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Advisory

Where my work meets yours.

Capability systems, leadership development, project leadership, and speaking.
Helping organizations build, scale, or stabilize the operating systems behind their people.

My primary focus is leading a learning function in-house (Vancouver or remote). I take a limited number of engagements alongside that.

Operating context

I work with organizations and leaders navigating moments where capability has to keep up with change: founding phases, scale-ups, regulatory transitions, leadership handoffs, and AI integration.

Engagements are scoped to the problem, not the org chart.

Most often, the brief is ambiguous, the timeline is compressed, and the answer has to keep arriving while the work is already running.

That's the operating context I do my best work in.

What I do

Four areas of work. One operating standard.

01

Capability & Organizational Development

Designing and rebuilding capability systems that run under pressure. New academies built from launch. Existing programs refreshed without disrupting delivery. Cross-functional training for organizations where capability has to span departments, not job titles.

Lifecycle-aware: founding moments, scale-up phases, structural transitions. The discipline is operational, not academic.

Capability system design Academy build & launch Program refresh Cross-functional training Operating model design Scaling under pressure Workflow optimization
02

Leadership Training & Mentorship

For leaders growing into senior roles, leading expert practitioners they can't be the SME for, or navigating organizational change. The work centers on credibility, executive communication, leading through ambiguity, and developing the people inside the systems you run.

1:1 mentorship for emerging executives, plus group training for leadership teams.

Leadership coaching Leading expert teams Executive presence & credibility Operating under ambiguity Change & transition leadership Team development Succession planning
03

Project & Program Management

Multi-stakeholder, multi-vendor coordination for capability initiatives where direct teams, contracted experts, and cross-functional partners all have to align to one delivery standard. Change management for regulatory cutovers, partner transitions, and multi-location expansion.

Strongest where the project has compounding complexity: many moving parts, real timelines, and no margin for service disruption.

Program management Multi-stakeholder coordination Vendor & SME management Change management Regulatory cutovers Partner transitions Risk & scope management Cross-functional delivery
04

Speaking & Workshops

Available for keynotes, panels, and workshops on capability building, leadership development, AI integration, leadership credibility, and operating in environments of constant change. Topics tailored to the audience, drawn from operating practice.

Keynotes Panels Workshops Executive offsites Leadership team sessions Industry conferences
Ongoing inquiry

The questions sitting on my desk right now.

A snapshot of the conversations I'm tracking, the trends I'm watching, and the open questions shaping how I think about the work.

01
AI integration
What does an L&D function look like when AI handles 60% of content production, and where does human judgment still have to live?
02
Capability vs. content
How do organizations move from "we need training on X" to "we have a capability gap in Y"?
03
Regulated learning environments
Where's the line between compliance-driven design and learning design that actually changes behaviour?
04
The post-training era
If most adult learning happens on the job, what does the L&D function actually deliver?
05
Operating under constant change
What's the muscle that lets some teams thrive in ambiguity while others freeze?
06
Cross-functional capability
How do you build capability that spans departments without diluting depth in any of them?
07
Credibility in transition
How does a new leader earn the trust to upgrade systems that were already working?
08
Distributed leadership
What does it actually take to lead expert practitioners across language, cultures, and time zones?
From the people I've worked with

Voices from the work.

Mel has a rare ability to design and scale operating models that work in practice, balancing strategy, execution, and people with clarity and calm.
Laura Coumbe  ·  Artist Manager & Talent Specialist, Think Tank Training Centre
Melissa Best is our powerhouse VP of Education, Americas, and has been crucial in the set up and day-to-day running of CEA.
Centre for Entertainment Arts  ·  Marketing & Communications
Let's talk

If any of this resonates, I'd be happy to talk.

A 30-minute conversation to understand what you're working on and whether the work I do is the right fit for it.

Schedule a conversation
Or email directly
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