Eugene Melnyk is a Canadian businessman and owner of many large companies. He recently assumed the role of sole owner, governor and chairman of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club (specifically on August 26, 2003).
Melnyk is chairman and chief executive officer of Biovail Corporation, a company he founded in 1989. Biovail is an international, full-service pharmaceutical company that focuses on researching and developing some of the most advanced drug delivery technologies in the world. It currently markets more than 20 products in North America and several products in 55 other countries, both directly and through strategic marketing partnerships. Biovail maintains an active drug development pipeline and its proprietary technology platforms are currently being applied to more than 30 promising drug therapies.
As chairman and chief executive officer, Melnyk has led Biovail through exceptional revenue growth from $19 million (US) in 1995 to $788 million (US) in 2002. Biovail employs more than 1,850 people world-wide and is publicly traded on both the New York and Toronto stock exchanges.
Prior to forming Biovail, Melnyk created a medical publishing company called Trimel Corporation that he founded in 1982 and later sold to Thomson Corporation in 1989.
Apart from his strong desire to succeed in business, Melnyk is also a passionate sports fan. He is the sole owner of the Ontario Hockey League's Toronto St. Michael's Majors where he has brought long-term financial stability to the organization by helping make it one of the top teams in the OHL.
In 2001, Melnyk purchased Mockingbird Farm, a prestigious horse-racing stable in Ocala, Florida. After renaming it Winding Oaks Farm, Melnyk committed to reconverting the farm back to its original glory and preserving it as an exclusive training centre for thoroughbred horses. It remains as one of the top thoroughbred racing stables in North America. The stable is home to more than 370 thoroughbred horses and has included such notable legends as Archers Bay (winner of the 1998 Queen's Plate) and other Graded Stakes winners such as Graeme Hall, Tweedside, Harmony Lodge and Strong Hope.
