A native of Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, Brendan Paddick holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland (Alumnus of the Year, 2013), and graduated from the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. He is the founder and former chief executive officer of Columbus Communications Inc. Prior to being sold to Liberty Global in 2016, Columbus provided digital video, broadband internet, IP voice, wholesale capacity, and cloud-based corporate data solutions throughout 42 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central American, and Andean region. Brendan was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2000, Ernst & Young’s Atlantic Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, and was inducted into the Atlantic Business CEO Hall of Fame in 2015. Amongst his numerous public, private, and not-for-profit affiliations, Brendan is a member of the board of directors of Liberty Global and Clearwater Seafoods, and is the chair of the board of Nalcor Energy.
Hailing from Petty Harbour, NL, Alan Doyle is a musician, actor, producer, author, and is best-known as the lead singer for Great Big Sea. With three solo albums, Doyle has been touring the world with his own band for the last five years. In 2014, he released his best-selling memoir Where I Belong. His second book, A Newfoundlander in Canada, was released in October 2017 and became an instant bestseller. He has appeared in television series, including CBC’s Republic of Doyle, Murdoch Mysteries, and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and in major motion pictures, including 2014’s Winter’s Tale and 2010’s Robin Hood. His upcoming A Week at the Warehouse tour is sure to cement Alan Doyle’s reputation as one of Canada's most treasured musicians and storytellers. In recognition of his vast contributions to Canadian culture and charitable involvement, Alan was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2017.