Peter Brown, founder of Canaccord Financial Inc., was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award recipient on Wednesday.

The award is in recognition of Brown’s support of B.C.’s business community and his significant accomplishments as an entrepreneur.

“Peter embodies the true spirit of an entrepreneur. He is a born leader with an innate business sense and an admirable hunger to succeed,” said Fred Withers, director of Entrepreneur Of The Year for the Pacific region. “He possesses the unique ability to effect change and has been an icon of philanthropy throughout the community during his impressive career.”

The award honours individuals who have made a lasting impression on the Canadian business community and who continue to nurture and inspire the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurial talents.

Brown began his entrepreneurial career in 1962. Over the past 40 years, he has worked diligently to raise the standards of venture capital finance to become a respected vehicle for economic growth and wealth creation in Canada and around the world.

In 1968, Brown founded Canaccord Financial Inc., and in four decades he transformed it from a Canadian-based venture capital firm into a leading global financial services firm. Brown has also shaped the business community by playing a fundamental role in financing many of Canada’s successful businesses, according to Ernst & Young.

Former Pacific recipients of the lifetime achievement award include Jim Pattison (2000), Joseph Segal (2001), Milton Wong (2002), William Sauder (2004), Dr. John MacDonald (2006) and Robert Lee (2008).

Ernst & Young will present the award to Brown at a banquet in Vancouver on September 28, 2010.

IE