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Membership

Become a Member

All the benefits of individual membership with the added focus on achieving full strategic alignment across your team.

Enterprise Certification Programme

Memberships for Teams

Build lasting relationships with chiefs of staff in your region and around the world, united by shared challenges, insights, and experiences.

Networking & Events

Heading into its third year, the Global Chief of Staff Dialogue is fast becoming the premier global forum for the chief of staff profession.

Global Chief of Staff Dialogue

Network

In-person programmes at the University of Oxford, Harvard Business School and SDA Bocconi. Designed for senior chiefs of staff who lead with influence and impact.

CSA Executive Education 

The Competency Programmes form the core of CSA’s online learning, built to develop the soft and technical skills today’s chiefs of staff rely on. Delivered in two sequential programmes – Core and Advanced – each follows a proven format that supports steady, progressive skill development.

Competency Programmes

Certification that is recognised globally. Built for chiefs of staff who want to lead with authority.

Certification

Education

Updates from the Chief of Staff Association newsroom.

Newsroom

The Chief of Staff Association leads the global conversation on the evolution of the chief of staff profession. Access articles, reports and podcasts with practical frameworks to strengthen your strategy and collaboration.

Thought Leadership

These templates are part of a growing library built to save you time and define your role with clarity. Use them as a starting point: adapt the language, scope and reporting lines to the context of your role and sector.

Chief of Staff Job Descriptions

Advocacy

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.

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The peak professional body for chiefs of staff

Trent served as the Honorary Consul for Malawi for nine years and as Secretary of the Consular Corps Melbourne from 2014 to 2021. A former Director of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, he currently holds key board positions, including Advisory Board roles with UL Research Institutes and Melbourne Victory Football Club, Board member of Opus Organisation (UK), and International Advisory Board member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for his outstanding contributions to international relations, motorsport, and business.

Helen is a Director at Schmidt Futures, focused on venture funding the future of geopolitics in our fast-changing world, and the co-founder of Intrigue Media. Intrigue Media produces expert but irreverent briefings on global affairs issues at the intersection of geopolitics, tech, and business.  Helen previously worked at Google on content policy issues for Google Search, served as an Australian diplomat in Tel Aviv and as Consul in Hong Kong, and negotiated Australian free trade agreements. She’s also a Mandarin interpreter, lawyer, and an experienced public speaker (particularly on AI and geopolitics).


Helen is a 2019 Fulbright Scholar and Master in Public Administration graduate from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she specialised in geo-tech policies. Helen was recognised as one of AALA’s ‘40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians’ in 2020. 

**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.

**Chair & Founder | OPUS**

Sam Tidswell-Norrish is part of the founding team at Motive Partners and joined in 2015, where he is a Managing Director on the Investor Relations Team based out of the London office. Sam brings a broad range of financial services experience, from payments and investment banking to government initiatives and industry trade organisations

**Certified Chief of Staff®**

Chris Holtby is a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. He serves as Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy. He previously served as Chair of the CSA's Global Strategy Board, focusing on skills development, education, mentoring, and professional networking. Chris has served in senior roles globally, including as British Consul-General in Melbourne and Ambassador to Estonia.

**CMO | Formula E, ex-Man Utd, F1 | NED at The Marketing Society | Marketing Academy Fellow.**

Ellie Norman is a seasoned marketing leader with extensive experience in brand development, strategy, and customer impact across industries like sports, media, automotive, and telecommunications. She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E, with previous roles including CCO at Manchester United and Global Director of Marketing at Formula 1. Ellie has led successful brand revitalizations, growth initiatives, and diversity efforts, notably launching F1TV and rebranding Formula 1. Known for her strategic thinking and leadership, she holds multiple certifications, including advanced executive coaching, and is a fellow at The Marketing Academy.

**Chief of Staff, Office of the Microsoft Americas President. Certified Chief of Staff®**

Jeff Buckeye has held a variety of field and corporate roles during his 23 years at Microsoft, spanning engineering, consulting, partners, hardware, and strategy. Jeff is passionate about empowering and enabling teams, partners, and customers to achieve their goals and aspirations through technology. With more than eight years of experience in various chief of staff roles at Microsoft, Jeff has successfully led and supported multiple initiatives that have enhanced the performance, productivity, and profitability of his organization and region.

**Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2020 | Surrey 40 Under 40 Winner**

Ella Podmore is an award-winning Materials Engineering Manager at McLaren Automotive, specialising in metallic material science and advanced surface treatments for automotive products. She has worked at McLaren for over six years, progressing from an intern to senior engineer, and now leads research and development in the company’s Body in White division. In addition to her technical work, she is a strong advocate for women in STEM, serving as a STEM ambassador and committee member of McLaren’s women’s society. She was named Young Woman Engineer of the Year in 2020 and has been recognised in Surrey’s 40 Under 40.

**Former NZTE Regional Trade Director for UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Certified Chief of Staff®**

Vanessa O’Neill is a seasoned business strategist with experience in both the private sector and government. She previously served as Regional Director for NZTE, overseeing international trade across Europe, UK, and the Middle East. O’Neill founded Estute+, a consultancy focused on business strategy and commercialization, later acquired by KPMG. She has expertise in marketing, operations, and innovation, and holds an MBA with various leadership roles in global markets and advisory boards.

**Strategic Advisor - Certified Chief of Staff®**

Andrea Perugini is a strategic advisor and Certified Chief of Staff® with extensive experience in business transformation, strategy, and leadership. Currently, he leads key strategic streams at Andersen Tax & Legal in Italy. Andrea has a strong background in crisis management, cultural awareness, and education, and has served as a lecturer and former Colonel in the Italian Army Reserve.

Former Senior Officer of the Italian Army, during his institutional service, he held primary roles in High-Performance Organizations (HPOs) – both in headquarters and in operations. In particular, he served as a project director for significant development and research projects, receiving several international recognitions and honors for these activities.

**CEO, Author, Broadcaster, Speaker, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, Non-Executive Director**

Allyson serves on our Strategy Advisory Board and is CEO of International Marketing Partners. A renowned advisor, author, speaker, educator and Non-Executive Director, she is a Californian based in Europe for over 35 years specialising in international brands and cross-border expansion. She has advised more than 260 businesses across 27 countries and is the author of both editions of the best-selling book Working with Americans alongside creating the LinkedIn Learning course Leading International Growth. An experienced and frequent broadcaster, Allyson has joined several recent seasons of BBC’s The Apprentice: You’re Fired and is the regular business expert for Sky News’ “The Papers Review.”

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.

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.

A Bachelor of Commerce graduate in Investment Management from Stellenbosch University, Nicholas has a background in strategic planning, operational excellence, and leadership. With experience managing high-level initiatives across various sectors, he excels in driving growth and building strong relationships. Nicholas is passionate about creating impactful networks and supporting executive leadership, ensuring alignment between strategy and execution to deliver results.

After reading Classics at the University of Cambridge, Nicholas worked as a political staffer and civil servant. He managed the office of an Australian parliamentarian before serving as Aide to the Governor of Victoria. He then worked as an advisor on trade policy and international relations, focusing on the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa. He now heads up communications at the CSA, overseeing brand management and advocacy. In this role he leads high-impact campaigns, managing media engagement, directing strategic events and partnerships, and ensuring alignment between communications, engagement and growth objectives.

Ella is a Global Human Resource Management master’s graduate from Kingston University with a background in education and people-driven organisations. She has experience working in the U.S. public education system in addition to executing the operations behind a community-based education provider. She has a passion for designing impactful learning experiences for all and providing individuals opportunities for growth and development. At the CSA, Ella is excited to offer her experience in education, her interest in people development, and her love for connecting with others from around the world.

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.

In his role, Hugo is involved in day-to-day operations, finance, and marketing, while also serving as a general fixer for the team. With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, specialising in Corporate Finance and Economics from Monash University in Melbourne.
Before joining the CSA, Hugo worked in the luxury automotive industry, where he gained insights into operations and client relations. Passionate about driving meaningful change, Hugo is dedicated to making a positive impact to the CSA team and the wider CSA community.

Justin advised several founders and clients on their growth strategy in Europe and the US. As an experienced industry trade association and government professional, he held executive, legislative, regulatory, and political roles at membership organisations for fixed income CRE debt markets, real estate and insurance. His government service included time on the staff of former U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Richard Lugar and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. Today, he leads CSA member engagement across New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Canada.

Drew has served as Chief of Staff at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s premier trade association for the cruise lines industry. He has extensive experience within the intelligence and national security arena, having seen 12 years of U.S. Government service and tours in The White House Situation Room supporting the President, Vice President, National Security Advisor, and several Cabinet-level officials, the National Counterterrorism Center supporting the Director, and several other key positions and Chief of Staff roles supporting Agency and Department leadership teams. He concluded his federal service as Deputy Director of an Enterprise Function.

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.

Katie has worked in comms and research for firms focused on expanding the horizons for innovators at the forefront of their fields. For Formula E, Deliberate PR and SRI, she enhanced organisational performance across internal teams and with stakeholders to deliver these global services. She now leverages this valuable experience to drive membership engagement and quality across the UK at the Chief of Staff Association.

With an international background in international relations and study experience in Australia, France and the UK, Annie brings strong analytical skills and a global perspective. Annie brings strong analytical skills, a global outlook and a systems-focused approach to her work. She looks after member engagement across continental Europe.

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 and faculty to F1000 executives, translating complex needs into intentional conversations and experiences that deliver real value. She now brings that experience to the Chief of Staff Association, where she leads member engagement across New York, Canada, and the upper Mid-West and Mountain West regions.

Henry is an academic and editor who has worked with Novartis, Phaidon Press, Bloomsbury, Routledge and Oxford University Press. An award-winning author, he has published three books, and was a lecturer in art history at NCAD Dublin and University College Cork. As recipient of a Fulbright, NCAD and Tavolozza Foundation scholarships, he is passionate about research and helping authors find their voices. With CSA he will lead editorial strategy and drive insight, quality and impact across all publications.

After reading Mathematics at the University of Bristol, Zach spent a year volunteering in South Africa before working as a tech consultant. Zach also worked in operations, bringing efficiency and high-level execution to the non-profit sector. He now applies his strategic thinking to the systems and processes of the CSA. In his spare time he cycles and plays touch rugby.

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.

Since graduating the University of Exeter with a degree in Politics with French, Sam has built experience delivering strategic campaigns across both the private and public sectors. Most recently, for the UK Department for Business and Trade, Sam has supported delivery of the UK’s award winning GREAT Britain campaign, promoting the UK’s investment potential to international audiences through partnerships with Conde Nast, Wall Street Journal, and Formula 1.

Nicole holds a BA in Communications and Media from the University of Leeds. Before joining the CSA, she worked in operations and marketing across startups and retail in Hong Kong, where she helped scale a business from pop-up concept to multi-venue lifestyle brand. At the CSA, Nicole manages the organisation's LinkedIn presence and content strategy, supporting social media engagement, thought leadership, and global events. Passionate about building community through content, Nicole is dedicated to connecting members with the resources and networks they need.