Purpose Driven
With the right skill sets, capabilities, and tools - teams and individuals can achieve incredible things.
Seeing clients achieve their goals is both powerful and transformative. Their success is our fulfillment. We connect with clients on a human level, inspiring client teams to reach new heights and drive business results. Our collective and collaborative practices fuel organizational success.
Our Approach
Most organizations don’t lack ambition, but many struggle to pinpoint the true barriers to success. At the Engine Room, we prioritize rapid, targeted solutions over extravagant programs. We focus on the specific pain points affecting organizations and the specific strategies and tools that drive organizational success. By identifying, measuring, and assessing root causes, we then provide tailored resources to enhance strategy, leadership, processes, and operational execution – boosting workforce and operational performance. Sustainability of results stems from anchoring actionable behavioral practices owned and sustained by the client’s management teams.
1
Operational Diagnostic
The Operational Diagnostic assesses the alignment between the objectives, current strategies and practices within the client’s organization. It identifies the root causes of existing and potential challenges, including the interplay of people, processes, and technology. The Diagnostic provides targeted recommendations to address the root causes of organizational impediments and captures improvement opportunities. It is the foundation for strategy and implementation plan development.
2
Strategy and Implementation Plan Development
The implementation plan is the road map to simplify potentially complex challenges into manageable, pragmatic action steps. Engine Room implementation strategies avoid the ‘initiative overload’ that undermine many corporate change projects. It aligns vision, values, and purpose while sequencing actions to make them ‘digestible’ to allow the business to operate successfully through the change process. Action steps have defined operational goals and specific targets. Employee buy-in and engagement are strengthened throughout the process.
3
Implementation and Execution
We tackle the root causes of challenges and unique operating conditions faced by our clients through various forms of support, those include strategic advice, organizational and team structure development, IT systems configuration, workflow and process improvement, role and responsibility clarification, reporting/dashboard development, and leadership training and coaching. Additionally, we assist with management system implementation to ensure effective execution.
4
Sustainability
The Engine Room aims to leave clients with improvements they can sustain independently. Sustainability is supported by documentation and training materials, but lasting endurance relies on team members adopting new practices as “the way we do things.” Engine Room consultants focus on empowering clients to operate effectively without ongoing support, fostering ownership, and embedding sustainable practices within the organization.
Working with you
At The Engine Room, we respect our clients’ culture, experience, and resources. We know that cost-effective, sustainable performance improvements require close collaboration to reach desired outcomes. That’s why our continuous improvement philosophy is rooted in key client partnership principles:
Client First Methodology
We always inform our clients about the pros and cons of different operating strategies, empowering their leadership teams to make well-informed decisions. Our engagements are designed to align with and accelerate any existing programs or initiatives within the client’s organization, building upon the progress they have already achieved.
Root Cause Discovery
Our primary goal is to understand the client’s ambitions and challenges and to identify and address the true root causes of operational issues, whether related to people, processes, technology, or other factors. We commit to honest reporting, even if it’s uncomfortable, and avoid prolonged data gathering, balancing discovery with swift capability building.
Tailored Approach
We customize our approach to fit client needs, helping reduce costs, speed up timelines, and minimize disruptions to the business. Flexible to preferred working arrangements (in-person, virtual, shift patterns), we ensure minimal impact on daily operations. By sequencing activities, we avoid ‘initiative overload’ and make each step manageable for the teams we support.
Leadership and People
A leader at any level holds one of the most important jobs, significantly impacting their teams. Leadership capability is essential for fostering a highly engaged workforce. When effectively engaged, individuals can greatly contribute to positive business outcomes. People want to excel in their work, but they require guidance to achieve that.
Blended Learning
Recognizing that everyone learns differently, including leaders, The Engine Room employs a scientifically proven Blended Learning approach to leadership development, resulting in productivity increases four times greater than traditional training alone. Our method combines training, coaching, and experiential learning to transform successful behaviors into daily workplace habits.
Accountability
We emphasize the “accountability of application,” ensuring that the behaviors, skills, and tools learned on-site are effectively implemented where it matters most to achieve tangible results. By applying these skills to each leader’s unique situation, we ensure that competencies are anchored and directly linked to business outcomes, fostering a culture of accountability and performance.
Senior Leadership Team

Managing Partner
Milan Trpin
With more than 20 years of management consulting and executive engagement experience in North America, Milan works with Engine Room clients to design and implement strategic initiatives focused on operational excellence and continuous improvement. His comprehensive expertise encompasses strategy development, leadership acceleration, process excellence, management system implementation, and project execution. He drives positive change by supporting organizations in creating an aligned and focused leadership team with clear objectives, ownership, and optimized collaboration to realize program benefits.
His industry experience includes working in the utility, energy, mining, and technology sectors, as well as crown corporations and public agencies. In recent projects, he has led transformational initiatives focused on improving customer experience, grid
modernization and change leadership within the utility and energy industries.
A former university basketball and soccer player, he relaxes while hiking, fishing and reading, continuing to play and coach competitive sports, and spending time with his family.

Managing Partner
Duncan Kerr
Duncan is an international speaker, author, operations executive and consultant with more than 30 years of experience in over three continents. He has spent approximately half his career working in heavy industry in leadership roles spanning operations, engineering, safety, asset management, and capital projects. He has worked as the Chief Operating Officer for a large publicly traded company, private companies, and consulting firms.
As a consultant, Duncan is a recognized expert on continuous improvement, transformational change management, leadership development and organizational development strategy. He has led and worked on a wide variety of successful projects worldwide, supporting organizational transformations, operational excellence, performance management, and safety performance improvement for organizations in the utility, oil, gas, safety and mining sectors. Duncan’s work has been featured in Western Energy Magazine, Utility Safety and Hygiene News, Incident Prevention Magazine, Electric Energy and Empowered magazine.
For a change of pace, Duncan enjoys outdoor sports including cycling and kayaking, or can be found pursuing fine woodworking projects in his home workshop.

Senior Client Partner
Cheryl Dereniwski
Cheryl is a pragmatic leader who combines more than 25 years of applied energy industry experience with diverse business advisory capabilities to help companies do the right things and do them well. She partners with client organizations to devise and implement bespoke analytical, organizational and process solutions to advance their business strategies and deliver operational improvements. She takes pride in helping clients improve functional excellence while “connecting the dots” across their organization.
A chemical engineer by discipline, with significant practical experience in oil and gas resource development and production operations, Cheryl focuses her advisory work in the energy sector. Serving both small and large companies, she has worked across the globe with a client base spanning the upstream, midstream, downstream, mining, and power utility segments. Her business advisory expertise includes energy market analysis, functional strategy (e.g., operations, information technology, and workforce) development, target operating model design, operational excellence, process transformation, capital delivery management, strategic program leadership, asset management, and change management.
Outside of work, Cheryl enjoys travel and exploring her environment on foot, whether that be walking around a new city, running the pathways, or hiking the trails. She also likes attending major sporting events and checking out the local foodie scene.

Senior Client Partner
Chris Ufford
Chris is a coach, senior leader, and executive with more than 12 years of experience fostering cohesive teams, training leaders, and assisting executive and operational teams’ strategic analysis and planning processes. As a director, he has a strong background in process development and adaptations, capital project planning, technology, annual revenue generation, stakeholder engagement, and personnel management. As a Mental Performance Coaching Professional, he helps leaders achieve peak performance with a tool chest that includes one-on-one leadership coaching, team facilitation, training and management systems implementation.
Chris has worked with a variety of industries in the profit and not-for-profit sectors, including electrical utilities, financial technology, commercial real estate, tourism, post-secondary education, and both amateur and professional sports.
In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and coaching sports.

Senior Client Partner
Ken Harkness
Ken is a certified coach, consultant, and senior leader with more than 20 years of helping leaders and teams achieve meaningful change. He has a strong background in leadership development, organizational change management, and process improvement. As a director, he has experience leading the delivery of strategic initiatives, project management office, organizational change management and communications.
Ken has coached leaders at all levels to improve performance and alignment across teams. He helps leaders and teams figure out where they need to go and move past what is getting in the way. Ken’s industry experience includes the utility sector, mining, insurance, automotive, and crown corporations.
Ken holds his Executive Coaching Certification from Royal Roads University and the International Coach Federation and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba.
In his spare time, Ken and his family enjoy getting outside, spending time at the lake and going on adventures with his wife and children.

Senior Client Partner
Marsha Bell
Marsha has extensive experience assisting organizations with occupational health, hygiene and safety solutions including; exposure control plans, hygiene monitoring, serious and fatal incident investigations, and conducting risk assessments. She regularly advises employers on regulation interpretations, health and safety program development, leadership training, and work refusal resolutions. Marsha is known for her empathetic approach towards stubborn and complex workplace safety risks and is focused on providing professional advice that prepares organizations with the information necessary to avoid regulatory enforcement orders and penalties.
Marsha holds a Master’s degree in Occupational Hygiene from McGill University, along with the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) designation required to perform specialized hygiene services referenced by regulation. Over the years, Marsha has also received specialized certifications but is most passionate about safety leadership training and utilizing the principles of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) to engage organizations in reducing human loss. In 2023, Marsha was recognized as one of Canada’s Top Women in Safety.
Marsha spends her time away from work with her husband and children hiking and exploring the trails in British Columbia. She loves gardening, travelling and spending time with her extended family in Manitoba.

Senior Client Partner
David Elligott
David is a seasoned builder of high-performance teams, results-driven leaders, and exceptional values-based cultures. He is guided by a foundational belief in the collective power of people as any organization’s most valuable asset. His career began as a high-performance athlete before transitioning into a successful varsity and national team coach. In 2008, he chose to take his elite-level sport management and leadership experience into the business world, where he has since occupied prominent leadership, management, executive, and advisory roles within a wide range of industries in Canada, the US, and Japan.
His unconventional career path has forged a passion for partnering with leaders, teams, and organizations in pushing to unlock their fullest potential. Drawing upon experience in leadership development, executive coaching, process optimization, and team-based performance enhancement, David seeks to cultivate high-performance cultures anchored in accountability and robust leadership capability. His industry experience includes the utility sector, transportation, finance, fin-tech, and capital markets.
David’s background as a professional soccer player with the Vancouver Whitecaps (86ers) and his experience as a player and coach within the Canadian National Soccer Team Program underscores his passion for physical fitness and outdoor pursuits, including golf, skiing, and hiking.

Senior Client Partner
Peter Betnaza
Peter is a senior management consultant and executive coach with more than 22 years of experience. As a consultant, Peter has led and worked on numerous projects with some of Canada’s top 100 employers, covering performance management, operational excellence, cost management, and leadership development with organizations in the utility, forestry, mining, healthcare and oil & gas sectors.
Peter coaches leaders at all levels to develop the rigour to provide feedback and change behaviours that drive significant bottom-line results, paying particular attention to where people and business process connect with field and floor execution. Peter specializes in helping organizations anchor the precise behaviours that derive positive business results.
Peter is a graduate of the Royal Roads University Executive Coaching Program and also holds a Political Science degree from the University of Victoria. Peter likes to be active with his family in his spare time, cycling, swimming, and hiking. He is also a Dive Master, skier, and cross-fitter.
Peter Wratislav

Senior Client Partner
Peter Wratislav
Peter Wratislav has over 25 years of leadership coaching and operational excellence consulting experience, working in 3 continents and 5 countries. He has worked with several Fortune 500 companies in the Petrochemical, Utility, Primary Industry and Construction sectors.
His engineering knowledge coupled with certification in GROW Leadership Coaching (London School of Coaching), Six Sigma (Green Belt) and Project Management qualifications have enabled him to work very effectively with clients at all levels, from senior management to unionised front-line workers.
Peter also has experience creating and editing a wide range of technical documents and has a post grad qualification in Quality Assurance (ISO9000). Some examples of this work include:
Developed the documentation required for certification to ISO17025 for Natural Gas Corporation (NZ) fiscal transfer gas meter, corrector and pressure gauge calibration facility.
Facilitated the development of the bridging documentation required to attach a jack-up accommodation barge to Conoco Phillips’ Australia Bayu Undan production platform.
Created both the Site Safety manual and Contractor Safety manual for the Fortis BC, Tilbury LNG site.

Senior Client Partner
Kevin Small
Kevin is a coach, consultant, and people leader with over 20 years of experience driving high-performing teams and achieving transformative business outcomes. With a “people-first” philosophy, Kevin emphasizes teamwork, unlocking potential, leveraging individual strengths, and fostering authentic relationships. He combines this human-centric approach with a strong focus on data-driven decision-making and process improvement, ensuring measurable results and sustainable growth.
Kevin specializes in coaching for leadership development, safety performance, change management, and process optimization, he empowers individuals and organizations to navigate challenges, embrace change, and excel in their goals.
Kevin has worked in the Utility, Technology, Medical and Hospitality sectors and has sat on advisory boards within those industries. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads University.
In his spare time, Kevin enjoys skiing, coaching and playing soccer, time outdoors and spending time with his family.
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