Executive Team & Officers

Don Demens was appointed to the position of President and CEO in February 2013. Mr. Demens began his career at Western in 2009 and has served in a number of strategic roles with the Company including Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. In 2011, he assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer and, in July 2012, he was appointed President before taking on his current role. Mr. Demens has extensive strategic leadership experience and coastal forest industry knowledge gained over 30 years in progressively senior management roles, including with Interfor in both North America and Japan. Mr. Demens holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia.

Stephen Williams joined Western Forest Products in May 2014 to assist with the implementation of Western’s strategic initiatives. In October 2014, he was appointed to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and became Executive Vice President and CFO in 2018. Mr. Williams’ career in the lumber industry spans more than 20 years. He previously served as the Vice President, Finance & Administration at Interfor. A Chartered Accountant, he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of British Columbia.

Rick Forgaard was appointed Vice President, Manufacturing, in October 2014, bringing more than 30 years of Pacific Northwest forest industry experience, including nine years on the B.C. coast. He oversees all of Western’s manufacturing operations, focusing on safety and margin improvement, and is responsible for the implementation of significant capital programs to deliver top quartile results. Mr. Forgaard has a diploma in Wood Products Manufacturing from the B.C. Institute of Technology.

Jennifer Foster was appointed Vice President, Human Resources in December 2015, bringing 18 years of Human Resources experience, including ten years as Vice President of Human Resources for Stackpole International, an Ontario-based global manufacturing company. In her current role, Ms. Foster is responsible for Western’s human resource strategy, programs and initiatives. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management and Organizational Behaviour / Industrial Relations from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Shannon Janzen was appointed Chief Forester in 2013 and became Vice President and Chief Forester in 2015. Previously, as Manager of Strategic Planning, she established strategic relationships with First Nations, environmental groups and various levels of government along the B.C. coast. She now oversees Western’s strategic business investments on crown lands and ensures the company’s continued commitment to sustainability and responsible forest management. Ms. Janzen is a Registered Professional Forester and holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Brad Kirkbride was appointed Vice President, Sales and Marketing in May 2017. He has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the forest product industry on the coast of B.C. and in the Pacific Northwest, with extensive experience in sales to global markets and specialty customers. Prior to joining Western in December 2016, Mr. Kirkbride was the President of Mary’s River Lumber, a Western Red Cedar specialty business with multiple operations in Washington and Oregon. His past experience also includes various senior management positions with Macmillan Bloedel Ltd. Mr. Kirkbride holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and completed an advanced management program from Harvard Business School.

Don McGregor joined Western Forest Products in October 2018 as Vice President, Wholesale Lumber. Mr. McGregor brings almost 30 years of lumber marketing experience to his role, including more than 20 years as President of Vanport Canada, a leading wholesale lumber company. With a proven track record of building highly successful supply and sales agreements in North America and Asia, Mr. McGregor is responsible for building strategic agreements with global suppliers to broaden the scope of Western’s specialty product offering. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from UBC.

Rob Regner joined Western Forest Products in October 2017 as Vice President, Timberlands, bringing extensive general management, operations and business development experience, primarily in the oil and gas industry, to this role. Most recently, Rob held the role of Global Operations Manager with Halliburton Energy Services Inc., a multi-billion dollar global organization. Mr. Regner’s career has spanned multiple continents, with experience growing high performance teams and leading safety in culturally diverse manufacturing, technical sales, and service organizations in North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Mr. Regner holds a Bachelor of Science and an Associate Degree in Business Administration.

Alyce Harper joined the Company in May 2016 and was appointed Corporate Secretary in February 2017. As Senior Director, Legal and Corporate Secretary, she oversees the Company’s legal and corporate compliance requirements for all areas of the business and advises the Company’s executive leadership team and Board of Directors. Before joining the Company, Ms. Harper practiced law at a large global law firm where she acted for forestry and other natural resource companies and First Nations on a variety of corporate and commercial matters and governance issues affecting stakeholders, directors and management. Ms. Harper is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Bachelors of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. She also serves on the Executive of the British Columbia section of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association.

Dallyn Willis joined the Company in June 2014. As Senior Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Willis oversees the Company’s reporting, tax, treasury, internal controls, risk management, and land management. He has held senior management roles in various public companies prior to which he articled with PricewaterhouseCoopers, specializing in assurance and advisory services for forestry clients. Mr. Willis is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelors of Commerce from the University of Victoria.