Fractional COOs in LA Making Things Happen in 2025

Los Angeles Interim Chief Operating Officers to Know

Behind every growing company is an operator quietly making the gears turn. In the fast-paced, creative, and often chaotic business ecosystem of Los Angeles, fractional COOs have emerged as the go-to solution for founders, CEOs, and leadership teams seeking scalable operational excellence without the cost of a full-time executive.

From Venice to Downtown LA, from Long Beach to Anaheim, these fractional Chief Operating Officers bring structure, clarity, and momentum to fast-growing organizations. They work across industries—from DTC to SaaS to entertainment—advising, building, and executing with precision.

At Digital Reference, we believe in lifting the veil on talent. Our mission is to build a more efficient, transparent, and human-centered talent ecosystem. This curated list features some of the most compelling fractional COOs in the Greater Los Angeles area. These are the leaders turning founder chaos into scalable systems—and making things happen behind the scenes.

Our Methodology

To build this list, we evaluated fractional operators based on the following:

• Active fractional COO or executive operator status
• Physical presence or active client base in Los Angeles, Long Beach, or Anaheim
• Public visibility via LinkedIn, personal websites, or firm platforms
• Demonstrated leadership in strategy, execution, team building, and scaling operations
• Alignment with Digital Reference’s values of authenticity, transparency, and verified expertise

Each leader in this guide is not only operationally sound—they bring a unique perspective, proven outcomes, and a mission-aligned approach.

Meet the Fractional COOs in LA Making It Happen

Christian Erlendson

The Digital Reference Team had the opportunity to dive deeper with Christian, here is what we learned:

Christian is strategic and results-driven leader with comprehensive experience in operational efficiency and project management within the oil and energy sector, as well as the residential construction field. Demonstrated expertise in risk management, budgeting, and cost control.

When people think about operational excellence, they often picture spreadsheets, dashboards, and quarterly goals. But for Christian Erlendson, excellence is kinetic. It’s a mindset that moves through industries, from oilfields to home sites, boardrooms to buyouts. As a seasoned executive with a career spanning industrial services, energy, and residential construction, Erlendson has built a reputation as a sharp, strategic operator who doesn’t just lead businesses—he transforms them.

Christian's Core Competencies at a Glance

• Strategic Planning & P&L Leadership
• Sustainability & Risk Management
• Operations & Project Management
• Change Management & Stakeholder Engagement
• Business Development & Market Expansion
• Financial Oversight & Cost Control
• Cross-functional Team Leadership
• M&A, Compliance, and Regulatory Navigation

Why He Stands Out to the Digital Reference Team:

• Operational Impact with Proof: Christian doesn’t just talk transformation—he delivers it. From cutting operating costs by 30% to boosting productivity by 50%, his resume reads like a blueprint for measurable, repeatable success.
• Cross-Sector Versatility: His ability to lead in both energy and residential construction proves rare agility. Whether managing industrial services or building eco-conscious homes, Christian brings a strategic mindset that adapts across complex industries.
• Leadership that Scales: Christian exemplifies what it means to be a high-caliber fractional executive—bringing C-suite discipline to mid-market companies, developing resilient teams, and creating systems that don’t just run, but improve over time.

Christian is best suited for clients who need hands-on executive leadership to drive operational excellence, especially during periods of growth, transition, or turnaround. Specifically, he’s a great fit for:

• Mid-market industrial or energy companies (25–500 employees)
  Needing P&L ownership, operational restructuring, or support through M&A activity—Christian’s experience leading through sales, audits, and compliance makes him a steady hand.
• Private equity–backed firms
  Especially those looking for a fractional COO or operational advisor to optimize performance, reduce costs, and prepare for exit or scale.
• Construction or field-services businesses
  Where on-the-ground logistics, team leadership, and supply chain alignment are make-or-break—his background in residential development gives him unique insight into these fast-moving environments.
• Organizations undergoing transformation
  Whether it’s digital adoption, sustainability initiatives, or workforce upskilling, Christian thrives in companies that want to modernize while staying operationally sound.

Ashish Gupta

https://scaleupexec.com/

As the founder of ScaleUpExec, Ashish Gupta brings over 20 years of executive experience in strategy, operations, and business development. His fractional COO offering is deeply rooted in helping founders and startups build scalable and investor-ready operational foundations.

Why He Stands Out:

• Specializes in helping early-stage and mid-stage startups scale sustainably
• Provides strategic oversight on business process optimization, KPIs, and growth modeling
• Works across industries including SaaS, professional services, and consumer tech

Ashish is a systems builder, mentor, and a go-to partner for companies preparing for fundraising or growth inflection points.

Mia Bjorkroos

https://mia-b.com/

Based in Los Angeles with a global perspective, Mia Bjorkroos is a seasoned operator who partners with purpose-driven founders to bring order to operational chaos. Through her consultancy, she provides fractional COO and advisory services that blend emotional intelligence with executional rigor.

Why She Stands Out:

• Former startup executive and international operations lead
• Deep focus on people systems, founder enablement, and inclusive scaling
• Brings empathy and structure to fast-paced, high-emotion work environments

Mia is known for helping companies turn culture into systems and operations into a competitive advantage.

Why LA Is a Hotbed for Fractional Talent

Los Angeles is a city where creativity, culture, and commerce converge. It’s also home to a wide range of businesses—from entertainment studios and DTC brands to fintech startups and social impact ventures. This diversity, paired with the rise of hybrid work and flexible talent models, makes LA the perfect environment for fractional executives.

Companies here are:

• Seeking hands-on, senior leadership without full-time costs
• Building with lean, agile teams that need operational clarity
• Moving fast and need trusted operators who can hit the ground running

Fractional COOs offer a unique bridge between the chaotic founder phase and the structured growth stage—bringing maturity without slowing down momentum.

What Makes a Great Fractional COO?

Every operator is different, but the best fractional COOs tend to:

• Align quickly with founder vision
• Bring cross-functional experience (finance, product, HR, ops)
• Communicate clearly across teams
• Know when to build systems and when to get scrappy
• Have a strong POV and emotional intelligence

They’re not just execution machines—they’re thought partners, culture carriers, and organizational builders.

The Digital Reference Perspective

At Digital Reference, we see fractional leaders as the future of executive work. They move between clients, solve diverse problems, and leave behind systems that scale. But unlike traditional executives, they often lack a single narrative to prove their impact.

That’s why we’re building a platform for fractional professionals to:

• Capture verified testimonials and accomplishments
• Organize and present structured work history
• Build reputation, not just resumes

Our mission is to make it easier for businesses to find the right leaders—and for professionals to own their story.

The Digital Reference Lens

At Digital Reference, we’re not just surfacing names—we’re changing how executive talent is discovered, evaluated, and celebrated. Our platform enables fractional leaders to:

• Capture structured accomplishments
• Collect portable, verified references
• Present their work with radical authenticity

Guides like this are part of our broader mission: to make the talent ecosystem more transparent, more human, and more efficient. A few more guides worth looking into:

• Best Platforms to Hire Fractional COOs
• Full Directory of Local Fractional COO Listings
• Best Communities for Operations Professionals

We believe the future of work doesn’t live in resumes—it lives in reputation, results, and relationships.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re running a Series A SaaS startup, a DTC brand, or a creative studio, the need for operational excellence doesn’t go away. But hiring a full-time COO might not be the right fit.

That’s where the leaders on this list come in. Ashish, Mia, Christian, and Henry represent a new generation of executive talent—modular, strategic, and impact-driven.

They’re not just making things happen. They’re making things work.

Explore their services. Build intentionally. And document your journey with Digital Reference.

– The Digital Reference Team

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