The Association
Meet the CSA team
The Chief of Staff Association is led by a diverse group of global leaders from business, academia, and public life, united by their commitment to advancing the chief of staff profession.
CSA Governance and Strategy Boards
London
Trent Smyth AM
Chief Executive Officer & Chair of the Board
Trent served as Honorary Consul for Malawi for nine years. A former Director of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, he holds board and advisory roles with UL Research Institutes, Melbourne Victory Football Club, Opus Organisation (UK) and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 2021 he was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for contributions to international relations, motorsport and business.
Washington, D.C.
Helen Zhang
CSA Board Member
Helen is a Director at Schmidt Futures and co-founder of Intrigue Media, which produces briefings on global affairs. She previously worked at Google and served as an Australian diplomat in Tel Aviv and Hong Kong. A lawyer and Mandarin interpreter, she is a 2019 Fulbright Scholar with a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
London
Sam Tidswell-Norrish
CSA Board Member
Sam is Chair and Founder of OPUS, the global platform for early-stage entrepreneurs. Until December 2024 he was Managing Director and a founding team member at Motive Partners, a specialist private equity firm focused on financial technology, where the platform raised around $8B. He has also invested in around 100 early-stage technology businesses and private equity opportunities.
London/New York
Elizabeth Jennings
CSA Board Member
Director, Quiet Work Limited | Operations & Media Lead, Mission: Everest. - Certified Chief of Staff® Elizabeth Jennings is a chief of staff and leader with over 15 years global experience working at the intersection of government, corporate, UN, and non-profit global organisations. She specialises in operational and strategic counsel and coordination to leaders and key decision makers.
London
Allyson Stewart-Allen
CSA Strategy Board Member
Allyson serves on our Strategy Advisory Board and is CEO of International Marketing Partners. Based in Europe for over 35 years, she specialises in international brands and cross-border expansion and has advised more than 260 businesses across 27 countries. She wrote both editions of Working with Americans and is the regular business expert for Sky News' The Papers Review.
London
Ellie Norman
CSA Strategy Board Member
Ellie is Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E, having previously served as Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United and Global Director of Marketing at Formula 1, where she launched F1TV and led the sport's rebrand. A non-executive director at The Marketing Society and a fellow of The Marketing Academy, she also holds an advanced executive coaching certification.
London
Ella Podmore MBE
CSA Strategy Board Member
Ella is an award-winning materials engineering manager at McLaren Automotive, specialising in metallic material science and advanced surface treatments. Having joined McLaren as an intern, she now leads research and development in its Body in White division. A STEM ambassador and committee member of McLaren's women's society, she was named Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 2020.
Seattle
Jeff Buckeye
CSA Strategy Board Member
Jeff is Chief of Staff in the Office of the Microsoft Americas President and a Certified Chief of Staff®. In 23 years at Microsoft he has held field and corporate roles spanning engineering, consulting, partners, hardware and strategy, including more than eight years in chief of staff roles leading initiatives across his organization and region.
Auckland
Vanessa O’Neill
CSA Strategy Board Member
Vanessa is a Certified Chief of Staff® and business strategist with experience in the private sector and government. As Regional Trade Director for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, she oversaw international trade across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She founded Estute+, a business strategy and commercialization consultancy later acquired by KPMG, and holds an MBA.
Key personnel
London
Justin Ailes
Engagement Lead, United States and Canada
Justin has advised founders and clients on growth strategy in Europe and the US. He has held executive, legislative and regulatory roles at industry membership organisations and served on the staff of former U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Richard Lugar and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. He leads CSA member engagement across New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Canada.
Denver
Ellie Atkeson
Chief of Staff Consultant
Ellie is a chief of staff and operator with 15 years of experience across finance, technology, government and mission-driven organizations, now serving as a fractional chief of staff to executive teams through the CSA. She was previously Chief of Staff at Sabi, a B2B marketplace operating across Africa, and a Vice President at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.
Denver
Susie Bockard
Finance Manager
Susie has over 15 years of corporate and small business accounting experience. Before joining Vannin, she held roles at every stage of business maturity, from building up individual businesses to scaled responsibility at corporations such as McKesson. She holds a BA from Bucknell University and is a multi-Ironman finisher, avid skier and accomplished cyclist.
Denver
Kaitlin Boileau
Managing Director, Talent
Kaitlin leads CSA's Talent practice, overseeing full-time search, fractional and interim placements. Over four years with CSA, she has built product, sales and delivery teams across professional services, scaling businesses and private equity. She previously spent 11 years as a management consultant to Fortune 100 companies and as chief of staff to a global management committee member at Accenture.
Denver
Liz Brodahl
Principal Recruiter
Liz is a Principal Recruiter leading retained chief of staff placements for founders, CEOs and family office principals. She brings over a decade of experience across real estate, SaaS and hospitality, including roles at Compass and Oracle NetSuite, before moving into executive search with Vannin Chief of Staff, now part of the CSA's Talent Division.
London
Sam Butler
Senior Strategy Associate
Since graduating from the University of Exeter with a degree in Politics with French, Sam has delivered strategic campaigns across the private and public sectors. Most recently, for the UK Department for Business and Trade, he supported the award-winning GREAT Britain campaign, promoting the UK's investment potential through partnerships with Conde Nast, Wall Street Journal and Formula 1.
Denver
Jamie Cole
Chief of Staff Consultant & Senior Executive Coach
Jamie is a people-first operations executive with a strong marketing background who helps business owners and leaders reimagine what is possible through thoughtful process, clear communication and focus. She has held roles spanning marketing, brand, product, HR, chief of staff and operations, most recently guiding Denver start-up TaskRay through its transition to new ownership.
Melbourne
Sophia Crawshaw
Member Engagement Associate, APAC
Sophia holds a BA in Politics and History, with Honours in Politics, from the University of Melbourne. Before joining the CSA, she worked across research, stakeholder engagement and client-facing roles. At CSA APAC, she supports member growth and engagement across the region and brings a thoughtful, detail-oriented approach to delivering events and experiences for members.
Denver
Jeff Foss
Chief of Staff Consultant
Jeff is a PMP and CSM-certified operations executive with 20 years across B2B SaaS, cybersecurity, travel tech and digital media. As VP of Operations at CyberGRX, he helped the company grow to 12,000 members and supported its PE-backed acquisition in 2023. He was COO of Glamping Hub and now works as a fractional COO and chief of staff.
New York
Ella Hirten
Senior Manager, Education
Ella holds a master's in Global Human Resource Management from Kingston University and has a background in education and people-driven organisations. She has worked in the U.S. public education system and run the operations behind a community-based education provider. At the CSA, she brings her experience in education and people development to designing learning experiences.
London
Chris Holtby OBE
Chief of Staff, Director of Strategy
Chris Holtby is a Certified Chief of Staff® and diplomat with extensive experience at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, where he served as British Consul-General in Melbourne and Ambassador to Estonia. He is Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy at the CSA, having previously chaired its Global Strategy Board.
London
Polly Holtby
Financial and Compliance Officer
Polly is a graduate of Manchester University, having studied Chemistry with Industrial Experience. She has worked and volunteered for a variety of organisations, including a US blue chip FMCG company, a UK Management Consultancy firm, a variety of UK, Estonian and Australian charities and an Australian NFP organisation.
Denver
Caroline Hoyle
Chief of Staff Consultant
Caroline is a chief of staff and business operations leader who turns value-creation plans into disciplined execution. She recently led strategic program management for a product launch at a PE-backed company, after five years at Amazon launching and scaling technology-enabled retail offerings. She began her career at Deloitte and holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
London
Hugo Huempel
Head of Finance
Hugo leads the CSA's finance team. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce, specializing in Corporate Finance and Economics, from Monash University in Melbourne. Before joining the CSA, he worked in the luxury automotive industry, where he gained experience in operations and client relations.
Hawaii
Ret. Col. Mike Jernigan
Director of Mentorship
Mike has 30 years’ experience as a United States Marine. He has served as interim Chief of Staff for U. S. Forces Japan and as Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Installations East. He currently is the Director of the Mentorship Programme with The Chief of Staff Association.
London
Nicole Jim
Marketing & Events Associate
Nicole holds a BA in Communications and Media from the University of Leeds. Previously, she worked in operations and marketing across startups and retail in Hong Kong, helping scale a business from pop-up concept to multi-venue lifestyle brand. At the CSA, she manages the organisation's LinkedIn presence and content strategy, supporting social media, thought leadership and global events.
Denver
Molly Kettle
Chief of Staff Consultant
Molly is a chief of staff and operations leader with more than 20 years of experience, beginning at Deloitte and Accenture. At Zappos, she led transformation initiatives for more than a decade and launched Zappos Adaptive, serving people with disabilities. She later served as COO and Chief of Staff at GAMUT Management and is a PMP and certified integral coach.
Denver
Kevin Kluck
Chief of Staff Consultant
Kevin is an operator and strategic partner to executives with 15 years across Big Four consulting and technology, mainly in PE and VC-funded B2B SaaS. He has held roles at InTandem, Castlight Health and Ernst & Young, and embedded consulting roles with Cedar Health and OODA Health. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder.
London
Nicholas Langford
Director of Communications
After reading Classics at Cambridge, Nicholas worked as a political staffer and civil servant, managing the office of an Australian parliamentarian and serving as Aide to the Governor of Victoria. He then advised on trade policy and international relations, focusing on the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa. He now heads communications at the CSA, overseeing brand management and advocacy.
Denver
Meredith Leighty
Director of Executive Search
Meredith is a talent and people leader with more than two decades of experience across executive search, recruiting and human resources. As Director of Executive Search, she leads retained chief of staff searches for private equity-backed companies, family offices and high-growth organizations. She previously spent 13 years managing recruiting teams at Accenture.
Denver
Carolyn Mander
Chief of Staff Consultant
Carolyn is a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP™) with 16 years of management consulting experience, including nine years at IBM Global Business Services and seven at Slalom Consulting. She leads business transformations and drives adoption across financial services, retail and healthcare, focusing on the people side of change. She has led initiatives affecting thousands of employees.
New York
Felicity Martin
Engagement Lead, United States and Canada
Felicity's background spans research, strategy and human-centred experience design. She has led community engagement and designed programmes for audiences ranging from higher education leaders to F1000 executives. At the Chief of Staff Association, she leads member engagement across New York, Canada, and the upper Mid-West and Mountain West regions.
London
Henry Martin
Editorial Manager
Henry is an academic, editor and award-winning author of three books who has worked with Novartis, Phaidon Press, Bloomsbury, Routledge and Oxford University Press. A former lecturer in art history at NCAD Dublin and University College Cork, and recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, he leads editorial strategy across all CSA publications.
Atlanta
Lalo Medina
Engagement Lead, United States & Latin America
Lalo holds a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and brings extensive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, having held key roles such as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy. Throughout his career, he has led initiatives that have driven revenue growth, elevated membership engagement, and enhanced organizational impact.
Denver
Kim Nguyen
Chief of Staff Consultant
Kim is a business operations leader and strategic advisor with 14 years of experience across commercial banking, management consulting and investor-backed companies. She served in the Chief of Staff Office at Capital One and advised the Federal Aviation Administration's Chief Data Officer at Guidehouse. Today she serves as an interim chief of staff to CEOs, founders and investors.
Denver
Florian Rittmeyer
Director of Consulting
Florian brings 17 years of experience across consulting, media, EdTech and Fortune 500 companies. At Schweizer Monat, he led a digital transformation that grew subscriptions by 85% and served as interim CEO and Editor-in-Chief. He later grew key account revenue at Amcor from $650K to more than $10.8M and has most recently served as a fractional chief of staff.
London
Annie Scacco
Engagement Lead, EMEA
With a background in international relations and study experience across Australia, France and the UK, Annie brings strong analytical skills, a global outlook, and a systems-focused approach to her work as Engagement Lead, EMEA.
Denver
Katie Sennett
Principal Recruiter
Katie has more than a decade of experience in recruitment and client relations, partnering with family offices, nonprofits, associations and consulting firms, most recently as Director of Client Relations and Recruiting. At the CSA, she leads retained chief of staff searches end to end, advising founders, CEOs, investors and enterprise leaders from intake to onboarding.
Denver
Christina Skipper
Strategic Growth Manager
Christina is a business development strategist and fractional chief of staff with deep experience in financial services and high-growth consulting. She began her career at Morgan Stanley, served as Vice President, Financial Advisor and Chief of Staff at Wealth Enhancement Group, and later founded North Stone Strategic Advisors. Based in Denver, she mentors women in business.
Denver
Sally Sorte
Chief of Staff Consultant
Sally is a company builder with close to two decades of experience across education, venture investing and management consulting. A chief of staff consultant with the CSA, she is also a venture partner with 196 Ventures and founder of Echelle. She previously consulted with McKinsey, founded Academy 360, a Denver charter school, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Melbourne
Louise Steinfort
Managing Director, APAC
Before joining the CSA, Louise was General Manager of Social Impact and Corporate Communications at RACV, where she established a new department during the pandemic and served as Chief of Staff to the MD and CEO as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. At CSA APAC, she leads member growth and engagement across the region.
London
Paisley Ward
Manager of Learning Products
Paisley holds a double degree in Law and Philosophy and has over seven years of experience in professional education. She previously specialised in designing interactive, continuous learning products and tools for Australian lawyers. At the CSA, Paisley is passionate about creating high-quality, captivating learning experiences, contributing to the impactful and dynamic education the CSA provides.
Pennsylvania
Emily Whiting
VP People and Operations
Emily is a people and operations leader with more than 15 years building the systems that help high-growth organizations scale. A former chief of staff at Kargo, she led the growth of change management consulting at CBRE and scaled people infrastructure at Walr as Global Head of People. At CSA, she leads the people function, operating rhythm and organizational design.
London
Richard Williams
Managing Director, Membership
Richard has built his career at the nexus of education, community and technology. An Australian native he was worked for global companies in New York, San Francisco, Accra and London. He has served as the chief of staff at Change.org, Operations Associate at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Startup Consultant at Harambeans and Senior Instructor Manager at General Assembly.
Denver
Sabina Wilson
Chief of Staff Consultant
Sabina is a chief of staff and business operations leader with 11 years across consulting, big tech and startups. After Deloitte, she helped scale the UberEATS enterprise business at Uber and, as Chief of Staff to the Head of North America Operations at Lime, oversaw a $100M+ P&L. At Hopin, she was the first business operations hire.
New York
Marisa Wolpert
Executive Assistant
Marisa has over 10 years of experience in Customer Success across legal technology, healthcare and professional services, including managing enterprise portfolios of up to $15M in ARR. At the CSA, she brings expertise in calendar and inbox management, CRM hygiene and revenue operations support. She began her career as an attorney in business and real estate law.
Denver
Keziah Wonstolen
President
Keziah is an award-winning entrepreneur and management consultant based in Denver. After 13 years at Accenture, where she served as a chief of staff, she founded a specialist chief of staff consultancy, now part of the Association, supporting private equity firms, their portfolio companies and family offices. She was named to the Denver Business Journal's 40 Under 40.
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