Robert Friedland, the executive chairman and founder of Ivanhoe Mines, will be the inaugural speaker in the Goodman School of Mines’ lecture series.

Friedland will take to the lectern at the Fraser Auditorium at Laurentian University in Sudbury on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Entrance to the lecture is free of charge, but seating is limited and a ticket will be required for entry.

Friedland’s presentation will draw on his experiences shaping and nurturing the Ivanhoe group’s corporate culture, and address macroeconomic forces and current market trends driving the resources industry. He will be introduced by Ned Goodman, who loaned his name to Laurentian’s school of mines.

The renowned international financier was placed on Financial Post Magazine's Most Influential Canadians list and was recognized as the Mining Personality of the Year at the 2012 Asia Mining Awards. He also received the Dealmaker of the Year Award for Ivanhoe Mines from Australia's Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum in 2011. In 2009, Friedland was named one of Canada's Super Seven Dynamos by the Northern Miner publishing group.

Ivanhoe Mines has exploration and development mine projects in Africa in gold, copper, zinc, nickel and precious group elements.