Debbie O'Bray
Winnipeg, Canada
PMI Fellow
Former Chair, PMI Board of Directors
Debbie O’Bray, PMI Fellow, CIM (Hons), is a former Chair of the Board of the Project Management Institute (PMI ®), and a past Director of the PMI Educational Foundation Board of Directors. Debbie has enjoyed a diverse and distinguished career in project management that includes twenty one years in the telecommunication industry followed by ten years in project management consulting. During her consulting career, Debbie worked extensively in China, Mexico, and Europe with organizations in a variety of industries including banking and finance, new product development, mining, aerospace, and environmental engineering to improve their performance through better project management. Debbie is currently with Investors Group Financial Services, Inc., where she is responsible for the project management practice across an enterprise IS organization, which spans five companies in both Canada and Europe.
A passionate PMI volunteer since 1992, Debbie has served in many capacities at the local, national, and international levels. She is a founder of the PMI Manitoba Chapter and served on the chapter’s Board of Directors for five years, including three years as Chapter President. In 1992 she joined the PMI Standards Committee, serving as a core team member and key contributor to the development of the 1996 edition of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Debbie’s contribution to standards development was recognized with a PMI Presidential Citation in 1995.
At the international level, Debbie served on the PMI Board of Directors for a total of six years in positions of increasing responsibility. Prior to assuming the role of Board Chair in 2003, she held the positions of Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Committee Member, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Strategic Planning and Program Alignment Committee. In 2004, Debbie was named Chair of the PMI Ethics Standards Review and Ethics Standards Development Committees where she led a team of internationally respected professionals from twelve countries through the development of a new ethics code for the Institute. The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, which applies to approximately 300,000 professionals worldwide, came into effect on January 1, 2007. Debbie resides in Winnipeg, Canada.
Debbie serves as a global advisor for the PM World Journal and PM World Library.