Fractional Executive · Board Director · Coach

When growth gets heavy, you need someone who's carried it before.

Fractional executive leadership, board director roles, and executive coaching for SaaS, software, and technology companies. Working with founder-led and growth-stage businesses scaling through pressure without losing the trust of their teams, customers, or investors.

Start a Conversation → More About Murray

Most Recent

Led SeisWare International as CEO through the 2025 acquisition by Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMG).

Prior Exit

Board member at Passportal through its acquisition by SolarWinds, sustained low churn through triple-digit growth.

Current Roles

Non-Executive Director, OnTheJob Inc.; Mentor coach, Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA).

Foundations

BSc Geophysics, University of Calgary. Co-founded Blue Castle Corporation in 1997, the predecessor to SeisWare.

About

I grow people and leaders. The business follows.

My work sits where commercial accountability, people leadership, and operational discipline meet. I help founder-led and growth-stage technology companies navigate scale, leadership transition, change, and pressure without losing the trust of their teams, customers, or investors.

Strong culture isn't soft. It's the foundation that lets businesses scale, run efficiently, and keep customers and partners coming back.

I'm Murray Brack. I co-founded Blue Castle Corporation in 1997, which merged with Zokero in 2009 to become SeisWare International. I served as COO for eleven years, then as CEO for six. In July 2025, SeisWare was acquired by Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMG). We chose CMG because they would give our team room to grow and let the culture we built keep evolving. I stepped away from SeisWare in February 2026 to focus on the work ahead.

Today I work with founders, executive teams, and boards as a fractional executive, non-executive director, and coach. I don't bring a playbook. I bring questions, perspective, and a real commitment to developing the people around me. I tell leaders what I see. I ask the questions they've been avoiding. I won't sugar-coat hard truths, and I won't miss the opportunities they're walking past.

Beyond fractional roles, I'm a Non-Executive Director at OnTheJob Inc., an EdTech platform using game-based learning for workforce development. I was previously a board member at Passportal (acquired by SolarWinds in 2019), and I'm a mentor coach with the Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta (VMSA). I'm fluent in the Crucial Conversations and Influencer frameworks, which I use in coaching, mediation, mentorship, and culture work.

01Emotional intelligence over ego

02Psychological safety as a requirement, not a luxury

03Culture as a competitive advantage

How I work

Four ways to bring me in.

Different engagements, same underlying belief: organizations that invest in their people scale further and last longer than those that don't. I work best with technology companies between early traction and serious scale.

No. 01

Fractional Executive Leadership

CEO, COO, or senior-leader roles for organizations navigating growth, transition, or transaction readiness. Full operating accountability, embedded in your team, without the long ramp of a permanent hire.

Interim & Embedded

No. 02

Board Director & Advisor

Independent board roles for startups and growth-stage technology companies. Governance, founder development, succession planning, culture under pressure, and long-term value creation.

Board & Governance

No. 03

Executive Coaching

One-on-one and group coaching for senior leaders, founders, and CEOs. Emotional intelligence, decision-making clarity, and authentic leadership presence. Grounded in Crucial Conversations and Influencer practice.

1:1 & Group

No. 04

People & Operations

The work that often sits between roles: HR policy and structure, hiring and exit frameworks, employee handbooks, customer support organization design, and culture programs that hold their shape as the company grows.

Frameworks & Programs

Where I work

Industries where this fits.

My deepest experience is in technology, software, and SaaS. The leadership and culture work I do is transferable across sectors. I don't need to know your domain to help your leaders lead better.

SaaS & Software

Founder-led and growth-stage SaaS companies scaling teams, navigating product-market fit, preparing for transaction, or working through founder-to-CEO transition.

Technology Scaleups

EdTech, cybersecurity, fintech, and specialist technical software companies. Anywhere complex technology, demanding stakeholders, and ambitious people meet.

Founder-Led Growth

Companies between early traction and serious scale. When the org chart, the strategy, and the people all need to evolve at once, and the founder needs a peer to think alongside.

Sector expertise is useful. Transferable leadership skill is the part that holds up.

What to expect

I'll tell you what I see. I'll ask the questions you've been avoiding.

I won't sugar-coat hard truths. I will surface the opportunities you're walking past. This work is about building organizations where the business and the people both thrive, not one at the expense of the other.

If you bring me in, expect me to listen first. Expect me to challenge you. Expect me to develop the people around you rather than hand you answers. And expect to leave the engagement with a stronger team, a clearer strategy, and an organization that can sustain what we built together.

If you're ready to get unstuck and build something that lasts, let's talk.

Voices

What people say.

A few words from colleagues, partners, and peers I've worked alongside. Drawn from public LinkedIn recommendations.

One of the most impactful leaders I've worked with. Murray leads with a genuine, people-first mindset, embedded into how the company operates.

Krista Brunel, CMP Director Corporate Development, FERO Corporation · 18 years working with Murray

Murray is the gold standard in my mind of how I should behave as a leader. The largest impact on my professional and personal life.

Brad Pepers Senior Manager · 12 years reporting to Murray

His commitment to a people-first culture changed how I thought a company could succeed. A steady hand in a crisis, and a visionary on organizational health.

Austin Newman Sales Manager, SeisWare International Inc.

Murray's people focus was clearly evident across both Blue Castle and SeisWare. He built a culture where collaboration and teamwork thrived.

Ed Chow Co-founder & 30-year business partner

An example for other software companies to emulate, not just technically, but culturally. Senior Manager, Geophysics

You sacrificed to make SeisWare a good place, even in tough times. Lead Software Developer

Class act and no shortage of fun either. Former client

Volunteering

Where I give time outside the day job.

Mentor Coach

Venture Mentoring Service of Alberta

June 2023 – Present

Coaching senior leaders and startup founders on emotional intelligence, decision-making, and authentic leadership presence.

Member

100 Men Who Give a Damn — Calgary

June 2024 – Present · Social Services

A group of Calgarians who pool donations and back local social-service charities chosen by member nomination. Small commitment, real impact, no bureaucracy.

Let's talk

If something here resonated, start a conversation.

No intake questionnaire, no sales sequence. Just a conversation. Pick a time that works, or send a quick email. I'll get back to you within two business days.

Book a 30-minute introductory call.

The fastest way to start. Pick a time that works and we'll talk through what you're navigating.

Book a call →

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Prefer to write first? Email me at mbrack@prairiesand.com.

mbrack@prairiesand.com

Based in

Calgary, Alberta

linkedin.com/in/murraybrack →