Talent & Organizational Advisory

Build the org that can actually execute the vision.

The right people, in the right roles, with the right infrastructure, turns strategy into results. That's what Azules helps you do.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Your organization is growing — but the people infrastructure isn't keeping up

You're growing fast — but not ready for a full-time CPO

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You need senior-level people strategy without the overhead. The work is real and the need is now.

The team that got you here may not get you to the next stage

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You're adding headcount, but capability isn't growing at the same rate. Your structure is no longer optimal.

Talent has become a constraint on growth

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Key roles go unfilled too long. The org isn't keeping pace with where the business needs to go.

Your people programs exist — but they're disconnected or not working hard enough

You're losing people you can't afford to lose

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Top performers leave for reasons that don't show up in exit interviews. Engagement isn't a feelings problem. It's an org and management problem.

Your managers are technically strong — but people are struggling under them

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Manager quality is the primary driver of retention and engagement. Managers are often the key to unlocking your company's full potential.

Compensation feels ad hoc and inconsistent — and people are starting to notice

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Pay decisions get made deal-by-deal. Internal inequity can surface at the worst moments.

The board, investors, or a transaction is raising the stakes

The leadership team needs to level up

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Strong individually. Not yet operating as an executive team. The next phase requires more than what got you here.

If two or three key people left tomorrow, you'd be in serious trouble

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You don't have a clear answer to who's next in line. Development is happening informally, if at all.

Culture is drifting — or was never fully intentional

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Values are on the wall. Whether they're lived day-to-day is a different question. Different parts of the org feel like different companies.

A transaction, transition, or harder question is coming

A transaction, transition, or reset is coming

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PE event, leadership change, rapid scale. The org needs to be ready. People strategy has to lead, not lag.

The board is asking harder questions

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Succession. Org design. Leadership bench. Investors want real answers — not a slide, but a plan. And right now, you're making talent decisions without the data or infrastructure to back them up.

If any of this resonates, that's where Azules comes in.

I work with CEOs, founders, and leadership teams on a fractional, project, or longer-term advisory basis, depending on what the moment requires. No standard packages. Every engagement is built around your business and what it actually needs.

Let's talk See how I work →

What we do

Talent strategy that moves with your business

Companies don't scale on strategy alone. They scale on people who are set up to succeed — hired well, developed intentionally, and supported by infrastructure that grows with the business. Every engagement starts with your outcomes and works backward.

01 Talent & People Strategy
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We start with an honest assessment of where you are — what's working, what's missing, and what the business actually needs right now. From there we design and build the processes, infrastructure, and strategy that fit your stage, your culture, and your priorities. No predetermined frameworks. Just the right foundation for where you're going.

02 Executive & Strategic Hiring
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From your most critical leadership hires to building the systems that make great hiring repeatable. We partner with CEOs and leadership teams to define what you need, find who can deliver it, and build the infrastructure so you're never starting from scratch — for key roles, senior-level searches, or full talent acquisition buildouts. Rigorous, relationship-driven, and focused on fit that lasts.

03 Organizational Design & Operating Model
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Structure your organization to execute strategy — not just today, but through the next phase of growth. We translate business priorities into org design, spans of control, and leadership architecture that scales.

04 Succession Planning
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Build a leadership pipeline that ensures continuity and reduces single points of failure. We identify critical roles, assess internal readiness, and develop the bench — so the business isn't dependent on any one person.

05 Leadership Development
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The best companies don't just find great people — they build somewhere great people want to stay. We develop the management capability, feedback culture, and leadership programs that drive retention and performance at every level.

06 Executive Coaching & Career Transitions
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For senior leaders at a pivot point. Each engagement is fully custom, built around where you are and where you want to go. Whether you're working through an inflection moment, exploring what's possible beyond your current path, or thinking through your next chapter, this is a confidential space to think clearly and move forward with intention.

Professional development

Strengthen your leadership in your current role — presence, decision-making, team dynamics, and executive effectiveness.

Career transitions

Think through what's next — whether you're considering a shift in role, industry, or scope, with someone who has seen what works at the senior level.

Finding a new opportunity

Navigate the market with clarity — positioning, search strategy, and the relationships that matter at the executive level.

How we work

Grounded in experience. Built to evolve.

Every engagement draws on deep experience and best practices — then pushes past them to find what's right for your company. No recycled playbooks.

  • Strategy meets execution. Every recommendation connects to a business outcome — and we show up at whatever level the engagement requires, from a single deliverable to ongoing strategic partnership.
  • Built for your company, not the last one. We draw on deep experience and best practices, then push past them. No recycled playbooks. No standard packages.
  • Always evolving. We actively integrate emerging tools and approaches — including AI — because the best solution for your company may not exist in a textbook yet.

A boutique practice by design.

You work with Celeste. Directly. No junior consultants, no hand-offs. Every conversation, every recommendation, every deliverable draws on 20+ years of experience building talent organizations at the highest level — across management consulting, hyper-growth technology, and executive advisory work.

The leaders who work with us aren't looking for a vendor with a standard package. They want a partner who has sat in the room, made the calls, and knows what it actually takes to build — someone who will challenge their thinking, tell them what they need to hear, and execute alongside them when it matters.

About

Celeste Narganes

I build things. Leadership teams. Talent organizations. People infrastructure. The systems that let companies grow without breaking.

Over 20+ years, I've partnered with CEOs, founders, boards, and executive teams across hyper-growth technology companies, management consulting, and executive advisory work — translating business strategy into the talent and organizational decisions that actually move companies forward.

My background spans the full arc of this work: strategic management consulting, elite executive recruiting at the firm and company level, building and leading people organizations through rapid scale and major transitions, and direct advisory work with leadership teams on org design, succession, and culture. I've hired C-suite leaders, built first-ever talent functions, led reorgs and reductions in force, designed leadership development programs, and advised on the compensation and performance systems that shape how organizations operate day to day.

I founded Azules to bring that combination — consulting rigor, operator credibility, and executive coaching capability — directly to the CEOs and leadership teams who need it most.

Career highlights

  • Founder & Principal — Azules Advisory
  • VP People — Marqeta
  • Director, People — HubSpot
  • Head of Executive Recruiting — HubSpot
  • Executive Recruiter/New Ventures' CEO Advisor — McKinsey & Company
  • Management Consultant — Bridgespan Group (Bain & Company's social impact affiliate)

Education & recognition

  • MS, HR Management & Org Design — Columbia University
  • BA, English & Spanish — College of the Holy Cross
  • Harvard Business School Leadership Consortium (2022)
  • Harvard Business School Online — AI Essentials for Business (In Progress)
  • 100+ Remarkable Women in HR — Jumpstart (2021)
Celeste Narganes

Representative engagement

See the work in practice.

A detailed look at a fractional engagement — what the challenge was, how we approached it, and what we built together.

View case study →

What clients say

Testimonials

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Celeste is exceptional at what she does. When she worked with our company, she brought a level of strategic thinking and genuine care that left a real mark. She helped us hire a key leader, build a company-wide goal and performance program, and delivered training that actually resonated with our whole team. She has a rare ability to walk into a company, understand what it needs, and deliver — while making everyone feel supported along the way.

Co-Founder, Scaling Company
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Celeste came to our company from a different industry, yet she quickly established herself as a trusted partner. She was instrumental in shaping ideas and strategies that touched every facet of our people and talent operations. During a period of tremendous growth for our company, Celeste proved to be an incredible ally — serving as a trusted advisor not only to me but to our entire executive team. As she works with other companies, I have no doubt she will bring the same strategic insight, adaptability, and collaborative spirit that made her invaluable to our organization. I would highly recommend Celeste to any leader who understands how critical a strong talent strategy is to the success of their business.

President, Established but growing company
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Celeste brought a level of expertise and professionalism to our organization that was immediately apparent. She partnered with our leadership team on executive recruiting and helped us design and roll out a company-wide goal and performance program that brought real clarity and alignment across the organization. She also delivered training that our team responded to strongly. What impressed me most was how quickly she understood our business and our culture — and how effectively she translated that into work that actually moved the needle. She's a true strategic partner.

Managing Director, Growing Small Business

How we engage

Every engagement is custom.
But they tend to take one of four shapes.

The right model depends on where you are, what you need, and how quickly things need to move. We figure that out together at the start.

Let's talk about what you're building.

Whether you're scaling quickly, navigating a leadership transition, building talent infrastructure for the first time, or just need a sounding board on what to do next — the conversation starts here.

Currently accepting new engagements Fractional, advisory, and project-based engagements. Executive coaching available for individual leaders. Clients based across the US.