Business Hall of Fame to add 6 members

Six business leaders will join the Canadian Business Hall of Fame next May, including the two top executives of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion.

The list of inductees was announced Tuesday by Junior Achievement of Canada, which created the hall in 1979. They include:

Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive officer, Research In MotionMike Lazaridis, president and chief executive officer, Research In MotionJack Lynn Cockwell, group chairman, Brookfield Asset Management Inc.Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien, co-chair, de Gaspé Beaubien Family FoundationPhilippe de Gaspé Beaubien, co-chair, de Gaspé Beaubien Family FoundationJoseph Rotman, chairman, Roy-L Capital Corporation

They'll be formally inducted at a ceremony in Toronto on May 5.

Inductees to the Hall of Fame are nominated by their peers and are chosen by an independent selection committee representing Canada's foremost business, academic and media institutions.

"Each of these six outstanding individuals to be inducted as our 31st Annual Companion Class of 2009 has made a significant and valuable contribution to the Canadian business community, the country's economy and quality of life in Canada," said Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group and chancellor to the Business Hall of Fame.