# Ralph Sultan

> Ralph Sultan is a Canadian economist, engineer, former Harvard Business School professor, banking executive, mining principal, and retired politician who served nineteen years in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. His memoir, Sparks to Speeches, is published by University of Toronto Press in December 2026.

Born in East Vancouver in 1933, the youngest of eight children of Swedish immigrants, Ralph Sultan trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of British Columbia before earning an MBA and a PhD in economics at Harvard. He taught at Harvard Business School, initiated the PIMS project, served as Chief Economist and later Senior Vice President at the Royal Bank of Canada, held executive roles in the mining industry, and was elected five times as MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano. In 2017, at age 83, he became the oldest person ever elected to the BC Legislature.

## Pages

- [Meet Ralph Sultan](https://ralphsultan.com): Introduction to Ralph Sultan and his memoir Sparks to Speeches.
- [Roots](https://ralphsultan.com/roots): Childhood in Depression-era East Vancouver as the youngest of eight children of Swedish immigrants.
- [Education](https://ralphsultan.com/education): Mechanical engineering at UBC, an MBA with High Distinction at Harvard, and a PhD in economics.
- [Careers](https://ralphsultan.com/careers): Harvard Business School, the Royal Bank of Canada, and the mining industry.
- [Harvard Publications](https://ralphsultan.com/harvard-publications): The PIMS project, Pricing in the Electrical Oligopoly, and Market Share: A Key to Profitability.
- [Public Life](https://ralphsultan.com/public-life): Nineteen years as MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano, three ministerial posts, and the founding of Quest University Canada.
- [In the Media](https://ralphsultan.com/in-the-media): Selected press profiles and news coverage.
- [Gallery](https://ralphsultan.com/gallery): A chronological photographic record of his life and career.
- [Order the Book](https://ralphsultan.com/order-sparks-to-speeches): Pre-order Sparks to Speeches from University of Toronto Press and major retailers.
- [Write to Ralph](https://ralphsultan.com/write-to-ralph): Contact page.

## Book
- Title: Sparks to Speeches
- Author: Ralph Sultan
- Publisher: University of Toronto Press
- Imprint: Aevo UTP
- Publication: December 2026
- Pages: 336
- ISBN (hardcover): 9781049808499
- ISBN (epub): 9781049808512
- ISBN (PDF): 9781049808505