We help organizations with complex operations
deliver successful business improvements
Deliver with Solve
We’re a Canadian boutique management consultancy founded by Big Four alums. We support business improvement initiatives through every stage, from diagnostics to execution.
Whether you need help identifying hidden process barriers, managing organizational change, or keeping a transformation project on track, we bring hands-on expertise and agile execution, either as a full project team or a handful of specialized resources.
Proudly based in Calgary, Alberta
With resources in major cities across Canada
How we can help
We promise: No generalists, no secret sales agenda, and an engagement lead checking in with you regularly.
Brand & Social Media
Client outcomes
Solve exists to help organizations achieve operational outcomes their people can sustain and scale. We’ve worked in sectors like energy and utilities, infrastructure, construction, banking and financial services, government (federal, provincial and municipal), healthcare and manufacturing, always specializing in business improvements and project delivery.
Our approach is road-tested through decades of direct experience in delivering tangible business outcomes like the ones we’ve showcased here.
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Client: Large industrial mechanic shop
Client Goal: Improve maintenance turnaround time to increase revenue
Work: Investigated job intake, inspection, maintenance planning, and mechanic scheduling processes. Facilitated sessions to create pragmatic, tactical changes for tangible on-the-floor improvements
Result: Reduced job turnaround time by 85%; increased job throughput resulting in a 150% increase in revenue without increasing overhead; reduced number of frustrated customers by improving customer communication
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Client: Midstream Oil & Gas Company
Client Goal: Transform departmental operations and reduce costs
Work: Redesigned operating model, facilitated workshops, supported implementation and change management
Result: Reduced headcount from 178 to 116 FTEs; achieved $9.3M in annual savings
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Client: Energy Infrastructure Company
Client Goal: Implement Workday ERP across North American operations post-merger
Work: Led change management, communications and training for 15,000+ employees and contractors across Canada and the U.S.; developed three change networks (leaders, timekeepers, employees); created personalized impact summaries for 6,000 employees; oversaw training delivery for 7,000 users with a team of 3 instructional designers, 14 SMEs, and 17 trainers.
Result: Achieved 50% increased in non-mandatory training participation; reduced service calls by ~50% compared to previous phase; ensured readiness across 375+ locations and 41 unions.
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Client: Government
Client Goal: Modernize service delivery and streamline operations for public-facing programs, affecting 27,000 employees
Work: With direct oversight from elected officials, developed change management strategies, union-agnostic engagement strategies, a four-tiered change network strategy, developed KPIs, and supported Treasury Board submissions to secure program funding.
Result: Successfully streamlined public-facing programs, improved internal operations and citizen support mechanisms
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Client: Crown Corporation
Client Goal: Align enterprise initiatives to strategic priorities; modernize operating model; wind-down and rollout various client-facing technology solutions
Work: Led change and project management for enterprise prioritization and milestone governance; facilitated senior leadership sessions and initiative charters; supported technology wind-downs and rollouts
Result: Delivered $2M in annual OPEX savings; embedded milestone-based governance across enterprise initiatives; rolled out new operating model with leadership buy-in
Our approach: Focus on people
A successful business improvement depends on your people, and that’s often where progress stalls.
Clients bring us in because they’ve already experienced:
Paused initiatives
Change that didn’t stick
Projects that quietly failed and became an ongoing source of resistance
Leaders left accountable for results they couldn’t deliver
We believe that any initiative aimed at improving your business must fully address your people’s needs and perspectives to be successful. It’s what we’ve seen in our decades of direct experience.
Whether they work in process improvement, organizational change management or project management, our consultants are hands-on and deeply experienced in navigating the human realities of successful business improvements.
Pictured: Brandon Bailey-Cummings, Catherine Naylen, and Carolyn (McDonald) Nichols
Hear from our clients
“I am writing to provide an unequivocal recommendation for Solve Consulting . . . We contracted them to look at some detailed business process improvements within our commercial teams. Deliberate in their approach, yet with a high degree of emotional intelligence, they were able to get to the root cause of a number of known as well as unknown business process problems quickly and with a good degree of empathy.
I was most impressed in their structured pursuit of improvements and willingness to work with senior executives through to front line workers. Meetings they chaired were focused, with clear aims, which ensured rapid progress could be made across a great deal of complexity. They simplified the complex well, illustrating with a great deal of detail inefficiencies that we could correct... I would have no hesitation in employing them again.”
— Senior Director, Strategy & Digital Transformation (Midstream Oil & Gas)
Awards
In 2023, Solve was acknowledged by Manage HR as one of the Top Emerging Change Management firms in Canada. This recognition validates our commitment to delivering exceptional results for our clients and driving positive organizational transformations.
Learn more here.
In 2020, Solve Principal Catherine Naylen was recognized with a Gold Quill Award of Merit in the category of Special and Experiential Events.
Learn more here.
FAQs
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Boutique means focused. We’re built for high-stakes delivery, not volume:
We bring the best of the best with specialized skillsets.
You get tailored solutions, not templated frameworks.
You get a partner who stays with you from kickoff to close-out.
Boutique firms are known for our credibility, adaptability, and results.
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We’ve partnered with clients in over 15 industries, including oil and gas, mining, utilities, infrastructure, government (federal, provincial and municipal), banking and financial services, health authorities, educational institutions and more.
Our clients are often navigating regulatory complexity, unionized workforce environments, cost pressures and economic volatility.
Clients choose us because they want to deliver tangible business outcomes and they know that success depends on their people. They’re looking for partners who can bring a tailored approach, embed directly with their teams, and deliver solutions that will really work.
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Absolutely. We begin with a discovery session to clarify your goals, challenges, and constraints, no prep work required. We also offer initial assessments, often delivered through a process improvement lens, to surface hidden obstacles and give you a full picture of where value is created and lost in your organization.
Many leaders know things need to change but aren’t sure how to begin. That’s where we come in.
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We’re built for complexity and cross-functional delivery. Our consultants bring expertise across change management, process improvement, and project execution. Many of our consultants have years of experience in multiple disciplines, making them valuable assets on multidisciplinary project teams.
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Many of our clients use a mix of Big Four scale and boutique agility to get the best results.
We complement large firms by going deeper in adoption, execution, and sustainment, the areas where results depend on people.
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Yes. Every Solve engagement is led by experienced consultants who stay hands-on throughout. That means faster insight, fewer handoffs, and solutions that work in your context, because the same people who design them deliver them.
A senior engagement lead will also be directly involved with the engagement, providing quality assurance on deliverables and regularly checking in with you.
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That’s our specialty. We bridge strategy and execution, helping clients fully realize their goals. Many come to us after struggling with handoffs or stalled initiatives.
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Yes. From short-term advisory to embedded project teams, we tailor our approach to your needs and budget.
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Start with a conversation. We’ll connect you with a partner or engagement lead to understand your goals and recommend a right-sized approach. No pressure, no sales agenda—just clarity on what’s possible.
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We always meet the client where they’re at. We adapt to your environment, whether that’s a specific governance model, software platform, or regulatory requirement. Our consultants bring years of industry experience and integrate seamlessly with your existing structures. We bring our own best practices, but we don’t force-fit frameworks.
Start a conversation
Submit a contact request using the form, or reach out to a principal directly.