Eric Sprott kicks off 10th anniversary celebrations

Eric Sprott is coming home. The well-known investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Carleton alumnus will be speaking at an event to kick off celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. in Porter Hall.

But this won’t be a typical birthday party. Recognized by investment experts as a financial visionary, Sprott will take a hard look at the world economic crisis, exploring risk and the need for a financial system reset.

“The world economy is still so uncertain; we’ve got tremendous pessimism, people earning less while the cost of living is going up, and we’ve got an aging demographic which affects our ability, as a society, to cover the costs of our pensions, our health care and education systems,” said Sprott. “The same old ways of thinking about these challenges won’t address the financial crisis we’re faced with. We need to rethink our approach and the financial system needs a reset.”

Titled “The World Economic Crisis: Challenges and Solutions,” the talk will include input from international investment expert and radio commentator, John Budden, as well as Longwave Analytics President Ian Gordon.

“Eric Sprott is a treasured member of the Carleton University family, going back to his days as a student here,” said Roseann O’Reilly Runte, Carleton’s president and vice-chancellor. “His contributions to Carleton have had a tremendous impact on the quality of the student experience here and we are delighted to have him join us as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Sprott School of Business. I have no doubt that his talk will inspire, provoke and engage our community.”

Known for his outspoken views and willingness to challenge the status quo, Sprott has strong ties to Carleton. In 1965, he graduated from Carleton with a degree in commerce before going on to a successful career in the financial industry. In 1996, he endowed a student bursary fund – to which he has contributed over $5 million – that now helps more than 1,000 individual students each year. In 2001, Sprott donated $10 million to the School of Business which was renamed in his honour. Thanks to Sprott’s active involvement, the Sprott School of Business has been able – over the last 10 years – to offer students annual funding, teaching opportunities and support that allows them to attend academic conferences. Sprott’s generosity has also touched the Ottawa Hospital Foundation and many other charities. In 2003, Carleton University awarded Sprott a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in recognition of an outstanding career.

About the speakers

Eric Sprott, FCA

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Senior Portfolio Manager

Eric Sprott has accumulated 40 years of experience in the investment industry. After earning his designation as a chartered accountant, Eric entered the investment industry as a research analyst at Merrill Lynch. In 1981, he founded Sprott Securities (now called Cormark Securities Inc.), which today is one of Canada’s largest independently owned securities firms. After establishing Sprott Asset Management Inc. in December 2001 as a separate entity, Eric divested his entire ownership of Sprott Securities to its employees.

Eric’s investment abilities are well represented in his track record of managing the Sprott Hedge Fund L.P., Sprott Hedge Fund L.P. II, Sprott Bull/Bear RSP Fund, Sprott Offshore Funds, Sprott Canadian Equity Fund and Sprott Managed Accounts. Sprott and his companies have won many awards. In 2010, the Sprott Capital L.P. Fund was awarded “Hedge Fund of the Year” at the Absolute Return Awards in New York. In 2011, Sprott was named “Top Financial Visionary in Canada” by Advisor.ca.

John Budden

Investment Consultant and Radio Commentator

John Budden has 47 years of diverse domestic and international investment experience. Host of CFRA’s Sprott Market Insights, Budden is a frequent commentator on markets, both from an international and local perspective. Budden spent the first 25 years of his career in Europe and Canada followed by 10 years operating from Boston before returning to Ottawa in 2002. He uses his extensive experience to give relevant insights into evolving global investment trends and opportunities.

Ian Gordon

President, Longwave Analytics

The son of a British military officer, Ian followed in his father’s footsteps and graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He served as a platoon commander in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). Four years later, in 1967, Gordon immigrated to Canada where he entered the History Department at the University of Manitoba—a decision that has had a profound impact on his career to this day. His Longwave theory has allowed him to accurately predict the end of the massive equity bull market and also accurately predict the beginnings of the current gold bull market as well as the global financial crisis in which we currently find ourselves