If you've got a question that isn't here, that's what the fit call is for.
Two windows. The first is before a high-stakes moment is in motion — when an M&A or IPO is on the horizon, a restructure is being planned, or a leadership transition is taking shape. That's when the People work is shaped to protect value, not chase it. The second is once a moment is already live — an integration mid-flight, a stalled HR systems implementation, a sudden CHRO departure, an executive team that's misaligned and stuck. Most CEOs hire after the wheels are coming off. The better move is to bring senior People leadership in while the path is still being designed.
All three describe senior HR leadership delivered without a full-time hire. Fractional is part-time and ongoing — typically 1–3 days per week, multi-month, embedded in the executive team. Interim is full-time but time-bound — usually filling a gap during a search or transition. Contract is project-scoped — a defined outcome with a defined end. The right model depends on what's happening and how much capacity you actually need.
The right comparison isn't "what does this cost" — it's "what does the wrong hire or the wrong outcome cost?" Retainers are the default — multi-month, fixed scope, with a clear successor profile and handoff plan. Pricing scales with scope and time commitment. Engagements typically start at $15K per month and go up from there based on complexity. That structure delivers better economics for both sides than hourly billing. Hourly engagements happen in specific cases — usually when I'm brought in alongside a partner firm or systems integrator that owns the technical scope, and I provide the Chief People Officer / program orchestration / change management layer. In those situations, time-and-materials makes sense. The fastest way to figure out which structure fits your situation is a 30-minute fit call.
Sometimes. A VP of HR may be running the function effectively day-to-day but not have led an M&A integration, an IPO, a major systems transformation, or an AI-era rebuild. A Fractional CPO can come in alongside the VP — not above them — to lead the high-stakes moment while strengthening the internal team. The goal isn't to replace your VP. It's to make sure the moment doesn't break them.
First question: is this an integration or a harmonization? The approach is different. An integration consolidates two organizations into one operating model. A harmonization aligns terms, comp, and policies across companies that will continue to operate separately. Both have their place; the work to get there isn't the same. Once that's clear, the work breaks into a project portfolio that usually includes terms and conditions, compensation and total rewards, HR systems and payroll consolidation, policy and process harmonization, leadership and org design, culture and change management, adoption, and communications. The mistake most companies make is treating it as a project, not a program. It also can't be run side-of-desk by the same people running the day-to-day — orchestration takes a dedicated owner with the bandwidth to hold the cadence, surface risk, and make decisions stick. Without that, integration risk goes live and value erosion starts the day after close.
AI is reshaping the People function at the workflow level — recruiting, onboarding, learning, performance, comp analysis, employee service. The mistake is treating AI as a tool rollout instead of a work redesign. Most HR organizations need to redesign their operating model before they buy more tools. Governance, ownership, and a Transformation Management Office matter more than the vendor selection. Read the full POV on AI in the People function →
Public companies, PE-backed, VC-funded startups, founder-led, and bootstrapped. From 50 to 12,000+ employees. Tech, SaaS, healthcare, mental health, eGrocery, mining, logistics, and more. Geography: multi-jurisdictional engagements across Canada, the US, and Europe.
Subject to my capacity, most engagements start within 1–2 weeks of an aligned scope and signed agreement. For urgent situations — live deals, sudden CHRO departures, stalled implementations — I can often scope and start inside a week. The first phase of any engagement is designed to get me oriented quickly, so the speed is real once we go. (For more on the phase structure, see how I work.)
Both. Most engagements are hybrid — frequent onsite presence at the start of the engagement and during high-stakes phases (offsites, big decisions, integration milestones), and remote work in between. I travel as needed — when the work calls for me to be in the room, I'm in the room. I've led engagements across Canada, the US, and Europe, often working with leadership teams in multiple time zones.
That's often the goal. I help define the role, search the market, evaluate candidates, and onboard the new leader — including real-time coaching during their ramp. Sometimes the right hire is internal; sometimes external. Either way, the goal is a clean handoff that sets the new leader up to succeed.
I don't run pure recruiting search work as a standalone service — that's a different specialty. I don't take engagements where the executive sponsor isn't engaged; without that, the work doesn't land. And I don't position as a turnaround CPO when what's actually needed is a permanent hire — in that case, I help you find one.
A 30-minute call usually answers it. I'll ask a few direct questions about what's going on, what's at stake, and what you've tried. We'll quickly see if there's a match. If I'm not the right fit, I'll connect you with someone who is.