Gregory Charles Wilkins (February 2, 1956 – December 16, 2009) was a Canadian businessman and chartered accountant.

Career

Wilkins originally joined

Barrick Gold Corporation Barrick Mining Corporation is a mining company that produces gold and copper. It has mining operations and projects in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Mali, Pakista ...

in 1981, rising to the post of

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

. He left in 1993 to become president and chief operating officer of Horsham Corp., a public company that was the controlling shareholder of Barrick at the time. ''Horsham Corp.'' later became ''TrizecHahn Corp.'' and Wilkins remained with the company until the planning of its conversion into a U.S. real estate investment trust had been completed and the company relocated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Wilkins assumed the position of President of

, the world's largest

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

producer, in 2003, when he replaced then President & CEO, Randall Oliphant. He was instrumental during his tenure at Barrick in the takeover of rival

Placer Dome Placer Dome Inc. was a large mining company specializing in gold and other precious metals, with corporate headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In August 2005, the company had interests in 16 gold mining operations in 7 countries ...

for some US $10 billion. Wilkins was a director of the company for twelve years.

Personal life

Gregory Wilkins was an avid

motor sports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

enthusiast. In 2004, along with his son Mark, they competed and placed 3rd in their class at the Rolex

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

at the Daytona International Speedway. The pair also traveled to Germany where they completed 5 laps at the

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

race course. Wilkins was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

in March 2008. He returned to work at Barrick's headquarters assuming the position of Vice Chairman. He died in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario Canada on Dec 16, 2009 at the age of 53. He is survived by his wife Vera and two children, Mark and Lauren.

Peter Munk Peter Munk (November 8, 1927 – March 28, 2018) was a Hungarian-Canadian businessman, investor, founder and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of a number of high-profile business ventures, including the hi-fi electr ...

, the founder of Barrick, is quoted as saying: "This is the loss of a dear friend who played a vital role in Barrick's growth. He worked alongside me building Barrick for almost thirty years. ... He was a leader who listened. He possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and an analytical mind. He produced results from considered decisions. Greg inspired confidence and respect in me, in our shareholders, in his colleagues, in everyone who met him."Peter Munk Tribute
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References

1956 births 2009 deaths Canadian accountants Canadian chief executives Canadian chief operating officers Chief financial officers {{Canada-business-bio-stub