project management-change management-business transformation

---

With more than 20 years in the maritime industry, Dena Rantz has built a unique combination of strategic planning, problem solving and analytical skills as a project management professional.  In her most recent role, she supported Western Canada Marine Response Corporation’s (WCMRC) efforts to build and align the necessary people and internal processes in a significant organizational expansion effort. It is substantial transformation shifts such as this that use Dena’s astute ability to communicate with and manage cross-functional and complex teams to keep them motivated and focused towards meeting their project goals. 

Her previous project experience at a large global shipping company (Teekay Shipping) ranged from implementing ship-to-shore IT initiatives, managing multiple, concurrent on-water asset Sale & Purchase activities, supporting transformative change projects during the organizations expansion and contracting years, leading a Business Efficiency Review Team of high performers to deliver business unit focused projects, to developing and rolling out a global Project Management Centre. In addition to these program-led projects, she worked on a variety of initiatives that used her ability for turning conceptual ideas into reality where there may not be a clear solution. These included “Is Teekay a Learning Organization? and “What does innovation look like at Teekay?”.  Dena is known for always driving projects forward with energy and enthusiasm and her ability to think outside the box.

Never one to stand still, throughout her career, Dena has consistently stepped up, keen to add value to an organization Examples of this are creating a knowledge-sharing training program and blog-site to address the gap in shore-employee  knowledge of the maritime industry Seeing a lack of understanding about Board and Board participation in the organization, she developed a lunch & learn program focused on various types of Boards, Board governance, roles & responsibilities and how to add value as a Board participant. It’s examples like this that set Dena apart from others in her field, always looking for ways to add value over and above the typical responsibilities of a PM. 

In her free time she has further immersed herself within the local maritime community. As a Fellow (FICS) of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, she is a Member of the ICS Canada Branch Board of Directors and Chaired the Canada Branch for four years, where she successfully tenured a goal of 100 Members for the first time in the Branches 50-year existence. She continues to contribute to the ICS though her participation at an international level on the Controlling Council, the Executive Council, and on the Membership Committee where she is developing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program to roll out as a new Membership benefit. She also sits on the Board of International Sailors Society Canada (ISSC), a national organization that is committed to raising awareness and funds to support the seafarer community, where she has taken on the newly formed Strategic Committee Chair role to collate the ISSC’s strategic mandate, purpose and align the various Committees goals for the first time.  Under her guidance, 2023/24 is the first year that the ISSC will be operating towards a common and articulate strategic plan.

Dena earned a BBA from BCIT’s blended program, using her Marketing Management Diploma in Real Estate (Final Year Project, Award Winner) in BCIT’s inaugural program year. And as a natural student, she has continued to build her foundational skills with a PMP from the Project Management Institute (PMI) certification and Lean Six Sigma Certification. 

Dena has three children, enjoys skiing, swimming and has recently discovered the joy of keeping a personal fitness regime. She is known for her culinary skills and love of travel, and she thinks cats are tops.