Robert Friedland is an international entrepreneur and American businessman who founded 8 companies and has been the head of 17 different companies. Associated with natural resources and technology projects for over 30 years. Mr. Friedland is the founder of Turquoise Hill Resources, a Canadian company recognized for its world-class copper and gold discovery at Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia.

Mr. Friedland is also the founder and co-executive chairman of the board of directors of Ivanhoe Mines, a Canadian mining company based in Vancouver and developing three main mining projects in southern Africa: the Bushveld complex and the palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold mine from Paltreef on the northern branch of South Africa; mining development and exploration of the Kamoa-Kakula copper project in the Central African copper belt in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and the development of the historic high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-lead-germanium mine, also located in the DRC copper belt. Ivanhoe DRC employs more than 18,000 people, 98% of whom are Congolese; the company is one of the largest contributors to the Congolese public treasury. Under Mr. Friedland's leadership, leaders of the Ivanhoe Group and associated companies have raised more than $25 billion through a diverse range of financing vehicles in global capital markets since 1993.