Business leaders Shelley King and Dan Matthews will receive top honours from Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration at its annual Partners Celebration.
The ceremony recognizes entrepreneurial and student excellence.
Ms. King will receive the 2026 Alumni Honour Award.
Mr. Matthews will take home the P.J. Gardiner 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Recent business graduate Chinedu Wisdom (M.Sc.’26) and fifth-year commerce student Russell Noseworthy will be recognized for their contributions to student and university life through volunteerism and their demonstrated ability to apply academic experience in a real-world context.
Alumni Honour Award
As founder and CEO of Natural Products Canada (NPC), Ms. King (M.Sc.’94, MBA’00) 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 over 90 Canadian early-stage companies, catalyzing significant new products and revenue, jobs and exports.
“My time at Memorial provided the foundational spark for a career dedicated to Canadian innovation.”
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.
Ms. King says receiving the alumni award is “a wonderful full-circle moment.”
“My time at Memorial provided the foundational spark for a career dedicated to Canadian innovation, and the business faculty taught me that scientific expertise and business acumen can go hand-in-hand to drive real impact,” she said. “At Natural Products Canada, we strive to turn bright ideas into market-ready solutions, and I remain committed to ensuring Canadian startups have the strategic capital and support they need to compete in the global bioeconomy market.”
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.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Mr. Matthews (B.Comm.(Co-op.)’08) is president of Matthews Motors in St. John’s. A second-generation leader in the automotive industry, he 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 more than 2,000 vehicles sold each year, in addition to acquiring new businesses and properties under the Matthews Motors umbrella.
“It’s an absolute honour to be recognized with such a prestigious award,” said Mr. Matthews. “It’s an honour that’s amplified when you consider the calibre of individuals who have graduated from Memorial’s business programs. Accepting this award is one of the proudest moments of my career.”
Mr. Matthews owns and operates several businesses as part of Matthews Motors, 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 as 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.
Student citizenship awards
Mr. Wisdom, originally from Nigeria, will receive the 2026 Dr. Victor Young Graduate Student Citizenship Award.
A certified project management professional, Mr. Wisdom is 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 was a mentor and speaker at several university events.
Mr. Wisdom says he is “deeply humbled” to receive the award.
“As an international student, I came to Memorial focused on finishing my M.Sc. with strong academics, and I’m proud to have graduated with a 4.0 GPA. But I quickly learned that the heart of my graduate journey would be building community for graduate students and working alongside organizations supporting newcomers and vulnerable populations in Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said.
“This award affirms that leadership is less about titles and more about showing up, listening well and using our skills to make life better for others. I’m grateful to everyone at Memorial who trusted and walked with me on that path.”
Mr. Wisdom recently earned a master of science in management (M.Sc.) degree from the business faculty.
External examiners rated Mr. Wisdom’s research in that program, focused on corporate responses to climate risks in Newfoundland and Labrador’s resource sectors, as outstanding. It explores how organizations can responsibly adapt to environmental uncertainty.
‘Countless opportunities’
Mr. Noseworthy, in his final year of the Bachelor of Commerce (Co-operative) Program, will take home the 2026 Dr. Robert Crosbie Undergraduate Student Citizenship Award.
Earlier this year, he received the Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies.
He’s also a candidate for a diploma in public policy.
“The business faculty has provided countless opportunities that have helped shape me into a better leader,” said Mr. Noseworthy. “Using these leadership skills to give back to the university and the broader community has been one of the most meaningful parts of my time at Memorial.
“This award reinforces my commitment to using those skills to give back to the province and to the university, and to making a lasting impact,” he continued.
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.
“The business faculty has provided countless opportunities that have helped shape me into a better leader.”
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.
He’ll join Stryker as an associate sales representative following graduation this spring.
Tickets available
The 39th annual Partners Celebration will be held on Thursday, April 23, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Emera Innovation Exchange at Signal Hill Campus.
The event is intended to bring together business, community and academic leaders to celebrate the award winners while acknowledging critical connections between Memorial and the broader community.
“The business faculty is a pipeline,” said Dr. Travor Brown, dean. “The students we educate today will be the leaders we celebrate tomorrow, and it takes all of us working together to prepare them to take us into the future with vision, integrity and a sense of community responsibility.”
Tickets for Partners may be purchased up until Monday, April 20, by emailing busipartners@mun.ca.
