Strategic Counsel
We connect your mission to government priorities, time your approach to reach the right people, and work through the hard strategic questions with you.
Strategic Counsel: read moreSenior Counsel for Organizations Creating Impact
Lighthouse Counsel provides strategic advice to leaders navigating complexity, change, and high-stakes decisions. We work with nonprofit and mission-driven organizations to help clarify priorities, anticipate challenges, and move forward with confidence.
Why Lighthouse
-
Experience that matters
Our counsel is grounded in senior leadership experience at the highest levels of Canadian government and public affairs. We understand how decisions are made, how issues evolve, and what it takes to move priorities forward.
-
Clear, practical advice
We focus on what will actually help. Our guidance is strategic but always rooted in the realities of the environment in which you operate.
-
Senior advisors, directly engaged
We work closely with clients, providing direct, experienced support throughout every engagement.
Our Services
We help organizations and leaders find clarity in complexity, make informed decisions, and move important priorities forward. Every engagement is tailored to the client, with senior advisors providing practical, thoughtful counsel grounded in real-world experience.
Public Affairs
We track the political and policy landscape, position you as a thought leader in your field, and support your interactions with government.
Public Affairs: read moreExecutive Coaching & Leadership Development
We support leaders through turbulent times, coach boards and executives on advocacy, and train political staff.
Executive Coaching & Leadership Development: read moreCommunications & Public Relations
We manage media relations, prepare you for interviews and public statements, and write the speeches and op-eds that carry your voice.
Communications & Public Relations: read moreLeadership
Every client works directly with a senior advisor. We keep our roster short so each engagement gets the attention it deserves.
Chris Evelyn is the founder of Lighthouse Counsel. He brings nearly 15 years of federal experience on both the public service and political sides of government, including as Chief of Staff to four federal Ministers in the Trudeau and Carney governments.
He knows how to make a compelling case for social investments, understands how a file moves from a department to a Minister’s office to the PMO, and has a sharp read on who needs to be on side before a decision gets made.
Trusted by
Who We Work With
We support organizations and leaders navigating complex environments — nonprofits, public institutions, and private sector teams working on issues that matter.
Lighthouse is for organizations that:
- Depend on decisions made in Ottawa — funding, policy, regulation — and want to be positioned before those decisions land, not scrambling after.
- Need senior-level public affairs judgment at key moments, whether that means standing up the function from scratch or adding weight and outside perspective to a team that already has one.
- Have a leader who wants a sounding board who’s actually sat in the room, and walks away with a memo, a briefing note, or talking points they can use that day, not just an opinion.
- See value in augmenting their internal expertise with external senior counsel that brings perspective, pattern recognition, and political fluency.
Our Approach
We listen first, understand your goals, and develop practical strategies that help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
As a boutique firm, every client works directly with a senior advisor. We build trusted partnerships and provide thoughtful, responsive counsel tailored to your unique needs.
Our work goes beyond counsel. We help organizations advocate for their priorities, shape the policies that affect them, and build their profile with the people who make decisions.
Let’s talk about the challenge you’re navigating.
If you're facing a complex challenge or an important decision, we'd welcome the opportunity to connect.
Book a consultation