Mac Van Wielingen
Founder and President
Mac is a veteran energy executive, private equity investor, corporate director, and philanthropist. His unconventional corporate idealism has been developed through extensive experience in building businesses and by his knowledge as a self-described “student of business.” As the Founder and President of Viewpoint Group, his role is to oversee the entire team, and offer support, guidance and thought leadership. He embodies the values that Viewpoint was built on, and his vision continues to underpin and guide the team. Within the office, Mac spends his time primarily in two areas: Viewpoint Investment Partners and Viewpoint Research.
Mac increased his efforts in advancing ethical leadership after the 2008-2009 financial crisis, when he felt an urgent sense of concern and responsibility for the current state of business. This interest led to the philanthropic donation and co-founding of the Canadian Centre for Advanced Leadership at the Haskayne School of Business in 2012. His lifelong passion for learning and sharing keeps him actively involved in speaking engagements, writing pursuits and community events, with the goal of advancing dialogue and catalyzing positive change among directors and business leaders. Since 2010, Van Wielingen has participated in over 65 speaking engagements and has published two articles with The Conference Board of Canada (2015; 2017) focused on “The Evolving Role of the Corporate Board.”
While Mac is somewhat of a modern-day philosopher in the leadership field, and has enjoyed being able to devote more time to Viewpoint in this capacity in recent years, his knowledge, expertise, and primary experience is the product of over 35 years in the financial and energy sectors. He is a founder and Director of ARC Financial Corporation, a private equity investment management company focused on the Canadian energy sector with approximately $5 billion of capital under management. ARC Financial has invested in over 170 businesses, with ownership control in most, providing Van Wielingen with a unique foundation of experience and understanding relating to the challenges and realities of building businesses.
He is also a founder and former Chair of ARC Resources Ltd. In 2015, ARC Resources was ranked #1 in Brendan Wood International’s Shareholder Confidence Index in the Energy and Power Group, and was selected as the TopGun Board of the Year in 2015/16 when Van Wielingen was Chairman of the Board. ARC Resources remains recognized as a top Board, ranking among the top 1% of 1400 companies surveyed globally by Brendan Wood International in 2017. In addition, the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance selected ARC Resources as the 2016 recipient of the Governance Gavel Award, presented for the Best Disclosure of Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation Practices.
In 2007, Mac became one of the original directors of Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), Canada's fifth largest investment management company in Canada with approximately $100 billion under management. In 2014, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors, a position he held until the Fall of 2017. Van Wielingen’s role at AIMCo is supported by his longstanding reputation in the Alberta community as an entrepreneurial investor and company builder. In addition to the above, Mac has served as a director of numerous companies in the energy sector and is active in various capacities in the community and not-for-profit sector.
Mac is an honours graduate of the Ivey School of Business in finance and has studied post-graduate economics at Harvard University. He has received numerous forms of recognition, including: Fraser Institute Founders' Award, 2017; Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureate, 2016; Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors, 2016; Chairman of the Year, Alberta Oil, 2015; Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Calgary, 2014; Distinguished Business Leader Award, 2014; Calgary Ivey Leadership Award, 2013; and Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Prairies, 2011.
While Mac is as busy as ever, when he is not working, he is spending time with his wife, children, and their families. He also enjoys travelling, golfing and reading.
Publications
Van Wielingen, M. (2015). “The evolving role of the corporate board: Governance, strategy and the imperative of performance.” Conference Board of Canada, Stewardship Review, 2-21.
Van Wielingen, M. (2017). “Culture as governance and the link with performance: The evolving role of the corporate board.” Conference Board of Canada, Briefing.