The Mining Industry’s Most Interesting Investment Banker: Ali Pejman

If you want to be the CEO of the company, you need to have the ability to understand capital markets, be involved in it, engage in it, and compete to take your piece of the capital from it.

Ali Pejman, Partner at Fort Capital

Ali Pejman is a mining-focused investment banker and Partner at Fort Capital. After beginning his career as an accountant at PwC, Ali went on to spend 16 years as a banker at Canaccord where he worked his way up to Managing Director and Head of Venture Capital.

Over the years he has been involved in hundreds of mining deals, working with everyone — from junior exploration companies to major producers, including advising Goldcorp in its recent acquisition by Newmont. He also happens to be somewhat of a local legend around the Vancouver mining scene (and he’s only in his 40s!).

In addition to all of this, Ali somehow manages to remain active in numerous charities and philanthropic endeavors and is the founder of an amateur cycling club here in Vancouver.

In this fun and very entertaining conversation we discuss:

  • How the prospect of being typecast as an actor-led Ali to becoming a chartered accountant.
  • How auditing a brokerage firm prompted a career change.
  • What mining bankers actually do and what it takes to be good at it.
  • How Ali learned to look at deals and deploy capital.
  • The best present Ali has ever received.
  • The importance of forming strong relationships and backing the right people.
  • Playing the long game versus succumbing to FOMO (fear of missing out).

Ali is one of the most connected, most interesting and most helpful people I’ve had the opportunity to get to know in this sector.

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It’s always inspiring to meet someone that truly loves and believes in what they do, and that came through loud and clear in this fascinating conversation with Ali Pejman.

Cheers,
Jamie Keech

PS: You can also check us out on iTunes here.

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