Best Fractional Chief Executive Officer Services in Canada

Canada Outsourced Chief Executive Officer Agencies

Looking for the most impactful fractional CEO services in Canada? You’re not alone. As more companies, especially startups, scale-ups, and private equity-backed ventures turn to flexible executive leadership, fractional and virtual CEOs are stepping in to deliver results without the long-term overhead. Whether you're looking for a turnaround expert, a strategic growth partner, or an experienced operator to guide your next chapter, this list highlights Canada’s top outsourced CEO providers.

This guide features professionals and agencies that deliver hands-on leadership in industries ranging from SaaS to industrial manufacturing, and everything in between. We focused on providers who blend executive insight with modern adaptability leaders who don’t just consult, but embed, execute, and elevate.

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Methodology: How We Chose the Best Fractional CEO Services in Canada

This list wasn’t assembled lightly. We followed a research-first, client-reviewed approach based on the following criteria:

• ✅ Canada-based or Canada-serving professionals
• ✅ Proven track record with C-suite roles or founder/operator backgrounds
• ✅ Transparent pricing or service models, not vague consulting pitches
• ✅ Sector specialization (e.g., SaaS, manufacturing, finance)
• ✅ Radical authenticity and thought leadership—aligned with Digital Reference’s values

We read through case studies, verified leadership bios, reviewed testimonials, and fact-checked their business models. The result: a list of vetted providers delivering real results, not just good marketing.

Fractional, Virtual, & Part CEO Service Providers in Canada 🔦 Provider Spotlights

Osborne Interim Management

🔗 Website: https://osborneinterim.com

Osborne Interim Management has built a reputation for mid-market business transformations, offering fractional CEO and COO support with a bench of experienced professionals across Canada. Their team steps in quickly, with clear mandates and hands-on leadership often in complex turnaround, succession, or expansion scenarios.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Focus on transition and change leadership (growth, M&A, restructuring)
• Flexible engagement models from weeks to multi-month deployments
• Deep bench across healthcare, tech, education, and nonprofits
  
  

Mark Olson, Founder, Osborne Interim Management

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-olson-a820617/

With decades of operational leadership under his belt, Mark Olson is a pragmatic builder of performance-oriented teams. He’s held senior roles in the public and private sector and now leads Osborne’s talent network. On LinkedIn and in practice, Mark is known for his steady leadership style and commitment to outcomes over optics, a philosophy that aligns tightly with the radical authenticity we value.

Catchfire Group

🔗 Website: https://catchfiregroup.ca

Catchfire Group focuses on helping founder-led and early-stage ventures reach scale with the leadership of a seasoned operator. Their model revolves around fractional CEO services for companies that are too big to wing it, but not yet ready for a full-time executive.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Strong focus on post-revenue scale-ups
• Operational bootstrapping meets strategic growth playbooks
• Deep understanding of Western Canadian startup ecosystems

Gary Brownstone, Founder, Catchfire Group

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garybrownstone/

Gary Brownstone is an experienced venture builder and turnaround specialist. His resume includes dozens of CEO and President roles, as well as work with federal innovation hubs. Known for his candor and clarity, Gary’s leadership blends grit with strategy, making him an ideal partner for companies trying to go from $1M to $10M in revenue without losing control.

Bottcher Business Management

🔗 Website: https://bottcher.io

Bottcher Business Management combines process automation, strategic leadership, and digital operations into one sharp package. Perfect for online businesses, eCommerce brands, and service firms, they offer executive-level thinking with a tech-savvy twist.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Specializes in digital process design and workflow automation
• Unique hybrid between Fractional COO and CEO
• Highly personalized, founder-first approach

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher, Founder, Bottcher Business Management

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-annbottcher/

Tiffany-Ann Bottcher is a process-minded leader who’s built her brand on optimizing how businesses run not just what they sell. Her leadership is precise, digital-forward, and ideal for companies at the intersection of growth and burnout. She’s also vocal about authentic entrepreneurship and frequently speaks on balancing operations and vision, a theme that resonates deeply with our values at Digital Reference.

I2ACT Canada

🔗 Website: https://www.i2act.ca

I2ACT provides growth-focused leadership to mid-size industrial and tech firms across Canada. Their fractional CEO model emphasizes performance accountability, growth diagnostics, and lean transformation.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Built around the proprietary I2ACT Growth Framework
• Strong track record in manufacturing and supply chain
• Deep hands-on experience with multicultural, multi-site teams
  
  

Dirk Baerts, Founder, I2ACT Canada

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkbaerts/

Dirk Baerts is a seasoned executive and former general manager with experience spanning Europe and North America. Known for his systems-first approach, Dirk helps clients design the leadership architecture their company needs to scale. He’s the kind of leader who drives operational results while still championing team culture.

Pender & Howe

🔗 Website: https://penderhowe.com/en/

Pender & Howe straddles the line between retained executive search and fractional executive leadership making them ideal for PE-backed firms and family businesses in transition. Their services often include interim CEO roles as well as long-term advisory.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Blend of search + placement + fractional engagement
• Excellent network within Canadian and US PE ecosystems
• Human-centric, high-trust approach to leadership transitions
  
  

Travis Hann, Managing Partner, Pender & Howe

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-hann/

Travis Hann is a senior executive talent partner who focuses on matching the right leadership with the right moment. With a sharp background in executive search and business growth, Travis brings an unusual ability to spot fit early—and place leaders who can thrive in high-stakes environments. He’s calm under pressure, and deeply attuned to founder-led transitions.

Artemis Canada

🔗 Website: https://www.artemiscanada.com

Artemis Canada is a boutique executive search and fractional leadership provider focused on scaling tech companies across Canada. While best known for search, Artemis also enables fractional CEO placements for venture-backed startups, particularly in the innovation corridors of Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Vancouver. Their engagements go beyond staffing; they build leadership infrastructure for sustainable growth.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Deep roots in Canada’s innovation and venture ecosystems
• Known for diversity-forward executive hiring and placement
• Trusted by early-stage startups to bridge leadership gaps quickly
  
  

Kristina McDougall, Founder, Artemis Canada

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinamcdougall/

Kristina McDougall founded Artemis after years of working with startups that needed not just talent, but strategic leadership insight. She brings over two decades of experience in executive search and advisory, with a sharp focus on tech scale-ups. Kristina is a vocal advocate for inclusive leadership and has earned her reputation as a builder of not just companies but of cultures. Her approach to fractional CEO placement is rooted in deep relationships and honest leadership alignment right in line with Digital Reference’s values of radical transparency and clarity over charisma.

Fractional Executive Services

🔗 Website: https://www.fesconsult.ca

FES (Fractional Executive Services) delivers interim and fractional leadership across Western Canada, with a strong emphasis on governance, nonprofit, and mission-driven businesses. Their CEO services are impact-oriented and built around long-term transformation.

💡 Why they stand out:

• Focus on values-led organizations and Indigenous enterprise
• Expertise in governance, compliance, and strategy
• Collaborative and deeply human-centered leadership
  
  

Jennifer Bessell, CEO/Founder, Fractional Executive Services

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bessell-ba-acc-dir-91a99b52

Jennifer Bessell brings decades of experience in leadership and advocacy to her role at FES. She’s passionate about inclusive leadership models and works closely with boards, founders, and executive teams to align vision with execution. Known for her calm authority and structured strategic process, Jennifer is a standout in the fractional space—especially in sectors that value ethics and impact.

Wrapping Up: Leading With Radical Authenticity

The companies and professionals featured in this list share one thing: they don’t pretend to be something they’re not. That’s why we chose them. These fractional CEOs in Canada are showing what it means to lead with transparency, flexibility, and effectiveness the same principles that drive our work at Digital Reference.

At Digital Reference, we believe in radical authenticity whether it’s video resumes, verified portfolios, or giving real leaders a real platform. If you’re hiring a CEO (even part-time), don’t settle for buzzwords. Choose someone who shows up with clarity, not jargon.

Looking for more leadership service spotlights? Check out our growing library of articles featuring Fractional CIOs, vCISOs, and Chief Sales Officers across the UK, US, and beyond.

Let’s build better teams with the truth in full view.

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