James Laurence Balsillie (born February 3, 1961) is a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He is the former Chair and co-CEO of the Canadian technology company Research In Motion (Blackberry), which at its prime made over $20B in sales annually.
Since leaving Blackberry in 2012, Balsillie has taken up a number of roles in Canadian business and society. He is the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo, the Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) think tank, and serves as Chair of the Canadian Council of Innovators.
Balsillie was born to an Ontario Hydro electrician in Seaforth, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1984, where he was also a member of the elite Zeta Psi fraternity. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.

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