PACIFIC DESTINATION SERVICES - Key Persons
The life of the party, Amanda is more like a best buddy or helpful next door neighbour when it comes to her relationship with our clients. Amanda brings more than 20 years' experience in Western Canada's hospitality and destination management industries. Her calm demeanor and strong vendor relationships form the bedrock of our program and event delivery. Amanda enjoys camping far from cell range with her family in BC's wilderness and during the winter months immersing herself in Whistler's vibrant après ski life.
Job Titles:
- Director, Company Operations
We're fortunate to have Annika, our very own ABBA of program planning and operations, leading our team of fine folks who produce the best programs in the business. Originally from Sweden, Annika traveled the world before finding her forever home on the Canadian Westcoast. She brings an international flair to PDS, along with a natural talent at building and developing teams. Annika's decades of corporate event experience, level head, and commitment to excellence help deliver brilliant programs for our clients. In her downtime, Annika enjoys yoga, food, wine and practicing her golf swing on any of BCs world-class golf courses.
Job Titles:
- Director, Global Business Development
For our "Bee", sales is her honey. Her office is always a hive of activity, her life is spent buzzing around trade shows and conferences, conducting presentations and flying off with clients on site visits. Following a career with Destination Marketing Organizations in Vancouver and Whistler, Bronwyn found her ultimate role as the Director of Global Business Development.
Through firsthand knowledge of our region, she passionately promotes why Western Canada should be on every meeting and incentive planner's "must do list". Often the first point of contact, she draws clients in with her boundless energy, enthusiasm and sense of humour. Driven by PDS' company values, she helps guide and develop each program to success. When she's out of the office, Bronwyn loves to travel the world, dive off of a sailboat into a crystal-clear sea, taste local food and wine, and savour life's delicious moments.
As we all know, truck drivers go the extra mile. With a former administration management career for a Semi-Truck Leasing company, Deb is accustomed to multi-tasking, taking on large loads and going the extra mile for PDS. Having grown up between Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island, Deb enjoys a lifelong love affair with Western Canada's natural beauty. Her understanding of how successful DMC's work, along with her infectious smile, unparalleled knowledge of office operations brings order, clarity and a sense of fun to our team. Beyond the office, Deb loves to travel to sunny destinations, paddle in her kayak, explore local cultures, beaches and hiking trails.
Talk about "Amazing Grace"! With over 30 years of Canadian and international hospitality, destination management and event experience, Grace knows a thing-or-two about engaging corporate programs, logistical planning and client satisfaction. She proudly joined the PDS team during our longest running program-logistics facilitation of BC COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics. When this program wrapped up, we just couldn't imagine our office life without her. When she's not rockin' her role as Operations Manager, you'll find her in the garden or hiking in the great outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Costing & Planning Manager
Helena grew up in Beijing, where she spent the earlier years of her career working as an account manager and event operations specialist for a China-based DMC. She came to Canada for a Masters program in Victoria, then moved to Vancouver to immerse herself in the DMC industry in Western Canada.
As our Costing & Planning Manager, Helena works her magic maintaining our image databases, our vendor and product inventory, and all of the nuts and bolts of budgets. She collaborates with our Sales and Operations teams to build intentional program proposals for discerning clients.
An animal lover to her core, Helena's other passions include movies, books, photography, museums and discovering new cultures and destinations
Jenn was born to lead. She's got talent to spare and years of experience entertaining business ideas that catapulted PDS to the top. To her, there are no challenges, only opportunities. Having honed her skills in a variety of fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments, Jenn brings more than 20 years of valuable industry experience to PDS's executive team.
She thrives on challenges, encourages multi-perspective discussions and develops both strategic and tactical responses - well and quickly. With an eye for detail and a client-focused approach, Jennifer is process driven, value conscious and fiercely committed to excellence. Jennifer is a member of the Tourism Industry Assocation of BC (TIABC) Board of Directors. Her love of the arts fuels her creativity and her long-distance running feeds her competitive drive.
In her spare time, she explores Vancouver's beautiful shoreline with her dog Penny, or curls up with a good book and a big, bold glass of red wine.
Joanne is a passionate, visionary leader -like a beacon she lights the way for her team. Drawing on her background as an elite athlete on Canada's National Netball team for over ten years, Joanne knows the determination and dedication it takes to put together a winning team. Integrity, experience and collaboration are the beating heart she placed within PDS. With a steady hand, clear vision and thoughtful strategy she selected a team of loyal individuals who all share the same goal: creating unforgettable experiences throughout Western Canada for their treasured clients.
A thoughtful and intentional leader, Joanne is highly respected within the industry and sits on the Advisory Committee for Destination Canada, Business Events division and on the Board for Destination Vancouver. In her free time she plays sports with her family, explores BC's rainforest trails, or digs her toes in to the soft sands of an idyllic BC Gulf Island beach.
According to Urban Dictionary, "A person named Lindsay is like a four-leaf clover:hard to find but once you find it you won't ever want to lose it." Lindsay is definitely our four-leaf clover! With seven plus years in catering and events in two of Western Canada's leading conference and incentive properties, Lindsay knows how to deliver high-profile events. An amateur athlete, she's completed five half-marathons and has been known to take clients for a run along Vancouver's seawall. Talk about going the extra mile!
Job Titles:
- Senior Operations & Event Manager
After making unforgettable memories in Maui, our meticulous island-lover Lisa is now enjoying nature with her family on Vancouver Island. A small-town girl with a generous heart, Lisa's unwavering commitment to producing award-winning events is evident in her extensive background as a former executive with Branded Experiences and Scene Ideas. Lisa's passion shines through when she is involved in a project. Her expertise and caring nature enable her to put her signature touch on each one, leaving no doubt about her joy in the process. A smart cookie and lover of learning and laughter, Lisa enjoys baking, solving puzzles, reading books and watching a good flick.
Ball mastery, control and adaptability are traits of highly successful soccer and ball hockey players. Natasha's background as a competitive athlete in both of those sports coupled with 20 years in the hospitality and event industry make her an MVP star on our PDS team. A self-proclaimed foodie, her passion for experiencing new cuisine is matched only by her enthusiasm to produce stellar corporate events. She shines as a leader in the event world, evident by her work on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, 2015 Women's World Cup, and a plethora of high-profile corporate and public events. Natasha balances the high-paced event world by spending her free time running on local mountain trails and keeping fit at her gym.