Patti was born in Winnipeg in 1955, the third oldest of five children in the family of Agnes and Stan Kernaghan, the well-known founder of Kernaghan Adjusters. Patti moved to West Vancouver with her family when she was a teenager, and graduated from Sentinel Secondary School, having made her mark as a track and field athlete.
Soon after, Patti embarked upon a career in business, and after ten years of management experience with the Bank of Montreal, she began her insurance career with Kernaghan Adjusters in 988. At Kernaghan Adjusters, Patti first worked as a licensed adjuster in the field, then as Director of Marketing, and then became Vice-President Operations. Since becoming President of the company in 1993, Patti has concentrated her focus on the vision and direction of the firm within the Canadian insurance industry and the service excellence of their team.
Patti believes strongly in the value of education and professional development. After General Arts studies at Capilano College, she pursued studies in International Relations and Art History at UBC. She is a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional and holds a Canadian Risk Management Diploma. Patti has also completed Executive Programmes through the Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration at UBC.
Patti also believes strongly in contributing to the insurance industry in BC and across Canada. During her 18 years in the industry she has been involved with the Insurance Institute of BC and the Insurance Institute of Canada where she has held the position of the Regional Vice-Chair of the Insurance Institute of Canada (Western Institutes), President of The Insurance Institute of BC, a member of the Academic Council for the Insurance Institute of Canada and also a member of the Education Committee for the Insurance Institute of Canada.
Patti has also served as a Steering Committee Member of WICC BC (Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade), President of the Canadian Insurance Professionals of Vancouver, and was also as an Advisory Board Member for the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation of BC.
Patti presently serves on the Insurance and Risk Management Advisory Board for the University of Calgary, the Board of Trustees for Insurance Dispute Resolution Services of British Columbia, and is a member of the Steering Committee for The BCIT General Insurance & Risk Management Education Program.
Patti and Pierre have been married for 23 years, and have raised their two daughters, Alexis and Neisha,
on the North Shore. They enjoy travelling, art galleries, cross-country skiing, biking, gardening and spending time at their cottage in Quebec, whenever possible.