Chief of Staff to CEO

Why This Role Exists

Many of our CEOs clients today are operating across:

• multiple markets
• multiple product lines
• complex stakeholder environments

Strategy is often clear. Execution is where things slow down.

We are working with companies looking for a Chief of Staff who can bring structure, prioritisation, and execution discipline to the leadership team.

• Strategic initiatives stall because ownership is unclear
• Cross-functional teams operate in silos
• Leadership discussions don’t always translate into action
• Priorities shift too often without clear trade-offs
• CEOs spend too much time coordinating instead of leading

• Translate strategy into execution plans and milestones
• Run leadership cadence and operating rhythm
• Track KPIs and strategic initiatives
• Identify bottlenecks and remove blockers
• Drive cross-functional execution across product, commercial and operations
• Prepare board and investor materials

This role typically suits professionals who have already demonstrated:

• Experience in consulting, strategy, or business operations roles where they worked directly with senior leadership
• Exposure to multiple functions such as product, finance, operations, or commercial teams
• Strong judgment in prioritisation and trade-offs, not just project tracking
• Comfort working in ambiguous environments where structure needs to be built from scratch
• A track record of leading initiatives without formal authority

• Ex-consultants moving into operating roles
• Strategy or business operations leaders in scale-ups
• High-performing operators looking to move toward General Manager or COO roles
• We are not looking for personal or confidential secretary

• Hybrid set up

We are working with few companies who are looking to hire Chief of Staffs, of which 2 of these roles are from well funded startup and scale-up.

At Substance, we believe in genuine connections, not just filling roles. If your profile is a strong match, you’ll hear from us within 1-2 weeks. If not, no empty promises—just know we appreciate your interest, and we’ll keep you in mind for future opportunities where you can truly make an impact. Our focus is on building meaningful partnerships, so when the right role comes along, we’ll be ready to make it count.

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