RIM's Executive Team
To download any of the photos below, please visit our downloads page.
Jim Balsillie
Co-Chief Executive Officer Research In Motion
Jim Balsillie is Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), a position he has held since 1992. At RIM, Jim is responsible for driving corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales, and finance.
A native of Peterborough Ontario, Jim earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Harvard University, and is a Chartered Accountant.
The success of RIM and its flagship BlackBerry wireless solution has provided Jim with the opportunity to give back to his community and country. In 2002, he announced a major endowment gift to establish the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a non-profit, non-partisan research institution based in Waterloo dedicated to improving approaches to transnational policy issues in the new global economy. This new institute will be a world center for research, scholarship and outreach.
In addition to his commitment to the new Institute, Jim is a founding donor of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and a patron of the Grand River Hospital where his leadership gift helped establish a new cancer care center. He is a major donor to RIM Park in the City of Waterloo and principal benefactor for the Balsillie Collection of Roy Studio Images in his native Peterborough. Most recently, Jim helped establish the Waterloo Regional Children's Museum, a unique facility where art and technology meet to stimulate creativity and motivate learning.
Jim's commitment to the community and innovation in business leadership is widely recognized. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and Dalhousie University, and was also elected a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (FCA), the highest designation that the Institute confers.
Jim is also a noted athlete, passionate fitness advocate and role model for his friends and colleagues. He was Athlete of the Year at Trinity College, University of Toronto, plays hockey and golf at competitive levels, and coaches his son's soccer and basketball teams. He currently trains and competes in Men's Long Course Triathlons.
Mike Lazaridis
President and Co-Chief Executive Officer Research In Motion
Mike Lazaridis is known in the global wireless community as a visionary, innovator, and engineer of extraordinary talent. He traces his passion for his work to his hometown of Windsor, Ontario where his love of science and fascination with electronics were nurtured in supportive family and school environments.
As President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), a company Mr. Lazaridis founded while a student at the University of Waterloo, he is responsible for product strategy, research and development, product development, and manufacturing.
Mr. Lazaridis is also a leader in his community and a passionate advocate for education and scientific research. He is a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Ontario Research and Innovation Council, and a Governor of the Information Technology Association of Canada. Mr. Lazaridis is also a long-standing member of the Board of Governors of the University of Waterloo and, in May 2003, was installed as its Chancellor.
Mr. Lazaridis supports his community and country through generous philanthropic gifts made possible by his success in business. He has donated $50 million to the University of Waterloo to help establish the Institute for Quantum Computing.
His most noted gift of $100 million established the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Mr. Lazaridis' leadership and tireless effort have generated more than $100 million in additional private and public sector funding for this world centre of excellence, based in Waterloo and affiliated with more than 30 Canadian universities. Since its opening in 2001, Perimeter has attracted the attention of the world's scientific community.
In recognition of his technical innovations, the University of Waterloo awarded Mr. Lazaridis with an honorary Doctor of Engineering in 2000 and McMaster University awarded him with an honorary Doctorate in 2005. In 2002, Mr. Lazaridis shared Canada's most prestigious innovation prize, The Ernest C. Manning Principal Award, with RIM colleague Gary Mousseau.
Like his engineering and scientific work, Mr. Lazaridis' community achievements have been widely recognized. He was named an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2006 and was listed on the TIME 100 List of Most Influential People in 2005. Mr. Lazaridis is a member of Maclean's Honour Role of distinguished Canadians, is a recipient of the 2002 Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Community Leader of the Year Award and has been previously recognized as Canada's Nation Builder of the Year and Ontario's Entrepreneur of the Year.
Dennis Kavelman
Chief Operating Officer
Dennis Kavelman is Chief Operating Officer, Administration and Operations at Research In Motion, where he oversees business operations, product lines and regional markets including Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Dennis joined RIM in 1995 and oversaw RIM’s financial operations for more than 10 years. During this time RIM listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and completed several equity offerings totaling US$1.8 billion. Dennis is a Chartered Accountant, finishing first in Canada on the CICA Uniform Final Examination. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Prior to joining RIM, Dennis held various positions at KPMG. Dennis is currently treasurer of the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo.
Don Morrison
Chief Operating Officer
Don Morrison is COO, BlackBerry at Research In Motion. Don oversees all domestic and international operations focusing on the development and execution of a world-class, customer-driven organization to support the BlackBerry wireless solution.
Before joining RIM in 2000, Don undertook a number of senior leadership positions in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Middle East with AT&T and Bell Canada.
Don holds an MBA and BA from the University of Toronto, and also participated in the Executive Program at the University of Virginia, Darden Business School.
Larry Conlee
Chief Operations Officer
Larry Conlee is COO, Engineering and Manufacturing at Research In Motion. He oversees RIM's engineering and manufacturing groups to help realize and expand upon RIM's longstanding vision for 'Always On, Always Connected' computing and communications solutions.
Prior to joining RIM in 2001, Larry held numerous senior leadership positions at Motorola.
Larry holds a BA in Physics from McMurry University, Abilene, Texas and an MBA, M.S. Management, Cum Laude from Lake Forest School of Management, Lake Forest, Illinois.
Robin Bienfait
Chief Information Officer
Robin Bienfait is the CIO of Research In Motion. Robin oversees BlackBerry Operations and Corporate IT.
Prior to joining RIM, Robin held senior leadership positions within AT&T Labs and Global Network Services.
A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a master’s degree in Management of Technology, Robin also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Central Missouri State University and an associate in business degree from Maryland University – European Division.
Brian Bidulka
Chief Accounting Officer
Brian Bidulka is Chief Accounting Officer at Research In Motion serving as the Company's senior financial officer overseeing all financial reporting and compliance activities.
Prior to joining RIM in 2005, Brian held numerous finance positions at Molson Inc. and Ernst & Young LLP.
Brian received his Chartered Accountant's designation in 1989 and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University.
David Yach
Chief Technology Officer, Software
David Yach is the CTO for Software at Research In Motion. David oversees and manages the development of software that has helped RIM become a world leader in the mobile communications market. David's teams create software ranging from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to the applications, operating systems and radio firmware on BlackBerry Smartphones.
Prior to joining RIM in 1998, David held various leadership positions at Sybase Inc.
David holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.
