John Wagner-Stafford
Business Operations & Leadership

Business Operations & General Management

Business Operations · General Management · P&L Leadership

A hands-on leader who makes operations run — nine years of P&L, budgets, and team leadership behind a real business.

For nine years I was co-founder and CFO of Ingenium Books — full P&L, operating budgets, and financial priorities across a catalogue of 57+ titles and 174 products, leading a team of roughly 20 contractors (full- and part-time) plus vendors, and building the reporting systems the business depended on. That's the core of what I'm looking to do next: run the operations of a business.

The same instinct shows up everywhere else I've worked — sole caretaker of a remote 18th-century estate in France, seven-plus years as owner-captain of a 40-foot liveaboard — self-reliance in settings where there's no one to call. I'm also open to the right destination leadership post — a marina, lodge, or resort GM role — for the right opportunity, not as the default.

Operations I Can Run

Full-scope business operations

Ran every operational function of a business for nine years — production planning, vendor relationships, policies and workflows, day-to-day decision-making.

Team & contractor leadership

Led a team of roughly 20 contractors — full- and part-time — plus vendors, across a publishing company; also coordinated large production teams at Ubisoft.

Systems development & management

Designed and built the internal reporting and royalty-management systems Ingenium Books depended on, and ran them for six-plus years — including service to external clients.

Budgets, finance & P&L

Co-founder and CFO — built and managed operating budgets and P&L across a 57+ title, 174-product catalogue, controlled costs, and built the reporting systems behind the numbers.

Training & presentations

Delivered technical training to groups of 35 to 350 — Teranet's GeoWarehouse platform for Ontario realtors — including presentations at industry trade shows.

Remote & self-reliant

Seven-plus years liveaboard and months running a remote estate solo — comfortable operating where there's no one to call and you make it work.

Procurement & supply logistics

Provisioned and supplied remote operations across long coastlines and ran a publishing supply chain.

Sea time & self-reliance

Seven-plus years as owner-captain of a 40-foot vessel — the same self-reliance a destination or remote leadership role demands. Holds Marine Basic First Aid, Transport Canada Seafarer's Medical, and Fatigue Management at Sea. Valid BC driver's licence.

Leadership & Operations Experience

Co-Founder & CFO — Ingenium Books · 2017–2026

Remote Property & Estate Management — France & Mexico

Owner-Captain — S/V Ingenium (40′ Monohull) · Sea of Cortez & Pacific Mexico · 2015–2022

Production Management — Ubisoft Montreal · 2000–2006

What I'm Looking For

A business operations, general management, or director-of-operations role in the Fraser Valley — full P&L or budget ownership, a team to lead, and real decision-making authority. I've spent nine years making a real business run, and I'd bring the same discipline to a company that needs someone who can own the operation, not just administer it.

Availability

Full-time, on-site or hybrid, within the Fraser Valley. Also open to the right destination or remote leadership opportunity — a marina, lodge, or resort GM role — when the fit and the opportunity genuinely warrant it.

Every field I've worked in comes back to the same instinct: go deep, do the work, keep it running.

Read the full story →