Fractional COO and AI adoption advisor for Canadian small businesses
Working with Canadian founder-led organisations to clarify direction, restructure operations, and adopt AI, with one person accountable from start to finish.
Digital Reference, 2026: Best Fractional COO Services in Canada. Read the feature →
Tech Advisor Program, September 2026: completed through the Centre for Women in Business. See the certificate →
Professional services · nonprofits · faith-based organisations · education technology · membership organisations · founder-led businesses
Which one sounds like your week?
Alone at the Top
For the founder without a trusted team.
Read more →Stuck on Consensus
For the leader with a team around them.
Read more →The Self-Reliant Builder
For the founder who decides alone, and wants a second pair of eyes.
Read more →Not sure which is yours? Take the one-minute quiz →
Who I am
I'm Elizabeth Lemoine, founder of Northlight Advisory Services in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I work across strategy, software adoption, operations, and applied AI, because those four things are almost always connected to the same problem.
Northlight Advisory Services exists so new CEOs and founders have the support and resources they need to grow their ideas into the products and services that actually change things for the better.
I look at the whole picture, without an agenda, and work out what's going on, what matters, and what you do next. That might be a strategy decision, an operational redesign, an AI adoption plan, or a tool we build together. Most engagements touch more than one.
I build operations around Canadian privacy requirements: PIPEDA federally, Quebec's Law 25, and the private-sector privacy acts in Alberta and British Columbia.
If you're one of the founders who should have that support and those resources, I'd genuinely like to hear what you're building. No jargon. No fog. Just the work.
What I've done and built
Strategy & executive leadership
- Executive partner to CEOs and executive directors: priority management, board materials, contract drafting, and strategic thought partnership across global organisations.
- Advised founders, boards, and senior leadership on operational structure, systems design, and organisational decision-making.
Systems & technology
- Led an organisation-wide ClickUp implementation, from needs assessment to a staff training guide adopted across every department.
- Migrated Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, and Sage to Xero, with zero business interruption.
- Led a Salesforce implementation covering programs, fundraising, and data integrity.
Governance & risk
- Held executive responsibility for financial operations in a global nonprofit with more than $4M in annual revenue.
- Authored governance manuals and board policies still in active use.
- Established data protection and compliance frameworks aligned to regional requirements.
People & operations
- Built employee handbooks, HR frameworks, and onboarding from scratch.
- Served as executive operations partner to the CEO and CTO during a growth-stage SaaS platform transition.
Operations at scale
- Directed delivery of 300+ complex initiatives reaching 115+ countries: international conferences, executive programs, and global webinars.
- Designed a federated operating model across six regional offices, covering charitable registration, payroll, compliance, and HR.
Three production tools I use every day. It means I can act as the go-between for your team and a developer.
Full experience breakdown
Over the past decade, I've helped founder-led businesses, nonprofits, and growth-stage organisations turn strategy into operational reality. The industries have varied. The work has remained remarkably consistent: bringing clarity to complexity by designing systems, strengthening operations, and helping leadership teams execute with confidence.
Strategy & executive leadership
- Executive partner to CEOs and executive directors: priority management, board materials, contract drafting, and strategic thought partnership across global organisations.
- Translated strategic priorities into operational plans, governance frameworks, systems, and measurable execution across distributed teams.
- Advised founders, boards, and senior leadership on operational structure, systems design, and organisational decision-making.
Systems & technology
- Managed the full migration from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365: transition planning, system configuration, OneDrive and SharePoint setup, and staff training, with zero business interruption.
- Led a Sage to Xero migration during active operations: historical data migration, new chart of accounts, reporting infrastructure, and accounting systems rebuilt with external accountants.
- Led an organisation-wide ClickUp implementation: needs assessment, full project charter, cross-department stakeholder engagement, an external implementation partner, and a staff training guide adopted across every department.
- Led a Salesforce implementation covering programs, fundraising, and data integrity.
Governance & risk
- Held executive responsibility for financial operations within a global nonprofit with more than $4M in annual revenue, including budgeting, forecasting, board reporting, invoicing, collections, and charitable receipting.
- Authored governance manuals, board policies, and board onboarding processes across multiple organisations, still in active use.
- Established data protection and compliance frameworks, including Event Management Agreements and Data Processing Agreements aligned to regional regulatory requirements.
- Supported charitable registration, payroll, HR, and financial infrastructure for new offices in the UK, Australia, and the United States.
- Formalised financial controls, authority matrices, and budgeting processes for a provincial nonprofit.
People & operations
- Developed employee handbooks, HR frameworks, and onboarding processes from scratch for early-stage and growing organisations.
- Served as executive operations partner to the CEO and CTO during a growth-stage SaaS platform transition, coordinating operational readiness across teams.
- Oversaw 20+ multi-stakeholder civic and government engagement initiatives.
Operations at scale
- Directed operational delivery for more than 300 complex initiatives across 115 countries, including international conferences, executive programs, and global webinars. Built the governance, logistics, vendor management, staffing, budgeting, and risk management systems required to operate consistently at international scale.
How we work
Thirty minutes, no pitch. Tell me what you're working on and we'll see whether there's a fit.
Before any recommendations, I get a clear picture of what's actually happening, including the problem underneath the one described.
Scope, hours, and what “done” looks like, settled before any work starts.
Embedded Advisory (about 20 hours a month) or On-Call Advisory (up to 5 hours a month, flat monthly rate). Built to survive contact with reality.
Credentials and learning
Selected certificates · See all 250+ on the Learning page →
What people say
“She has been an operational and administrative maestro. She sees the whole picture from a vision, to strategy, to operations.”
Danny Graham, Chief Engagement Officer, Engage Nova ScotiaRead the full quote
In my work with Elizabeth Lemoine she has been an operational and administrative maestro. She sees the whole picture from a vision, to strategy, to operations. She understands organizational dynamics and ensures work is properly prioritized and completed to a high standard. She was an important reason for our early success at Engage Nova Scotia – acting as a “Swiss Army knife”, for financial controls, board support, and was a wise advisor – ensuring consistent whole team alignment.
“Elizabeth is masterful at sizing up the problems of start-up and small organizations and then getting them solved.”
Anna Stuart, Executive Coach & Leadership MentorRead the full quote
Elizabeth is masterful at sizing up the problems of start-up and small organizations and then getting them solved. She has a long track record of creating and introducing right-sized systems and then skillfully equipping others to work within them. She is hardwired to serve others and there is yet to be a problem that she can’t tackle!
“If you are thinking of it, need it or ask for it, she's either planning it, doing it or has it already done.”
Danny King, Co-founder & CEO, AccredibleRead the full quote
If you are thinking of it, need it or ask for it, she's either planning it, doing it or has it already done. She's always willing to learn and grow, to be flexible, and to take on new challenges. I recommend her highly.
“She understands that policies and frameworks have to work in the real world — not just look good on paper.”
Donna Davis, Global Operations Manager, Divine RenovationRead the full quote
Elizabeth approaches governance, compliance, safeguarding, and data protection as much more than boxes to check. She understands that policies and frameworks have to work in the real world — not just look good on paper. She cares about getting things right, not simply getting them done, and I always knew I could trust her with work where the stakes were high. Elizabeth was excellent at creating processes that support real work and real growth, not theoretical policies or binders that sit unread on a shelf. She is someone I trusted deeply as a colleague, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to any organization looking for someone of sound judgment, strong operational thinking, and commitment to building things that last.
Read more from clients and colleagues
“Elizabeth is a hard-working talented team member. It’s tricky to balance both human caring and focused tenacity but Elizabeth is able to bring both to a team and to an organization. Elizabeth can be relied on to make things move and has a gift for seeing and naming details in larger complex projects. She is great at mapping out work not just for herself, but for teams around her. I’ve seen Elizabeth thrive at being the centre of an organization, traffic copping work and keeping people connected. In my years of working with Elizabeth, I was personally always grateful when she turned her tenacity in my direction to ensure that I wasn’t letting important things slip out of my line of sight.”
Dan O’Rourke, Founder & Former CEO
“She is able to take open ended aims and turn them into action independently. She is a great communicator and a natural organiser. Elizabeth brings humour, honesty and integrity to the team and combines that with an enviable work ethic.”
Alan Heppenstall, CTO & Co-founder, Accredible
Questions
What does Northlight Advisory Services do?
It helps Canadian founders and small leadership teams make clearer decisions, run better operations, use AI well, and handle Canadian privacy requirements. Most clients work with Elizabeth through Embedded Advisory (about 20 hours a month) or On-Call Advisory (up to 5 hours a month for a flat monthly rate).
Who does Elizabeth work with?
Primarily Canadian founders, directors, and operations leaders at small to mid-sized organisations, typically under 50 people, who have an operational challenge and need clear thinking they can act on quickly.
How does an engagement start?
With a free 30-minute Coffee Chat, then a second conversation, then a plan we both agree on before any work begins.
What is fractional leadership?
Bringing in a senior operator, here Elizabeth, as an embedded part of your team for a defined period, without hiring a full-time executive. It suits organisations that need director-level operations or strategy capacity now but aren't ready to hire permanently.
Does Northlight Advisory Services build tools as well as advise?
Yes. Elizabeth has built and uses three production tools, Northlight Vault, Northlight Meetings, and Northlight OS, and can act as the go-between for your team and a developer.
Where is Northlight Advisory Services based?
Founded and led by Elizabeth Lemoine in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Engagements are remote, with a focus on Canadian organisations, though geography is negotiable when the problem is specific.
Can you help with operations and an AI roadmap at the same time?
Yes. Most engagements touch more than one area. Fixing how work gets done and deciding where AI fits are usually the same conversation, so I treat them as one plan.
Do you work with businesses outside Halifax?
Yes. Engagements are remote, so location does not limit who I work with. I work with Canadian organisations across the country, and I am based in Halifax.