Chief (women's Network)

Chief is a private women's business networking organization for senior executives. The membership-based community was launched in New York in 2019."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. 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, located in the United States and the United Kingdom.

History

Chief was launched as a networking organization for senior executive women in January 2019"Scaling Chief"
Katherine Coffman, et al, '' Harvard Business Review'' November 6, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2023. 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."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."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.

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. 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.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.

In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief transitioned from live networking to exclusively virtual activity,Forbes2 "This Exclusive Women’s Network Is Going National"
Jena McGregor, ''Forbes'', January 11, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023. bolstering growth
Courtney Connley, ''CNBC'', July 8, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2023. as women accessed online platforms in greater numbers. Membership was 400 in March 2019, and 2,000 one year later. Two years later, membership reached 12,000 women leaders from 8,500 companies, with over three-quarters of members employed by Fortune 100 companies. In October 2022, membership reached 20,000.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.

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."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. The company stated that they have addressed operational challenges. Criticism was also noted for perceived under-representation in diversity and in social and political engagement.

As of February 2023, Chief has opened physical clubhouses in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and London, England.

Operations

With subscription to its digital platform integral to the company business model,
Jennifer Elias, ''CNBC'', November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023. Chief's mission is "to drive more women to the top—and keep them there" by constructing a live and online support system for senior executive leaders.
'' Yahoo!'', October 4, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023. Chief membership grants access to its "vetted network" of peers; mentoring; workshops; curated monthly peer groups with executive coaches;"The Only Private Club for Women Executives Just Opened in SF"
Julie Zigoris, '' The San Francisco Standard'', January 19, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023. and talks with noted women executives, such as Amal Clooney, Indra Nooyi, Michelle Obama, Arianna Huffington, Gloria Steinem and Mindy Kaling. Members pay additional fees for access to some of Chief's clubhouse facilities.

Membership is limited to women and non-binary vice presidents and C-suite executives, with about 70 percent of members sponsored by their individual employers.

Chief conducts surveys and partners with other organizations in women's leadership studies."IBM and Chief study finds gaps in women's leadership pipeline"
Anne Stych, '' The Business Journals'', March 2, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023. In 2023, the company began gender diversity coaching for companies as Chief Enterprise."Chief Helping women rise"
Alison Van Houten, '' Time'', June 21, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.

See also

* Gender representation on corporate boards of directors
* Women in business
*List of women in leadership
* List of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chief women's network

* Organizations for women in business
* International women's organizations