Company description
Research In Motion Limited (RIM) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information, including email, phone, text messaging (SMS and MMS), Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third-party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data.
RIMs portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, BlackBerry smartphones, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange
(TSX: RIM).
Team
Jim Balsillie (Co-CEO):
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.
