WorkForward

Kendra (she/her) is the CEO of Canada's Ocean Supercluster (OSC), responsible for driving the sustainable growth of Canada's Ocean Economy. Along with the OSC team, Kendra is passionately commitment to raising awareness of Canada's ocean opportunity and role as an ocean nation.

Kendra was previously a partner in Deloitte’s Atlantic Risk Advisory practice and the Chief Audit Executive of Deloitte Global. Based in St. John’s, NL, Kendra joined Deloitte in 1993 and built a wealth of national and international experience having previously worked in Deloitte offices in Ottawa, Montreal, Sydney, Australia, Moscow, Russia and Hong Kong providing internal audit, external audit, internal control certification and governance services. Kendra was the lead partner for a number of Deloitte’s Atlantic Canada clients and a member of Deloitte's National Innovation Council.

Kendra currently serves as a Director for a number of not-for-profit organizations including as Chair of the Audit Committee for BioCanRx and past Chair of the Board for the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries. She previously served as Chair for Lupus Canada, Treasurer for the Battle Harbour Historic Trust and Treasurer for the St John’s Board of Trade.

Kendra is a skilled facilitator and speaker and has developed and delivered training on a number of topics including strategy, governance, risk management, cyber risk, disruptive technology and innovation.

My dream is one billion happier people. 

While not the typical career path of an Electrical Engineer, I began exploring the relationship between gratitude and philanthropic giving during my MBA—receiving the Gold Medal for highest academic standing. Since then, I’ve been writing and conducting practice-based gratitude research and teaching the habits of gratefulness—close to fifteen years now. What has emerged is our science-based program, Gratitude At Work. It's a simple, yet innovative approach to thriving leadership and business growth.

I founded Gratitude at Work in 2007 and started hosting conversations in my community which have since grown into work with leaders around the world, shifting cultures, helping leaders and their teams be happier at work by bringing more gratitude to work each day.

My 2019 book, Surviving to Thriving - The 10 Laws of Grateful Leadership, was named 1 of 8 recommended reads by Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley and 1 of 5 positive psychology books for a happier 2019 in inc. Also in 2019, I was an inaugural winner of Canada's CEO Trusted Advisor Awards Program and in 2017, I was awarded the highest earned designation in professional speaking, CSPTM.

I’m a son, brother, husband, father and relatively newly minted grandfather. My kids poke fun at my gratitude work (air quotes) as we are heading to one billion with an on-line community that gives everyone easy access to the secrets of gratitude and grateful leadership. I’m a lifelong resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia and trying to do my part to make my community a better place to live.

Lana previously held positions with the provincial government at the Nova Scotia Department of Finance and Treasury Board, as well as with the federal government at Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. Lana is the President of the Atlantic Association of Applied Economists. She has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Economics from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University.