Ivey graduate Mac Van Wielingen, HBA ’75, has been appointed a Member to the Order of Canada, recognizing his visionary leadership in ethical governance and corporate responsibility, and for his transformative advocacy of collaborative philanthropy.
This year’s 99 honourees were announced Dec. 29, 2022, by the Right Honourable Mary Simon, governor general of Canada.
Van Wielingen is the founder and chair of Viewpoint Group and a co-founder of Viewpoint Investment Partners (VIP). He was also the founder, director and partner (present) of ARC Financial Corporation, the largest private equity investment management company in Canada focused on the energy sector.
Hailing from Calgary, Van Wielingen is an original member of the Business Council of Alberta, where he currently serves as chair of the board.
He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Corporate Directors, and was part of the Alberta Economic Recovery Council (ERC) from March 2020 to July 2022, and previously served on the advisory committee that created the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC).
In an event hosted at the Ivey Business School in 2010, Van Wielingen said his secret to success has been a commitment to knowledge and values, such as trust, competence, character and commitment. He noted the importance of creating an open organizational culture where employees feel respected, cared for and valued.
“People expect certain things of you – that you’ll create a sense of predictability and safety. It sounds like soft stuff, but this is the stuff for avoiding failure,” he said. “If you create safety for people during decision making, you get vulnerability, information sharing, innovation and risk-taking.”
Since it’s inception in 1967, the Order of Canada was established as one of the country’s highest honours, recognizing people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to the nation.
