Scott Shepherd
Hon. Lieutenant Colonel of The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own)
Mr. Shepherd was born in Chatham, Ontario. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto (BA-Hon) and Dalhousie University (MBA) and is a Fellow of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of NORTHSTAR Trade Finance Inc. in Vancouver, an organization that provides financing to credit-worthy international buyers of Canadian goods and services. The company has regional offices located in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Houston, New York, London (UK), Birmingham (UK) and Luxembourg.
Prior to founding NORTHSTAR in 1994, Mr. Shepherd had wide-ranging executive careers in finance in both the private and public sectors, including Dalhousie Financial Corporation, the Nexus Group of Companies, Chemetics International Company, Export Development Corporation and the Department of External Affairs.
Mr. Shepherd currently holds directorships in the NORTHSTAR group of companies, Sovereign Star Trade Finance Inc. (UK), MDS Aerospace Corporation (Montreal) and Pender Financial Corporation (Vancouver). He also serves and has served on a number of charitable and volunteer boards and committees including: The Richmond Hospital Foundation (Vice-Chair and Treasurer), Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (National Board Director and Chair of Export Finance and Insurance Committee), York House School (Chair of Capital Campaign) Saint George’s School (Past-Chair New Parents Committee), Dalhousie University- Associate Governor (Management Without Borders Capital Campaign) and the B.C. Institute for Studies in International Trade (Director).
Mr. Shepherd first became involved with the military as a reservist in his undergraduate days. In the early 1990s he rejoined the reserves, and in 2004 was appointed British Columbia Chair of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, a committee of 11 businessmen working with employers and the Canadian forces to allow for operational deployments of reservists for up to 18 month periods. During the past 11 years some 3,200 reservists from British Columbia have been deployed on assignment. In 2012, he was named National Chair of the Council.
In 2012, he was appointed Hon. Lieutenant Colonel of The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own), an armoured reconnaissance reserve unit based in Vancouver.