Prominent business leaders David Kelly and Patrick O’Callaghan will be honoured by Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration at its annual Partners Celebration on June 27.

Mr. Kelly, board member of Verafin Inc., will receive the 2013 Alumni Honour Award. Mr. O’Callaghan, president and CEO of East Coast Catering, will take home the Gardiner Centre Newfoundland and Labrador 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Partners is the Faculty of Business Administration’s annual celebration of the business community that brings together members of the faculty and business community as well as students and alumni to pay tribute to those who have achieved excellence in business while using their skills and expertise to contribute to their peers and communities.

“We are honoured to celebrate this year's award winners at our annual Partners Celebration,” said Dr. Wilfred Zerbe, dean of the Faculty of Business Administration. “David and Patrick are leaders in their fields who have shown initiative, innovation and dedication throughout their careers to develop diverse

business interests and successful enterprises. On top of that, they've used their skills and experience to serve their communities. Their success is an inspiration for us all.”

Partners will be held on Thursday, June 27, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Johnson GEO CENTRE. To purchase tickets, contact Wanda Whelan at 709-864-2182 or business@mun.ca.

“The relationship between the business community and the Faculty of Business Administration is vital. Our annual Partners event is a way to celebrate that relationship and recognize the year-round support of our donors, alumni and colleagues in the business community,” said Dr. Zerbe.

 

Mr. Kelly is a graduate of the bachelor of commerce class of 1968 at Memorial University. Known as an expert in cash logistic services, he has served as owner or investor in a number of technology companies dedicated to the cash processing and cash-in-transport service segment over the past 18 years.

During the 1990s, Mr. Kelly developed a software services business called Vault Master, which supplied hardware, software and 24-7 operational support to cash management service providers across North America and the Caribbean. Under his direction, this software evolved into the solution of choice for North America’s large cash logistic service providers.

Mr. Kelly sold Vault Master in the mid-2000s and was immediately engaged by the purchaser, Carreker Inc. of Dallas, Texas, where his focus shifted toward implementing a restructured cash supply system for Australia. Working with three major Australian banks and three armoured carrier service providers, his expertise helped launch the cash logistics business of Cash Service Australia Pty. Limited, which acts as the consolidated purchasing arm of the banks’ cash supply management chain.

Following a 35-year career in the Canadian technology industry, Mr. Kelly financed and framed the money laundering detection issue that led to the creation of Verafin Inc. in 2003, which has flourished in the Canadian credit union sector and the small banking and savings and loans sector in the United States.

Mr. Kelly’s expertise also led him to ventures in Mexico and today he is a sought-after speaker at international currency conventions and consulting engagements that focus on cash operational matters.

 

 

Mr. O’Callaghan began his career in the hotel industry in the 1960s after emigrating from Ireland at the age of 23. Holding a diploma in hotel management, he became general manager of the then-Hotel Newfoundland within eight years.

In 1984 Mr. O’Callaghan started East Coast Catering to meet the rising demand for catering services in the offshore oil industry and later, remote mining and construction camps across Canada. Today, the company services markets in Labrador, Western Canada and Ireland.

In 1999 East Coast Catering became the first company to establish a limited partnership with the Innu Development Limited Partnership to provide catering services to Voisey’s Bay. This partnership continues to grow and has expanded to include three other major mining operations in Labrador. Under Mr. O’Callaghan’s leadership, the company remains committed to training and employing Aboriginal people; currently, 97 per cent of Labrador Catering’s employees are Aboriginal. Mr. O'Callaghan has focused on his employees throughout his career, supporting diverse hiring practices and providing training, education and resources to foster a workforce of long-term employees and promote hiring from within.

Mr. O’Callaghan is a long time member of the Rotary Club of St. John’s as well as patron and sponsor of the Newfoundland Rugby Association. He is a valued contributor to the fundraising efforts of a wide variety of local youth sports teams and has provided significant funding to the Labrador Innu Nation for the construction of two community hockey arenas.

He also remains involved with the Faculty of Business Administration and established the Craig Dobbin Memorial Scholarship, awarded biannually to a Memorial University business student to spend a year at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland. A Waterford student uses the scholarship every other year to attend Memorial. Mr. O’Callaghan is also a board member of the Irish Newfoundland Business Partnership.

For more information, contact Susan White-MacPherson, communications co-ordinator, Faculty of Business Administration, at (709) 864-2616 or susanwm@mun.ca.