One of the “most powerful Canadians” has stepped up and pledged to donate millions towards Wilfrid Laurier University. Mike Lazaridis, co-founder of BlackBerry, announced intentions of investing $20 million to create the Lazaridis Institute for the Management of Technology Enterprises, with the Ontario government joining in for a $15 million contribution.
The partnership with WLU is intended to help “create a management institute that will enhance business programs and support the growth of a globally competitive technology industry in Canada.” The school will assist individuals and Canadian startups of all sizes to understand what it takes to succeed, compete, and grow on a global scale.
Mike Lazaridis, who has been inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, said, “this investment in the Laurier School of Business & Economics builds on the world-class research institutions that have been established in Waterloo and the deep culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in this region. This institute will play a fundamental role in developing business managers with the tools necessary to build globally competitive high-technology businesses including those in the Quantum Valley.”
The Lazaridis Institute will be housed in the $103-million state-of-the-art building within Laurier on University Avenue in Waterloo.
“This will be a world-class institute designed to ensure that Canadian technology companies have the management talent and knowledge to compete in global markets,” said Micheál Kelly, Dean of the Laurier School of Business & Economics.