Powering Performance. Inspiring Excellence. is the driving purpose of Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, which offers world-class Olympic and Paralympic training environments at campuses in Greater Vancouver, Victoria and Whistler. It is also a metaphor for the empowering leadership and impressive track record of its Chief Executive Officer Wendy Pattenden of Vancouver. Serving as CEO since 1999, Pattenden has brought to life a strategic direction designed to mobilize the sport science, sport medicine, coaching & life services experts delivering leading-edge programs to athletes and coaches to ensure they have every advantage to win medals for Canada.

Under her collaborative leadership style, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific has forged dynamic relationships with federal, provincial and local governments and other key stakeholders, partnered with over 20 National Sport Organizations, employed more than 75 specialized experts all in support of a dynamic training environment in BC.

Nationally-recognized for the best practices she brings to the business of sport, Pattenden also developed the organizational mantra Collaborate. Serve. Innovate. Perform., now the calling card for results at Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Its team of sport scientists, coaches and support staff helped contribute to 50% of Canada’s summer Olympic medals and 48% Paralympic medals at Tokyo 2020, and 58% of Canada’s winter Olympic medals and 60% Paralympic medals at Beijing 2022.

An MBA (Royal Roads University 2004) and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia (School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Education), Pattenden is one of the country’s leading advocates for sport, athlete and coaching development and is resolute in her commitment to building a sustainable funding model for Canadian Sport Institute Pacific . That passion has helped the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific grow to an annual budget of $7+ million in fiscal 2019, further supported by the strength of strategic community partnerships that have generated an additional $3.5 million in Value In Kind support from business and community leaders.

Pattenden’s legacy of executive leadership and community philanthropy includes her role as one of the main architects of the PacificSport regional network in 1999, serving as a guiding force behind the Canadian Sport For Life (CS4L) framework — a Federal-Provincial/Territorial framework promoting competency in fundamental motor skills. Pattenden serves on several community boards; Canadian Olympic Committee (B Member), Vice Chair, BC Sports Hall of Fame and Director for Canadian Sport For Life Society.

A former top 100-ranked professional tennis player and 12-time national tennis champion, Pattenden served 13 years as both the Director of Athlete Development and Head National Team and Olympic Coach for Tennis Canada. She led Canada to its best-ever result in the Federation Cup women’s world team tennis championship, finishing among the top four nations in the world in 1988. Pattenden was named Female Athlete of the Year (City of Greater Victoria) in 1978 and was inducted to the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.