million of personal funds, along with $10 million contributions from fellow RIM executives Jim Balsillie and Douglas Fregin.

On April 30, 2004, Lazaridis and his wife together donated $33.3 million to the University of Waterloo for its Institute for Quantum Computing.

On May 3, 2005, Lazaridis gave an additional $17.2 million to the University of Waterloo, primarily to aid the construction of a new building jointly shared by the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

On June 4, 2008, a further donation of $50 million to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics was announced.

As of June 5, 2009, by contributing a new gift of $25 million, Lazaridis and his wife have donated over $100 million to the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo.[6]
Awards and accolades

On October 21, 1999, Lazaridis received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo, and in June 2003, he became its eighth chancellor. He was named Canada's Nation Builder of the Year for 2002 by readers of The Globe and Mail newspaper. In 2006, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario.[7]

He received a Science and Technical award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1998 [1]
External links

PM Paul Martin Speech
Acceptance Speech
2012 AAAS Annual Conference Plenary Speech in Vancouver, BC

References

^ Babad, Michael (June 23, 2011). "Profile of Mike Lazaridis". Toronto: Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
^ Perimeter Institute Website
^ Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/wealth/billionaires/list?country=223&industry=-1&state=.
^ Article on Mihalis Lazaridis
^ Lazaridis, Mike, How I got started, The BlackBerry Boss, Fortune Magazine, April 27, 2009, p.20
^ http://newsrelease.uwaterloo.ca/news.php?id=5079
^ Order of Ontario appointments announced