Below is a transcribed interview with CraftXecs™ CEO Karen Craft, covering topics such as the origins of CraftXecs™, the CraftXecs™ team, the connection with its sister company iHR Advisory Services®, and more.

Q: It’s been a busy several months for you. Tell us about it. 

Karen Craft: It certainly has been. In July I married my long-time partner, Scott Craft, and made the decision to adopt his last name.  It feels like a big decision, changing my name after all these years. But it was also an easy decision and I’m thrilled to be a “Craft.” It feels like I’m entering a wonderful new chapter. And that new chapter was the push I needed to start something new in my professional life as well with CraftXecs™. 

Q: How did the idea for CraftXecs™ develop? 

KC: Over the past year, I have noticed the consistent change, disruption, and transformation going on in businesses across Ottawa and beyond. And I know from experience that when a business is undergoing a transformative event, whether by strategy or circumstance, its executive leadership needs more support than ever before.

When I looked around, I saw a gap. There are big consulting behemoths who advise on transformation, but there’s a gap for organizations that want experienced guidance from a boutique firm. CEOs are looking for an experienced partner who knows their situation intimately and has experience with the circumstances they’re facing. That’s where the idea came from. 

Q: Tell me more about what sets CraftXecs™ apart.

KC: What sets CraftXecs™ apart is that we give CEOs and executive teams the unfair advantage of having a C-Suite ally that brings new perspectives and lifts the fog that accompanies transformation.

No fluff, no junior consultants, just seasoned C-Suite leaders who know how to lead executive teams down a steady, guided path toward the transformation they’re seeking.

Q: It sounds like you’ve created an impressive team. Tell me more about them.

KC: Our team is awesome. They bring decades of combined experience across dozens of industries, like tech, human resources, finance, the public sector, and more. What sets this group apart is their comfort level sitting at C-Suite and Board tables, while also having the willingness and expertise to roll up their sleeves. When you’re working with them, you’re getting some of the best, most experienced people in their field that our region has to offer. I really encourage anyone reading this to check out their biographies on our website. 

Q: You launched CraftXecs™ at the recent Best Places to Work Employer Summit. How was it received? 

KC: The Best Places to Work Employer Summit was a fantastic event. Michael Curran and his team from the Ottawa Business Journal and Sueling Ching and her team from the Ottawa Board of Trade do a fantastic job with that event, and it gets better every year. 

CraftXecs™ was very well received. We had lots of people complimenting the look, feel, and positioning of the new brand, and mentioning how perfectly we’ve identified a need. There’s great momentum. 

Q: You launched your first company, iHR Advisory Services®, nearly 10 years ago. How does this new venture impact iHR?

KC: iHR has been such a critical partner to many small-medium businesses in Ottawa over the past decade, and we’re very proud of the impact it’s had and will continue to have. CraftXecs™ and iHR are sister companies that complement each other. iHR will continue to focus on being a true HR partner to our clients, supporting their operational HR needs. Meanwhile, CraftXecs™ will focus on supporting businesses undergoing transformation.

Q: What does the next year look like for both iHR and CraftXecs™? 

KC: We’re going to be celebrating iHR’s 10th anniversary in 2026, which is a big milestone. Beyond that, we’re going to continue to observe the needs of our clients and the business community at large to ensure we’re covering all the right bases between iHR and CraftXecs™. We’re going to continue developing our service offerings, creating new tools and thought leadership content, and supporting our clients wherever they need us. Ultimately, we’re laser-focused on delivering quantifiable impact to everyone who works with us.

It’s going to be a year of growth for all of us and we’re ready to seize the moment.