Full Biography
Michael Wilson was the former Chairman of Barclays Capital Canada Inc. Based in Toronto, Mr. Wilson joined the firm on June 14, 2010 and was responsible for managing Barclays Capital’s client relationships in Canada. Previously, Mr. Wilson was Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America from March 13, 2006 to October 9, 2009. Prior to taking up his position as Canada’s 22nd Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Wilson was Chairman of UBS Canada, an operating division of UBS AG. Before joining UBS in July 2001, Mr. Wilson was responsible for RBC Financial Group's Institutional Asset Management business. He also served as a Vice Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities, responsible for senior client relationships and advice to both Canadian and international companies and governments. Following his service in government, Mr. Wilson launched Michael Wilson International in 1993 to offer corporate clients advice on international trade and related issues. Mr. Wilson was elected to the House of Commons in 1979. In September 1984, he was appointed Minister of Finance and remained in that position until May 1991. He then became Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Minister for International Trade. In this latter position he had responsibility for the NAFTA negotiations. During his tenure as a member of the Cabinet, Mr. Wilson represented Canada at the G-7, IMF, World Bank, OECD, GATT and other international Ministers meetings. Prior to his career in public life, Mr. Wilson's career was in investment banking with various responsibilities in corporate, government and international finance. He was also Director of a number of companies including BP plc and Manulife Financial. Mr. Wilson was active in a number of professional and community organizations, including NeuroScience Canada Partnership, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. He received a number of awards for his work in these fields, as well as from The Conference Board of Canada, The Public Policy Forum and The Rotman School of Business. Mr. Wilson was a Companion of the Order of Canada and has honorary degrees from the University of Toronto, York University and Trinity College at the University of Toronto.