Tammara Kennelly

President & Friesens Board Member, MBA, ICD.D

Tammara spent fifteen years in banking and foreign exchange before finding her true love of books in 2012. Tammara’s passion for leading and developing culture led her to complete her Executive MBA, with a major in leadership at Royal Roads University. Her career spans local start-ups and gigs with Fortune 500 companies which have seen her do business as far away as Lithuania and log thousands of travel miles along the way.

In 2023, Tammara became a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director (ICD.D) designation. Granted by the Institute of Corporate Directors, the ICD.D designation represents a lifelong commitment to excellence in the boardroom, a desire to stay current, and to be a more effective director. Less than 6,000 individuals in Canada hold this designation.

She is an avid music lover (once seen on stage dancing the can-can with Spirit of the West), enjoys sipping a glass of Malbec while whipping up a new recipe in the kitchen, and can be found hiking the trails of Vancouver Island with her Australian Shepherd, Bailey. And while being home with her daughter is her first love, a desire for adventure and diversity incites the travel bug when time allows.

Will Reiher

Director of Technology

Will has more than fifteen years experience in the Internet development and telecommunications industries. He has developed an invaluable set of skills through his work as a technology consultant, marketing director, full-stack web developer and sometimes graphic designer.

Will is proud to be one of the founding members of FriesenPress and has played a key role in creating our innovative, dynamic and diverse workplace. When Will is not in front of his computer he makes time for photography and can be found riding his Vespa around town. Will is happiest outside enjoying a great meal with his wife Jen.

Riley Blott

Senior Director

As far back as Riley can remember, he has been drawn to storytelling. Whether it was long nights reading The Lord of the Rings as a child, or sharing his own tales of adventure from backpacking around the world, he has always found joy in the written word.

Riley has worn many different hats at FriesenPress, starting with his time spent working directly with authors as part of FriesenPress’s book production team. After gaining valuable insight into the publishing process and coming to manage the production team, he pivoted to leading the sales and marketing teams – a change that allowed him to focus on helping authors make sound publishing choices at scale.

As the Senior Director at FriesenPress, Riley now guides several teams that support authors – all the way from the first conversation with FriesenPress to the day they’re published.

When Riley’s not at the office, he's most often found cycling around Victoria, attempting a new route at the local rock climbing gym, enjoying a book at a local cafe, or spending quality time with his family.

Hannah Monteith

Senior Operations Manager

Hannah comes to FriesenPress with a strong background in marketing management. After completing her Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing Management, she built her portfolio by helping small businesses develop their marketing strategy and grow their network.

Her love of books and marketing converged at FriesenPress. Beginning as a Promotion Specialist, Hannah instantly took to helping authors determine their book promotion strategy, empowering them to take control of their journey, and achieve their goals. Hannah's teamwork and drive toward leadership made her a natural fit as Lead of the Promotion Specialist team. Still working closely with the promotion team, she expanded her strategic and leadership support to include the Administration and Design teams. Now, as Senior Operations Manager, she has the unique opportunity of holding our authors’ vision and needs in her sights while supporting her operations team's growth and development.

Hannah spends her spare time practicing yoga, adding to her growing library of books, or plotting her next DIY project. She's often found with paint still on her hands come Monday morning.

Heather Stevens

Operations Manager

Heather’s previous project management experiences give her a unique perspective to the publishing process at FriesenPress. With a focus on ensuring authors have experienced and supportive staff to assist them as they publish their book, her goal is that each author has a finished product they are proud of. 

Beginning as a Publishing Specialist, Heather has amassed a wealth of industry knowledge en route to her role as Quality Assurance Coordinator and now Publishing Services Team Lead. She is driven to seek new learning and innovation opportunities that will help our authors, Publishing Specialists and processes thrive. 

Outside of the office, Heather spends her time between her next knitting project and planning her next camping getaway on Vancouver Island.

Andrea Vetsch

Operations Manager

Andrea has over ten years of experience in retail management, facilitating expansion and leading training at national retail companies, and working in industries as varied as cooking, fashion, and educational resources (to name a few). Andrea has combined her passions for reading, client relationships, and mentorship into her role as Operations Manager at FriesenPress.

Andrea spends her free time perfecting her skills in the kitchen for family and friends while trying out the newest board games on the market. She is a proud cat and dog owner and often spends her evenings volunteering at a local pet rescue. If you were to look in her purse, you'll always find a book…or three!

Simran Dahiya

Operations Manager

Simran graduated from Asper School of Business where she completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) specializing in Logistics & Supply Chain Management and Marketing.

Her areas of work expertise include project management and documentation, leading cross-functional teams, and building and resourcing of high performing teams. Her keen zest for learning saw her quickly develop herself as an operations professional.

In her spare time, Simran loves going to the gym, playing chess, spending time outdoors with family and friends, and learning more about different cultures.

Brian Cliffen

Marketing Manager

Brian Cliffen brings a lifelong passion for the arts to his role as Marketing Manager at FriesenPress. After earning a degree in Popular Culture Studies at Brock University, Brian developed his communications career across a wide range of industries before finding his calling in 2014 – the year he discovered FriesenPress.

Leading the marketing team affords him many remarkable daily opportunities: creating resources and services that empower authors to share their best stories with the world; growing our 100% employee-owned business; and celebrating the amazing books we work with our authors to create.

Brian lives on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation in eastern Ontario with his wife, dog, and cat. In his downtime, you’ll find him organizing his vinyl collection, cheering for his Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Bills, or cycling on the Cataraqui Trail.

Leanne Janzen

Sales Manager

Leanne arrived at FriesenPress as a Publishing Specialist, guiding authors through the publishing process with personal care and attention. Her ability to form relationships and desire to continually improve led her to the University of Winnipeg. There, Leanne completed training in Leadership Development shortly before transitioning to the Sales Manager position.

Her role leading the Sales team gives her the opportunity to support a fantastic team of professional publishing experts dedicated to helping authors choose the publishing experience that’s the perfect fit for them.

When she is not keeping busy with her children and dogs (there are three of both!), you can find Leanne on the beach — with a good book and a glass of wine in hand.