He was born in Charlottetown with five siblings. His parents, Ledwell and Teresa, owned and operated Charlottetown businesses for decades. Mr. Vessey graduated from Charlottetown Rural High School and went on to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at UPEI.
Mr. Vessey’s distinguished career as an investment advisor managing high net worth clients began shortly following graduation from UPEI.
Mr. Vessey has supported the UPEI Annual Fund for more than 20 years as well as special initiatives including Halifax Friends of UPEI gatherings and the UPEI Alumni Canada Games. In this same spirit, In 2015, Ian established an award at the University of Prince Edward Island to recognize a student in the business administration program at UPEI.
We asked Ian a couple of questions about his giving to UPEI:
1) What inspires you to give?
I feel fortunate to have attended and enjoyed the quality of education at UPEI School of Business. My degree from UPEI was the solid foundation for my career in the financial services industry, currently 35 years and counting. During my four years at UPEI, I benefitted by receiving some bursary funds that greatly assisted with tuition costs. It is now time for me to “pay-it-forward” by contributing to UPEI for current students.
2) Is there a story behind your gift?
My father was an entrepreneur all his life. As a child growing up, I did not fully understand the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit and that it is the life blood for our communities to grow and prosper. Thus I decided to create an award at UPEI for graduating students who wish to pursue their entrepreneurial dream and hopefully build a successful business in PEI.