Chad Robinson ('99 MBA)

When asked to give an example of what inspires him, Chad Robinson (‘99 MBA) pinpoints the energy surrounding Alberta.

“I love the energy in Alberta – and I don’t just mean oil and gas, I mean the real energy of the people here. We have a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit, an amazing can-do technical base and a lot of knowledge in this province.” 

After reviewing his curriculum vitae – which includes over 22 years of raising capital and building both public and private companies – it’s apparent that Robinson is no stranger to the energy he associates with his home province, and he attributes a large portion of his success to his time at the University of Alberta.

His first experience with the university was when he earned a bachelor of science in environmental science with a minor in land management in 1997. During this time, he became familiar with the concepts of investing – specifically futures and options – and a path for his future was paved.

“As an undergrad, I became specifically interested in the financial instruments that surrounded futures and options, and knew that I wanted to pursue that and other forms of investing beyond a bachelor’s degree,” he says. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree, he continued studying at the University of Alberta after learning that the university’s master's program was one of the only programs of its kind to touch specifically on futures and options. He also pursued an MBA focused on corporate finance from the Alberta School of Business at the same time, and it was during a first-year MBA class that he met University of Alberta alumni and Business Advisory Council member Michael Lang, who would become his mentor. 

“Michael and I hit it off and I ended up working for his company, StoneBridge Equity Partners, for a summer. I stayed on with them part-time while completing my graduate degrees and beyond that, keeping my foot in the door and kickstarting my private equity experience.”

With this experience in his back pocket, Robinson went on to help start-up Pacesetter Directional Drilling, which has become one of Canada’s largest privately owned directional drilling companies. He then co-founded Resource Equity Partners, a private capital firm whose mission is (according to their website) “working with entrepreneurs and owners to evolve and expand their businesses with the right strategy, financing and people required to execute the growth plan.” The company has successfully helped build companies in the energy sector – and Robinson couldn’t be happier.

“My passion for investing definitely stems from my passion for growing things and seeing that growth from start to finish,” he says. “From setting up strategies and figuring out every step in between to reach a goal – it’s definitely what drives me.”

Advice for the next generation

Reflecting on his time at the Alberta School of Business, Robinson’s wisdom for the next generation of business graduates is practical: focus on your character strengths.

“While working on my MBA, I was sometimes intimidated thinking I had to be the smartest person to be successful, but that’s just not the case. Instead, I focused on getting out there and hustling and building relationships, which is something is a strength I knew I had, and it led me to success.”

“And if you don't know what your strengths are, go out there and get lots of experience until you find it – your talents will come to you if you put yourself out there!”