Celene Hoag
Business Strategist|Public Speaker|Community LeaderHelping established businesses fix what’s broken, build what’s missing, and scale what works.
See Celene on stage
Celene in action as a business keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, panellist and MC, in under three minutes.
Built from the ground up. No shortcuts. No outside capital.
Celene Hoag is the Founder and CEO of Chops Consulting Ltd., an award-winning Langley-based firm helping established professional services businesses (law firms, agencies, financial practices) operate smarter and scale with intention. Since founding Chops in 2021, she has grown the firm to a team of eight without a single dollar of outside capital. She is also the CEO of Flareguard, a cleantech wildfire startup, and a business mentor.
Her background spans commercial real estate appraisal, economics, financial analysis, and over a decade of hands-on operational leadership. She has turned around an unprofitable $10M social media agency, grew a multi-branch firm by nearly 500% over four years, and helped scale an accounting practice by 160% in revenue as Director of Operations.
She helps businesses that are doing just fine become f***ing fantastic.
She has been recognized as an industry expert in Canadian Lawyer Magazine, served as a guest lecturer at Robertson College, and has hosted and appeared on stages and podcasts across Canada. On stage, she brings real, funny and honest stories from building companies, plus practical strategies teams can use the next day, to keynotes, corporate workshops, panels, podcasts, MC roles and guest lectures.
Celene is a mom and an entrepreneur, and she gives back to her community. She sits on several boards, including the Langley Care Society, a healthcare nonprofit, and serves as a Langley school board trustee.
Community & Recognition
Experience spanning industries.
Operations & Systems
Building the infrastructure that lets businesses scale without chaos: project management, pricing systems, team onboarding, and process design.
Technology Strategy
Helping professional services firms select, implement, and get real ROI from technology: cloud platforms, CRMs, and legal tech stacks.
Marketing & Growth
Designing multi-channel marketing systems that convert: SEO, email, digital advertising, and the strategic foundations underneath them.
Financial Analysis
Pro forma modelling, profitability audits, investment analysis, and budgeting for companies navigating growth, transition, or complexity.
Real Estate & Land
Commercial real estate appraisal, UBC Urban Land Economics training, and direct experience with expropriation, land disposition and development.
Strategic Planning
Developing detailed growth strategies for businesses from startups to $300m+ per year in revenue that break down goals into milestones, into action plans.
On stage, on mic, in the room.
Workshops | Keynotes | Panels
Celene brings candour, real-world experience, and a talent for making complex operational concepts immediately actionable. She speaks on business strategy, operations, technology, marketing, and women in entrepreneurship, and has the stage presence of someone who has been in the room, not just studied it.
Available for keynote presentations, half and full-day workshops, podcast appearances, panel discussions, and business masterclasses across BC and Canada.
Book CeleneA trusted voice across platforms.
- HostGetting Sh!t Done in Business, Podcast
- Co-HostSay it Online, Podcast
- GuestLe Gouter Video Interview
- GuestCold Star Project, Podcast
- PublishedCanadian Lawyer Magazine, Recurring Industry Expert
- LecturerRobertson College, Recurring Guest Lecturer
- SpeakingOntario Bar Association (OBA) TECHxpo Conference
- SpeakingOntario Bar Association (OBA) Managing Partners Roundtable
- SpeakingYWIB International Women’s Day
- SpeakingLangley Chamber of Commerce Masterclasses
- SpeakingCoC Next Gen Business Network
- SpeakingLangley City Council, Bee City Canada Delegation (2026)
Off the Clock
When not running companies, Celene can be found enjoying a variety of eccentric hobbies, such as aerial acrobatics (she’s performed on stage!), foraging, chicken-cuddling, and beekeeping (last year producing over 75 lb of honey).
Let’s work together.
Whether you need a strategic advisor, a keynote speaker, or a consulting partner, Celene and the Chops team are ready.
Speaking topics
Every session is tailored to the audience, so think of these as starting points. Each one can run as a keynote, a hands-on workshop, a panel conversation or a shorter lunch-and-learn.
The Introverted CEO
You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to lead it. Celene shares honest, funny stories about running a company, selling and stepping on stage as an introvert, and the practical habits that make it work without pretending to be someone else.
Best for: Entrepreneurs, leadership programs, associations and anyone who has been told to “speak up more.”
Kids, Clients & Chaos
Building companies while raising a family is messy, funny and rarely talked about honestly. Celene gets real about the juggling, the guilt and the systems that make it work.
Best for: Women in business groups, International Women’s Day events, parent-focused organizations, podcasts and panels.
Building Your Digital Tech Roadmap
Most firms buy software one problem at a time and end up with a patchwork. Celene walks law firms and other professional services teams through a practical technology roadmap: where you are now, what to fix first, and how to roll out change without disrupting client work.
Best for: Law firm partners and managers, bar associations, legal tech conferences and professional services firms.
Technology consultingAI for Law Firms
AI is already showing up in law firms, invited or not. Celene covers where it genuinely saves time, how to choose tools that protect client confidentiality, and how to bring a cautious team along, all in plain, non-technical language.
Best for: Law firms, bar association events, legal tech conferences and managing partner roundtables.
AI for law firmsThe ROI of Tech
New tools only pay off when people actually use them. Celene shows teams how to get real return from the technology they already pay for, fix the processes underneath, and stop layering software on top of a broken workflow.
Best for: Corporate teams, professional services firms, operations leaders and industry associations.
Technology auditsFrom Fine to F***ing Fantastic
Most businesses don’t need a rescue. They need someone to point out where “fine” is quietly costing them time, money and momentum. Celene shares honest stories from building and rebuilding companies, and how to fix what’s broken, build what’s missing and scale what works.
Best for: Business owners, chambers of commerce, associations and leadership teams.
Business rebuildSpend Less Time on Social (and Get More From It)
Social media doesn’t have to eat your week. Celene’s fast, practical workshop shows business owners and teams how to plan content, show up consistently and stop guessing about what to post. It runs as a 15-minute express session or a longer hands-on workshop.
Best for: Small businesses, chambers, women in business groups and marketing teams.
How to batch social media contentTaking Up Space
Leading as a woman in a male-dominated industry. Celene shares candid stories from leading in rooms that weren’t designed with her in mind, from operations and finance to tech and cleantech, and what it takes to lead with confidence without shrinking or pretending.
Best for: Women in business groups, International Women’s Day events, employee resource groups and leadership programs.
Have a different theme in mind? Celene can build a session around your event.
Book Celene to SpeakBook Celene for your event
Tell us a little about your event and audience, and Celene will get back to you with availability and ideas for the session.
Prefer email? Reach Celene directly at celene@chopsconsulting.com.