Mr. Jim Balsillie, Founder and Chair Mr. Balsillie is the founder and chair of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). He is Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), a position he has held since 1992. At RIM, Mr. Balsillie is responsible for driving corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales and finance. The success of RIM and its flagship BlackBerry® wireless solution has provided Mr. Balsillie with the opportunity to give back to his community and country. In 2001, he announced a major endowment gift to establish CIGI, an international research institution founded to identify and develop ideas for global change. In addition to his commitment to CIGI, Mr. Balsillie is the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) and founding chair of the Canadian International Council (CIC). In 2010, Mr. Balsillie was appointed to the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, charged with formulating a new vision for sustainable growth in response to the growing risk of dangerous climate change. Mr. Balsillie is also a founding donor of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Mr. Balsillie earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Harvard University and is a Chartered Accountant. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, Dalhousie University and Trent University, and was also elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (FCA), the highest designation that the Institute confers. CIGI MEDIA CONTACT: Declan Kelly, Communications Specialist, CIGI Tel: 519.885.2444, ext. 356, Email: [email protected] The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, nonpartisan think tank on international governance. Led by experienced practitioners and distinguished academics, CIGI supports research, forms networks, advances policy debate and generates ideas for multilateral governance improvements. Conducting an active agenda of research, events and publications, CIGI’s interdisciplinary work includes collaboration with policy, business and academic communities around the world. CIGI was founded in 2001 by Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of RIM (Research In Motion), and collaborates with and gratefully acknowledges support from a number of strategic partners, in particular the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. For more information, please visit www.cigionline.org.