Memorial’s business faculty to honour top alumni, students and industry leaders
Ref. no.: 134
Business leaders Shelley King and Dan Matthews will be honoured by Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration at its 39th annual Partners Celebration on Thursday, April 23, at the Emera Innovation Exchange at Signal Hill Campus.
Business students Chinedu Wisdom and Russell Noseworthy will also receive awards for their contributions to student and university life through volunteerism, as well as their demonstrated ability to apply academic experience in a real-world context.
Ms. King (M.Sc.’94, MBA’00) will receive the 2026 Alumni Honour Award. As founder and CEO of Natural Products Canada (NPC) based in Charlottetown, P.E.I., she has positioned Canada as a trailblazer in the global bioeconomy.
For over 30 years, Ms. King has combined her scientific background with deep industry expertise to help Canadian innovations evolve from bright ideas to market-ready products. Since championing NPC's launch in 2016, Ms. King has built a national network of more than 4,000 members and supported the advancement of more than 1,800 companies.
Under her leadership, NPC has provided strategic capital to more than 90 Canadian early-stage companies catalyzing significant new products and revenue, jobs and exports. The organization boasts an impressive leverage ratio, helping members raise $52 for every $1 distributed by NPC. This success has secured $39 million in investment from the Government of Canada since 2016 and led to the establishment of Nàdarra Ventures, a spin-off venture capital fund.
Previously, Ms. King served as CEO of Synapse (University of Prince Edward Island) and vice-president, research and business development, for Genome Atlantic. She began her career as president of NovaLipids Inc., a startup that emerged from Genesis based on technology developed at Memorial University. There, she raised $2 million and led the biotech startup from invention to pilot scale commercial testing with a multinational partner.
Mr. Matthews (B.Comm.(Co-op.)’08) is president of Matthews Motors in St. John’s. He’ll receive the 2026 P.J. Gardiner Newfoundland and Labrador Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Mr. Matthews is a second-generation leader in the automotive industry, having joined the family business in 2009. Since then, he’s expanded Matthews Motors from about 40 employees and 400 vehicles sold annually to about 130 employees and over 2,000 vehicles sold each year, in addition to acquiring new businesses and properties under the Matthews Motors umbrella.
He’s the owner and operator of several businesses, including Volkswagen St. John’s, Audi St. John’s, Bodyworks Collision & Glass and Middle Ridge Outfitters.
The organization’s performance has been recognized at the national level, including Audi St. John’s being a three-time recipient of the Audi Vorsprung Performance Award and Volkswagen St. John’s earning recognition through the prestigious Wolfsburg Crest Club, awarded to top-performing dealerships across Canada.
Currently, Mr. Matthews is chair of the Volkswagen Canada National Dealer Advisory Council, representing Volkswagen dealers nationwide.
Mr. Wisdom (M.Sc.’26) will receive the 2026 Dr. Victor Young Graduate Student Citizenship Award.
Originally from Nigeria, Mr. Wisdom is now a project management professional. He’s the project manager at CMFI N.L., the director of funding and strategy at TechNest Community, and an advisory board member with NewfoundHands, which supports newcomers, residents and vulnerable populations across Newfoundland and Labrador.
During his time at Memorial, Mr. Wisdom was deeply involved in graduate student life and community leadership. He served as president of the Society of Black Graduate Students, was a student representative on faculty council and a mentor and speaker at several university events.
External examiners rated his graduate student research on corporate responses to climate risks in Newfoundland and Labrador’s as outstanding. It explored how organizations can responsibly adapt to environmental uncertainty.
Across his student, professional and volunteer roles, Mr. Wisdom is committed to ensuring academic excellence translates into practical impact and that leadership remains grounded in equity, service and community.
Mr. Noseworthy is a fifth-year bachelor of commerce (co-operative) student, diploma in public policy (economic policy) candidate and a recipient of the Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies.
He will take home the 2026 Dr. Robert Crosbie Undergraduate Student Citizenship Award.
For the past three years, Mr. Noseworthy has served on the management team of The Fund, Memorial’s student-managed investment fund, helping oversee the governance and strategic direction of a $450,000, real-dollar portfolio while mentoring student analysts and strengthening recruitment and program continuity.
He also serves as student council president for the commerce Class of 2026 and as co-chair of the 61st annual Business Day, which brought together more than 200 students and industry leaders to strengthen connections between the university and the business community.
Beyond campus, Mr. Noseworthy is deeply committed to youth development across the province. He’s a long-time basketball coach and serves as a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, dedicating time to supporting young people both on and off the court.
Following graduation in spring 2026, he will join Stryker as an associate sales representative. He remains committed to contributing to the long-term prosperity of Newfoundland and Labrador through leadership grounded in service.
Partners
Partners is the business faculty’s annual celebration that brings together faculty members with students, donors, alumni and the business community to pay tribute to those who have achieved excellence in business while using their skills and expertise to contribute to their peers and communities.
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For more information, please contact Susan White, communications advisor, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University, at 709-689-7988 or susanwhite@mun.ca.