The Chief of Staff Association
What is our purpose?
The Chief of Staff Association exists because the demands on today's leaders have never been greater. Organisations are navigating complexity at pace, and the chiefs of staff who sit at the centre of that complexity need more than experience; they need a professional home.We were founded on a simple but consequential idea: that the chief of staff role deserves the same institutional recognition, rigour, and community that other senior professions take for granted. For too long, chiefs of staff have operated without a shared standard, a credible credential, or a global peer network. We set out to change that.Today we operate across 75 countries, with executive education partnerships at Harvard Business School, the University of Oxford, and SDA Bocconi. Our research shapes how organisations understand the role. Our Certified Chief of Staff® credential sets the bar for professional practice. And our Global Dialogue series brings together the chiefs of staff and principals shaping some of the world's most consequential organisations.The work began with a recognition that organisational complexity is not a temporary condition; it is the defining feature of modern leadership. As principals face greater demands on their time, attention, and judgement, the chief of staff has moved from a supporting role to a strategic one. We have built an institution that reflects that shift.The Certified Chief of Staff®
The Certified Chief of Staff® is the only globally recognised credential for the chief of staff profession. It was created to do what no informal network or on-the-job experience alone can: give chiefs of staff a rigorous, independently validated standard against which their knowledge, capability, and professional practice can be assessed.The credential draws on the collective expertise of practitioners, academics, and organisational leaders from across our global membership. It covers the full scope of what it means to operate effectively in the role: from organisational strategy and stakeholder management to leadership, communication, and the principal relationship at the heart of the work.For the individuals who hold it, the Certified Chief of Staff® signals professional credibility and a commitment to continuous development. For the organisations that employ them, it provides confidence that the person sitting in one of their most sensitive and influential roles has been assessed against a standard that means something.The Global Dialogue
The Chief of Staff Global Dialogue is our flagship annual event, bringing together chiefs of staff and their principals from across business, government, and civil society to examine the forces shaping leadership today.The series has grown each year in scale, ambition, and reach, taking place at some of the world's most significant venues and institutions. It is not a conference in the conventional sense. It is a working session for the people who sit closest to power in their organisations, designed to generate the kind of honest, high-level conversation that rarely happens in larger or more public settings. Each year the programme is shaped around a central question about leadership and the evolving role of the chief of staff within it.The Global Dialogue has become a marker in the professional calendar for chiefs of staff who take their development seriously, and for the principals who understand what it means to invest in the person they rely on most.A growing institution
The Chief of Staff Association has grown steadily because the need it serves is real and growing. Our membership spans every sector, from global corporations and governments to universities, hospitals, and international bodies. Our academic partnerships produce original research and post-graduate level programmes that treat the chief of staff role with the intellectual seriousness it warrants.In 2025, we acquired Vannin, a specialist talent firm, bringing talent placement capabilities in-house alongside our credentialling and development work. Vannin now operates as Chief of Staff Association Talent LLC, extending our ability to serve chiefs of staff across the full arc of their careers.Looking forward
The chief of staff role is becoming one of the defining leadership roles of our time. We intend to build the institution that role deserves: one grounded in research, shaped by practitioners, and committed to raising the quality of leadership in every organisation we touch.The five values below were drawn from both organisations and agreed together as we came together as one. They reflect how we work, what we stand for, and what our members, clients, and partners can expect from us.Our Values
We Lead with Authenticity.We are authentic in all we do. We lead with integrity, showing up with honesty, transparency, and consistency. We say what we mean and follow through on what we say. By being clear and genuine in our interactions, we build trust that underpins every relationship with our members, our clients, and each other.We Advance What's Possible.
We challenge the status quo and push thinking forward. We ask better questions, seek new approaches, and continuously look for ways to improve. By combining curiosity with action, we drive meaningful progress for the organisations and leaders we serve.We Tailor with Expertise.
We take the time to understand context, nuance, and individual needs, then apply our expertise and strategic insight to shape solutions that fit. Our work is both personalised and precise, grounded in experience and designed to deliver impact.We Align for Impact.
We work in partnership, with respect and a shared commitment to outcomes. We listen first, bring others along, and align around what matters most. By combining perspectives and working as one team, we achieve stronger results and more meaningful, lasting impact.We Own the Outcome.
We take full ownership of our work and its results. We follow through, hold ourselves to a high standard, and do what it takes to deliver. We are accountable for outcomes, and we are committed to excellence in everything we do.
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