Two Memorial grads were among only 40 people in the country recognized by a national newspaper.

Dr. Fiona Costello, a medical graduate from the Class of 1995, and Brian Chafe, chief operating officer of Provincial Aerospace Ltd. who graduated from Memorial’s bachelor of commerce (co-op) program in 1993, were part of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 list compiled annually by the Globe and Mail.

Established in 1995, Canada's Top 40 Under 40 celebrates the achievements of Canadians in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors who were under the age of 40 by Dec. 31, 2008.

The 26 members of an independent advisory board choose the honourees from about 1,200 nominees through a selection process based on five criteria: vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; growth and development strategy; and community involvement and contribution.

It is co-sponsored by Caldwell Partners International Inc.

Brian Chafe
Brian Chafe’s business acumen has helped Provincial Aerospace Ltd. (PAL) shed the perception it is solely an airline and earn some major contracts in the maritime patrol sector.

Mr. Chafe has been with PAL since 1988. Five years ago, he and his team looked overseas to market their maritime patrol capabilities. This new approach led to a $150 million dollar contract in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in 2007 and a $370 million dollar contract with the United Arab Emirates earlier in 2008.

Mr. Chafe has maintained his relationship with Memorial since graduating in 1993. As the PAL team was preparing to enter the UAE market, the Faculty of Business’s Gateway initiative provided support to Brian and his colleagues.  

“We turned to Gateway to help us develop the right approach to doing business in the UAE. Their understanding of the culture and business practices helped us in the critical early stages of developing this deal,” Mr. Chafe said. “Gateway and its network in the UAE is an invaluable resource to companies like ours.”

Dr. Gary Gorman is the dean of the Faculty of Business. He said that he was delighted to hear that Mr. Chafe had been named one of the top 40 under 40. “Brian is a visionary who has worked very hard to make Provincial Aerospace a leader in the industry and we are extremely happy for him and the entire team at PAL,” Dr. Gorman said. “Memorial alumni are doing great things and it’s a pleasure to see someone like Brian recognized for his abilities and accomplishments.” 

Fiona Costello
Dr. Fiona Costello, 39, is an assistant professor of neurology and ophthalmology at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary.

Dr. Costello grew up in Stephenville and did her undergraduate degree at Memorial before entering medical school. She is now a neuro-ophthalmologist and a professor at the University of Calgary.

When she started at Memorial University, she considered journalism because she liked writing. She is quoted in the May 1 article in the Globe and Mail as saying that she thought journalism was the only creative outlet that there was, “but I realized ... science was creative in its own way. In science you don't have to accept anything anyone tells you, you can come up with a hypothesis and test it yourself. And you can be the first one to do it.”

She knew right away about her interest in neurology and it didn't take too long for Dr. Costello to pinpoint the sub-specialty she would pursue. "We didn't have a neuro-ophthalmologist in Newfoundland ... and I noticed [while at medical school] that everyone seemed to be a little bit afraid of it. So I said to myself ‘I can go through the rest of my career trying to avoid this or I can just jump in headlong.’

“I went after neuro-ophthalmology because it seemed to be the one people knew the least about. ... It's a real grey zone area between disciplines and you either have to live there or never go there.”

She went on from Memorial to study in Ottawa and Iowa. Opportunity drew her to Calgary two years ago; she is teaching and doing both research and clinical work. Her research focuses on nerve damage in the eye and its apparent similarities to nerve damage in multiple sclerosis patients, with a view toward potential new MS therapies.

“I would love to see MS cured, because that's my area of research,” Dr. Costello said, adding she sees the real chance of a cure, particularly given the strengths of the “great group” she's working with in Calgary.

Douglas Caldwell, chairman of Caldwell Partners International Inc. and founder of the Canada's Top 40 Under 40 awards, said this year’s nominees came from traditional businesses rather than "a lot of the software/hardware types of success stories that existed in the past," he said, adding they also found fewer "instant success stories."

"What's significant this year is people giving back to their communities," Mr. Caldwell said. "What we find is that often that can slip. … people get more focused on trying to survive, but what we've seen this year is people with a strong commitment to their basic business but also to community service."