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

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

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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

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Multi-day residential programmes at the University of Oxford and Harvard Business School. Built for chiefs of staff who need to lead with influence, precision and impact.

Executive Education Programmes

Self-paced learning comprising weekly modules covering the core competencies vital to success as a chief of staff.

Competency Programmes

Industry-specific programmes that build deep sector expertise.

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Your gateway to becoming an influential, resilient and industry recognised chief of staff.

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As the convenor of the global dialogue, the Chief of Staff Association leads and shapes the evolution and maturation of the chief of staff profession.

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Access articles, reports, and podcasts with practical frameworks and expert advice to boost your strategy and collaborate more effectively. 

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The peak professional body for chiefs of staff

About Us

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.

Team CSA

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.

**Managing Partner at Cerralvo Capital & Chairman of the Board at Teach for Mexico.**

Santiago has an extensive banking career, and after pursuing his graduate studies at Stanford, went back to Mexico to pursue an entrepreneurial career in the energy industry. Santiago has an MS in Energy from the Stanford School of Energy, and an MBA from the Stanford GSB.

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

**Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Chair Global Strategy Board at the CSA. Certified Chief of Staff®**

Chris Holtby is a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Currently, he chairs the Global Strategy Board at the Chief of Staff Association, focusing on skills development, education, mentoring, and professional networking. Chris has served in senior roles globally, including as 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.

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.

Richard has over 20 years of experience working with membership organisations, uniting diverse professionals to foster learning, share insights, and drive meaningful change. Before joining the Chief of Staff Association, he held senior roles in both national and international organisations, including as Deputy CEO of the United Nations Association and Director of Network at New Local. Now, as Director of Enterprise at the Chief of Staff Association, Richard leverages his expertise to support the growth and success of Chiefs of Staff worldwide.

James Warren is a senior Revenue Operations leader with a proven record of aligning strategy, systems, and teams to drive scalable growth. Currently serving as Senior Manager of Technology at The Chief of Staff Association and a RevOps Mentor with AccountAim, James specialises in CRM optimisation, GTM strategy, and cross-functional alignment across marketing, sales, and customer success.

With over a decade of experience across SaaS, fintech, travel, and membership organisations, including previous C-suite leadership as a COO, James brings a pragmatic, data-driven approach to solving operational challenges and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

Outside of work, James has been a licensed football coach with the English FA, a former Civilian Instructor for the RAF Air Cadets, and a one-time rock bassist, channeling the same passion and teamwork into his hobbies as he does into his professional life.

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. Most recently Nicholas was an advisor on trade policy and diplomatic relations, focusing on the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa. He is passionate about the power of networks to support learning across disparate disciplines and cultures.

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.

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 at the Chief of Staff Association.

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 manages CSA’s Enterprise Certification Programme, an intensive, must-have executive education offering for organisations with multiple chiefs of staff.

Mel has over 20 years of experience of establishing the highest standards of service over a diverse range of sectors. Before joining CSA, she spent six years driving memberships growth and services at The Association of Chief Executives for Voluntary Organisations, worked internationally as an Operations and Internal Controls auditor and has held a number of managerial roles.
She believes that the key to being a great leader is the commitment to continuous professional development and is thrilled to be connecting new members in a fantastic network that can advance their knowledge and unlock their potential.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Caroline is a writer, editor, and communications advisor, working mostly for organisations involved in research and education. Clients have included Oxford University Press, Saïd Business School, Bayes Business School, and the international development and publishing organisation CABI. She has edited a number of books, annual reports, and journals, and written practitioner-focused research reports, including Oxford’s The Museum Leaders Report and Understanding Chief Digital Officers.Before freelancing she was responsible for the corporate communications at Oxford University Press. She had previously worked for a London PR consultancy and as a journalist on a business newspaper.