Strategic Advisory
Flexible senior-level strategic counsel for executives navigating periods of growth, transition, or complexity.
Practical advisory for leaders in motion
Vela North
Trusted partner for defining moments.
Vela North partners with founders, CEOs, executive teams and boards to bring senior operator-level expertise to growth, transformation and high-stakes initiatives.
charting the next horizon
About
Meet Julie
Julie brings 16+ years of experience as a strategic operator, Chief of Staff, corporate development and investor relations executive, business builder, and advisor across public company, professional services, growth-stage, and founder-led environments. She has partnered closely with CEOs, boards, investors, and leadership teams through M&A, capital raises, strategic partnerships, go-to-market shifts, executive communications, investor engagement, and other high-stakes initiatives where clarity, judgment, and momentum matter.
Before founding Vela North, Julie held senior leadership roles at RGP, where she served as Chief of Staff to the CEO and later led corporate development and investor relations. In those roles, she worked across enterprise strategy, board and investor communications, M&A, strategic partnerships, and cross-functional business priorities. Earlier in her RGP tenure, she helped build and lead a legal services business, giving her firsthand experience growing a business from both a strategic and commercial perspective.
Julie began her career as a corporate attorney at Latham & Watkins, where she advised on M&A and capital markets transactions. She holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis, summa cum laude, from Pomona College, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Through Vela North, Julie brings clients the judgment of an operator, the discipline of a strategy and transactions executive, and the steady partnership of a trusted advisor during moments that matter.
Our Services
Where strategic direction meets hands‑on execution.
Tailored support from strategy through execution, helping leaders clarify priorities, advance critical initiatives, and move decisively when the stakes are high.
Why Vela North
Senior-level expertise without the overhead.
Built by an experienced operator, not a career consultant.
Support that meets you where you are and evolves with your needs.
Fractional CoS support, executive decision support, leadership alignment, operating cadence and high-stakes initiative leadership.
Market mapping, acquisition and partnership strategy, business cases, diligence, deal execution and post-deal support.
Strategy development and refinement, product-market and competitive positioning, launch planning and growth initiatives.
Fundraising strategy, investor narrative, pitch materials, diligence coordination, board materials and stakeholder communications.
Executive, board, investor, organizational and transaction communications — including presentations, thought leadership and change messaging.
Leaders turn to Vela North when the stakes are high, internal capacity is stretched and the business demands experienced judgment and executive-level execution.
- Building out a strong strategic plan.
- Preparing for a capital raise and refining the equity story, investor materials and fundraising process.
- Embarking on a go-to-market expansion, product launch or strategic repositioning.
- Seeking a trusted advisor to the founder or CEO during periods of rapid growth or transformation.
- Evaluating or executing acquisitions or strategic partnerships.
- Navigating a cross-functional strategic initiative that lacks dedicated executive ownership.
- Requiring an interim executive to bridge a leadership transition or drive a mission-critical project.
How We Engage
Advisory support built around the moment.
Engagements are tailored to the needs of the moment. Vela North works with clients through flexible advisory, fractional, interim, and project-based structures, with scope and pricing determined collaboratively based on objectives, complexity, timeline, and level of support required.
Project-Based Support
Defined support for high-impact initiatives requiring senior-level leadership, specialized expertise or additional execution capacity.
Fractional/Interim Leadership
Embedded leadership capacity when a team needs senior operating support on a part-time and/or interim basis.
Perspectives
Trusted by Leaders in Defining Moments.
A few reflections from executives, operators and partners who have worked closely with Julie.
Over more than a decade working together, Julie became one of my most trusted partners through periods of growth, change, and complexity. She has a rare ability to see the big picture, understand the details, and translate strategy into clear action. As Chief of Staff, she brought judgment, discretion, and momentum to some of our most important priorities.
Former Public Company CEO & Board Director
In a founder-led business, the right strategic partner can make an enormous difference. Julie quickly understood the priorities that mattered and helped move critical work forward across fundraising, partnerships, go-to-market, and board-level priorities. She is thoughtful, practical, and deeply trusted.
Founder & CEO, Growth-Stage Wellness Company
I had the opportunity to work with Julie first as a founder during the sale of my company, and later as an executive colleague. In both contexts, she stood out for her strategic judgment, operating discipline, and emotional intelligence. She builds trust quickly, creates clarity, and moves complex work forward with confidence.
Serial Founder; Former Public Company COO
Corporate development requires both analytical rigor and practical business judgment. Julie brought discipline to evaluating opportunities, quickly assessing the strategic rationale, financial implications, and key questions leadership needed to answer. Her work helped create clarity around complex opportunities and supported better, more confident decision-making.
Public Company CFO
Julie is exceptional at building trust quickly, communicating with clarity, and creating confidence across teams and stakeholders. She has a calm, steady way of driving important initiatives forward, especially when the path is complex or the stakes are high.
Private Company CEO
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