Chief (women's network)

Chief
Company typePrivate company
IndustryWomen's professional network
FoundedJanuary 2019 (2019-01)
FoundersCarolyn Childers
Lindsay Kaplan
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Number of locations
5 (2023)
ServicesMentoring, workshops, workspaces, events and related services for women executives
Members20,000 (2022)
Websitechief.com

Chief is a private women's business networking organization for senior leaders. The membership-based community was launched in New York in 2019.[1] The company attained unicorn status in 2022. As of 2023, Chief is accessed by members online, at hosted live events, and at its five clubhouses across the United States.

History

Chief was launched as a networking organization for senior executive women in January 2019[2] by former Handy and Primary Venture Partners executive Carolyn Childers and former Casper vice president Lindsay Kaplan. The membership-based business network is headquartered in New York City.[3][4]

In June 2019, the company raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Chief board members – General Catalyst chairman Ken Chenault and Alexa von Tobel, managing partner of Inspired Capital.[5] Early investors also included GGV Capital, Primary Venture Partners, Flybridge Capital, and BoxGroup. In October 2022, Chief became a $1.1 billion unicorn following a Series B funding round which raised a total of $140 million in 2022 from General Catalyst, GGV Capital, Inspired Capital, Primary Ventures and Flybridge, led by Alphabet subsidiary CapitalG's $100 million investment, with its partner, Laela Sturdy, joining Chief's board.[6][7]

In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief transitioned from live networking to exclusively virtual activity,[8] bolstering growth[5] as women accessed online platforms in greater numbers.[4] Membership was 400 in March 2019,[2] and 2,000 one year later.[5] Two years later, membership reached 12,000 women leaders from 8,500 companies,[4] with over three-quarters of members employed by Fortune 100 companies.[9] In October 2022, membership reached 20,000.[10]

In March 2023, Fortune magazine reported criticism from some members; Chief acknowledged "growing pains" in pivoting to a fully digital model during the pandemic-era and scaling quickly in response to heightened demand.[7][11] The company stated that they have addressed operational challenges.[11] Criticism was also noted for perceived under-representation in diversity and in social and political engagement.[12]

In October 2023, Chief kicked off an annual event series branded as ChiefX, bringing together executive members across multiple U.S. cities to share insights on leadership and professional development. Past ChiefX speakers include Sallie Krawcheck, Allyson Felix, Valerie Jarrett, Jenna Lyons, and Hoda Kotb.

In early 2024, Chief announced the inaugural The New Era of Leadership Awards, an initiative to recognize senior women executives and organizations that exemplified modern leadership across industries. Winners were selected based on innovation, empathy, creativity, purpose, and resilience.

In January 2025, Chief appointed Alison Moore as its Chief Executive Officer, succeeding previous leadership and marking a strategic transition in the organization’s executive leadership.[13][14] Previously, Moore served as CEO of Comic Relief US and held executive leadership roles at HBO, DailyCandy, NBCUniversal, SoundCloud, and Condé Nast. In November 2025, Moore was named one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Leaders in Business.

In May 2025, Chief hosted the second annual The New Era of Leadership Awards to honor 100 women executives shaping the future of business, judged by a panel including senior leaders from companies such as The Walt Disney Company, Etsy, Axios, and others.

As of February 2026, Chief has physical clubhouses in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,[15] San Francisco,[16] and Washington, D.C.[17]

Operations

With subscription to its digital platform integral to the company business model,[18] Chief's mission is "to drive more women to the top — and keep them there"[7][10] by constructing a live[18] and online support system for senior executive leaders.[9][19] However, after the pandemic, it reprioritized in-person experiences in local Chief communities across the U.S. with its current mission "to create more possibilities for women’s power." Chief membership grants access to its "vetted network" of peers;[4] mentoring;[3] workshops;[5] curated monthly peer groups[5] with executive coaches;[4][20] and talks with noted women executives, such as Amal Clooney, Indra Nooyi, Michelle Obama, Arianna Huffington, Gloria Steinem, and Mindy Kaling.[9] Chief also offers executive education courses in partnership with the Wharton School of Business. Members pay additional fees for access to some of Chief's clubhouse facilities.[4] However, as of October 2025, clubhouse access is included in base membership.

Chief operates on a membership-based model designed for women in senior executive and leadership positions. Members participate in curated peer groups, executive coaching, and programming intended to facilitate professional connection, leadership development, and discussion of business and workplace issues.

The organization’s operations have also emphasized convening executives across industries, with participation from business leaders, policymakers, and cultural figures through events, interviews, and moderated discussions.

Originally, Chief membership was limited to women and non-binary[21] vice presidents and C-Suite executives, with about 70 percent of members sponsored by their individual employers.[22][10] As of October 2025, membership criteria has expanded to include senior leaders in fractional and consulting roles, as well as founders and solopreneurs and those in career transition.

Chief conducts surveys[23][24] and partners with other organizations in women's leadership studies.[25] In 2023, the company began leadership development coaching for companies as Chief Enterprise.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "How Chief Became One of the First Women-Led Billion-Dollar Success Stories During the Pandemic" Britt Morse, Inc., March 31, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Scaling Chief" Katherine Coffman, et al, Harvard Business Review November 6, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Chief's Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan Are Changing The Path To The Executive Suite" Carrie Hammer, Forbes, August 28, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "A members-only club for female executives is coming to San Francisco with the help of Google’s cash" Jennifer Elias, CNBC April 24, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "How the founders of Chief, a private network for C-suite women, are expanding amid the pandemic" Courtney Connley, CNBC, July 8, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  6. ^ TechCrunch "Women’s leadership network Chief surges to unicorn status" Jordan Crook, TechCrunch, March 31, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Fortune1 "Chief, the $5,800-per-year women’s networking startup, is worth $1 billion and has a waiting list of 60,000. Some members say the club isn’t living up to the hype" Katherine Dunn, March 16, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  8. ^ Forbes2 "This Exclusive Women’s Network Is Going National" Jena McGregor, Forbes, January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Chief Expands to the United Kingdom" Yahoo!, October 4, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Yahoo590 "Chief, the $5,800-per-year women’s networking startup, is worth $1 billion and has a waiting list of 60,000. Some members say the club isn’t living up to the hype" Katherine Dunn, Yahoo!, March 16, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Inside the 'growing pains' at Chief, the exclusive women’s networking club with a waitlist of 60,000 and a valuation of $1.1 billion" Claire Zillman and Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, March 20, 202.3 Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  12. ^ NYT "Is Empowering Corporate Women Enough?" Emma Goldberg, The New York Times, March 28, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Lynch, Sarah (2025-01-15). "Chief Is Getting a New CEO: All About the New Head of the Women's Leadership Network". Inc. Archived from the original on 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  14. ^ Robinson, Cheryl. "Chief's New CEO Alison Moore Takes Over The Executive Women's Network". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  15. ^ McGregor, Jena (Jan 11, 2022). "This Exclusive Women's Network Is Going National". Forbes.
  16. ^ Elias, Jennifer (2022-11-26). "Women tech execs rejoice as female-only leadership club opens in San Francisco". CNBC. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  17. ^ Montgomery, Mimi (2024-01-18). "New clubhouse for women business executives lands in D.C." Axios. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  18. ^ a b "Women tech execs rejoice as female-only leadership club opens in San Francisco" Jennifer Elias, CNBC, November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "The Club With a 60,000-Woman Waitlist" Jeff Green, Bloomberg News, December 5, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  20. ^ "The Only Private Club for Women Executives Just Opened in SF" Julie Zigoris, The San Francisco Standard, January 19, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Chief Helping women rise" Alison Van Houten, Time, June 21, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "The New Perk For Women Executives: Membership In This Exclusive Group" Jena McGregor, Forbes, January 24, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Chief’s Study Finds 80% of Women Leaders Use Networking to Drive Career Success" Yahoo!, July 19, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Hinchliffe, Emma. "Lean In finds an 'ambition gap,' but women are ambitious outside corporate America". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  25. ^ "IBM and Chief study finds gaps in women's leadership pipeline" Anne Stych, The Business Journals, March 2, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
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