James Balsillie
James Balsillie
| Rank: | 9 |
| Networth: | $4.09 billion |
| Location: | Waterloo, Ontario |
| 2006 Rank: | 25 |
Balsillie stepped down as Research in Motion chairman in March and took the blame for the accounting errors—dating back to 1996—discovered after an internal probe into the company’s option granting program. The investigation, which found evidence of backdating, will result in a US$250-million restatement of earnings. Still, Balsillie jumped into the Rich 100’s Top 10; this year RIM broke into the Chinese market and paid about $30 million for a building and surrounding land to expand its presence in the Ottawa area.