Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

Continuous Improvement: Streamlining Development Services for a Growing Community

In August 2023, a newly established Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Division within the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness partnered with Berlineaton to support foundational strategic planning. Through a series of workshops, interviews, and leadership alignment sessions, we helped define the Division’s strategic priorities, enhance collaboration across its branches, and establish a shared direction grounded in the UN’s Sendai Framework. The result was a draft strategic plan and strengthened leadership cohesion—key steps in building a more proactive, coordinated approach to disaster risk management

Key Team Members

Ri
Richard Eaton
Tobias Mehra
Cathryn Chase

A Profound Experience

Following its formation in 2023, the Disaster Risk Management Division faced a critical early-stage challenge: aligning its three distinct branches under a unified vision while navigating a rapidly evolving risk landscape. The Division needed time and support to build its internal strategy and clarify its role within a broader emergency management system. To help chart this course, Berlineaton was engaged to facilitate structured, collaborative planning that would support long-term strategic coherence and team formation.

Practical Solutions

Our engagement began with a series of diagnostic interviews with senior leadership, designed to surface key themes and inform the planning process. We then delivered a 1.5-day facilitated strategic planning workshop, where participants:

  • Aligned on vision, mandate, and deliverables
  • Identified and prioritized initiatives across the Division’s three branches
  • Mapped strategic priorities using the Sendai Framework to reveal overlaps and collaboration opportunities

Supporting activities included:

  • Ongoing project management coordination
  • Comprehensive session documentation
  • Follow-up debrief meetings to review outcomes and plan next steps

These efforts resulted in a high-level strategic map and a draft guide to inform future planning and implementation.

Bolder Futures:

The initiative led to clearer alignment around the Division’s strategic and operational priorities, improved collaboration across branches, and strengthened leadership cohesion. By connecting its work to international best practices like the Sendai Framework, the Division is now better positioned to take a proactive, coordinated approach to disaster risk reduction. This foundational planning process laid the groundwork for continued development and a more resilient emergency management system.

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  • The emphasis on Strategic Management was important to us, since we didn't want a plan that sat on the shelf after several months of strategic thinking. I found that Berlineaton didn't come to our organization with a preconception of what our strategic plan would look like, but they made an authentic effort to understand the people in our community and be in tune with its ethos, its goals and its people. They gained trust and confidence and continue to work with us on the implementation of our tactical plan.

    Head of School in Victoria,

    British Columbia

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    BC Government

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    Upper Canada College

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    Richard Eaton

    CD, BA, MA (Leadership) FCMC, ACC
    Adventurer, Process Whisperer, Force of Nature.

    Richard Eaton is a founding partner of Berlineaton with over 30 years’ management consulting experience, and has engaged with more than 10,000 individuals across hundreds of assignments in a wide variety of sectors. Richard holds a Master’s in Leadership and Training, is a Six Sigma Black Belt, a Fellow Certified Management Consultant, and an Associate Certified Coach. He is also certified as a Boss Whisperer, specializing in coaching abrasive leaders.

    A skilled leader, Richard has successfully mentored and developed a highly effective team of Berlineaton consulting professionals who expertly reflect the Berlineaton brand. He has also supported clients with both provincial and national level projects recognized for realizing measurable impact, innovation, and service excellence. Richard is a firm believer that truly transformative results arise when visionary leaders empower front-line teams to take ownership, innovate, and drive inspiring, strategic outcomes that resonate across organizations, sectors and time.

    Richard served for over 40 years in the British and Canadian armies as an Infantry Officer, with training from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Canada’s Combat Training Centre. He’s qualified as a Paratrooper with 200+ jumps, is an All Arms Commando and a Military Ski Instructor, and is a veteran of counter-insurgency operations in Northern Ireland. His honours include the Canadian Forces Decoration, with two bars, and the General Service Medal – Northern Ireland.

    An avid outdoorsman, Richard particularly enjoys sea kayaking and mountaineering. Having summited peaks like Mt Kilimanjaro (19,000+ft) and Mt Rainier, his future goals include breaking the 20,000 ft mark. He is a proud father of two adolescent children and is deeply devoted to his long-time partner Shelly Berlin, as well as two spoiled Burmese housecats.

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    Tobias Mehra

    BA, MSc, MIB, CMC
    Problem Solver, Ear-Lender, Globetrotter.

    Tobias is an Engagement Lead. He joined the firm in early 2019. He draws on his various academic and professional experiences in business strategy, market research and corporate sustainability to provide simple and elegant data-driven solutions. 

    Tobias discovered his passion for working with people from a diverse set of backgrounds and enjoys helping organizations confront complex challenges with simple data-powered solutions. 

    Originally hailing from Austria, he moved to Victoria in 2018. Tobias loves exploring the outdoors and loves Vancouver Island as much as he loves Austria. His newest love, though, is his daughter, born at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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    Cathryn Chase

    BA, MMgmt, CMC
    Interpreter, Pathfinder, Wordsmith.

    Cathryn is a Senior Consultant with Berlineaton. She approaches all her work with curiosity, dedication and an analytical eye.

    As a Senior Consultant, Cathryn leads and supports projects across all of Berlineaton’s practice areas with a particular focus on public sector work. She is skilled at deriving insights from data, and helping clients translate complex information into usable and effective solutions. She loves applying her skills, experience, and penchant for problem solving to help empower her clients and create sustainable business solutions.

    Cathryn holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from UBC, as well as a Master’s of Management from UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She also has a Lean Six-Sigma Yellow Belt, and is working towards becoming a Certified Management Consultant.

    Outside the office, you can find her spending time with her partner, Sander and retired sled dog, Clyde, swimming with the Victoria Masters Swim Club, and enjoying the outdoors with friends and family.