Special Edition: New Chief Operating Officer for Richmond

I am pleased to confirm the appointment of Jennifer MacKenzie as Chief Operating Officer – Richmond, effective Monday, November 3, 2014.

Jennifer is returning to Vancouver Coastal Health after a decade in senior leadership positions at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), her most recent as VP of Strategic Planning, Transformation Support and Innovation. I am delighted to bring her to the VCH Senior Executive Team where her extensive experience in strategic and operational planning, organizational performance, project and change management, and business process redesign will further enhance the senior leadership for both VCH and the Richmond Community of Care.

Throughout her career, Jennifer has had a passion for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health care services.  She pioneered the use of lean techniques at PHSA with the creation of the imPROVE initiative for which PHSA has been widely recognized for its impact on wait times, improved outcomes and reduced costs.  Also, while at PHSA, she guided North America’s largest application of LEAN principles on a capital project with the workflow and functional design of the $700 million redevelopment of BC Children’s Hospital. Prior to joining PHSA in 2003, Jennifer was Manager of Corporate Alliances at VCH where she played a key role in generating new revenues through an innovative business development unit.

Along with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Dalhousie University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Victoria, Jennifer has been a guest lecturer in Strategic Management and Health Economics at the Sauder School of Business. She was also named Canada’s Outstanding Young Health Executive in 2008 by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives.

But while this success suggests Jennifer is focused on business efficiency, it does not tell the tale of her achievements as a people-focused leader and someone highly committed to mentoring teams and encouraging staff, physicians and others to work together to build a stronger, more cohesive working culture. As Chief Operating Officer – Richmond, Jennifer will foster more of the innovation that has seen Richmond develop and implement new ideas in service delivery. Through her leadership, I am confident Richmond will become an even stronger part of the VCH community and pave the way with initiatives that can be shared elsewhere across our region.

In welcoming Jennifer to Richmond, I also want to thank Dermot Kelly for his dedication and commitment as Interim COO following Mike Nader’s move to the Coastal Community of Care. Dermot remains a part of the Richmond leadership team and will return to his original portfolio as Director of Medical Administration, Surgical Services and Ambulatory Care.

Please join me in welcoming Jennifer back to VCH and to her exciting new role as COO – Richmond

Mary Ackenhusen
President and CEO