5 Things You Didn’t Know About Mark Wiseman

Mark Wiseman has a reputation in the financial world as both a global investment manager and a business executive. Specializing in private equity, as well as issues of sustainability, long-term investing strategies, and even alternative investing strategies, Wiseman brings a wealth of experience to the table in any position he's held. That being said, how much do you really know about Mark Wiseman, the man, as well as Wiseman's philosophies and guiding principles? Read on to learn five things you didn't know about Mark Wiseman.

In order to get to where he is now, Mark Wiseman has achieved at some of the highest levels in education. Wiseman received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University and then went on to pursue a law degree as well as an MBA from the University of Toronto. Those three degrees helped set him up for further success when he went to Yale University to pursue his Master of Laws as part of the Fulbright Scholar program. Since graduating, Wiseman has taught at various collegiate institutions, including the University of Toronto and Harvard Business School, among others.

He is committed to the advancement of a variety of non-profits

In addition to his impressive scholastic achievements, Wiseman is also involved with quite a large number of non-profits. Just a few of the boards he's served on are the United Way of Greater Toronto, Alpine Canada, and Sinai Health Services. His work with the United Way of Toronto goes even deeper, as he was the chair of their 2015 campaign as well as Youth Without Shelter. Beyond this nonprofit work, Wiseman has also served on the Dean's Advisory Board for the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

He is passionate about Canadian energy

Energy is something Wiseman thinks about a lot, particularly as the energy sector relates to Canada. This is because he believes that there's plenty of untapped potential in Canadian energy, which could provide value to investors in a variety of ways. Speaking to BNN Bloomberg, Wiseman shares that "There is significant value in the Western Canadian basin, and in Canadian companies that are operating in that basin." At the same time, he recognizes that sustainability has to be at the core of any energy company looking to succeed in the long run, especially considering the environmental effects such companies can play a role in.

He is clear about how to prepare for a global financial crisis

Even before the global coronavirus pandemic, Wiseman believed in the importance of thinking about your long-term investments. Ahead of a crisis, no matter what that crisis is, Wiseman always suggests that investors consider how the liquidity of their assets will ultimately help rebalance their portfolio. Staying consistent in your investment strategy and always weighing long-term risk is central to his philosophies, whether you're concerned about another virus, war, or an oil shock. Furthermore, he advocates for automatic rebalancing which can help you stay on top of mitigating your long-term risk.

Through it all, Wiseman stays realistic

Wiseman isn't the type to make bold claims just to get on the news. Even as manager of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in the early aughts, he didn't feel the need to be overly excited in his press releases, even when they were posting great returns. Reflecting on his decision not to break out the champagne after a good quarter, he explains his philosophy: "We are managing assets on behalf of 18 million Canadians for generations and so our focus is really on the next quarter-century, not the next quarter. Even annual results for us are non-events, relatively speaking."