Lindsay Kaplan,
38
Chief brand officer, Chief
In 2018 Lindsay Kaplan was a successful vice president at mattress maker Casper, having joined the company at its launch. She helped it grow into a $1 billion enterprise.
With big responsibilities at work, plus mentoring and public speaking, she felt the need to connect with women in similarly stressful, high-level positions. But she couldn’t find a place for that kind of support and camaraderie.
Today, thanks to Kaplan and her co-founder, Carolyn Childers, thousands of female executives have Chief, a Flatiron District–based private network that in March hit unicorn status at a $1.1 billion valuation, making it the only women-founded company ever to reach that stage so quickly. Chief has 20,000 members, plus 60,000 women from all over the world on its waiting list. Half of the members, Kaplan said, have had a promotion or pay raise since joining.
It’s not a “come one, come all” group. Aspiring members must apply. After vetting, about 20% are admitted. Chief focuses on the women’s years of experience—preferably 15 or more—the size of their department’s budget and how many people report to them. Today 42% of members are C-suite occupants, Chief said.
“Our mission is to change the face of leadership,” Kaplan said. “We wanted to start with women already in leadership roles, keep them there and make sure they have support to pave the way for others.”
“Lindsay is one of the best marketing minds I’ve ever met,” said Amani Duncan, president and CEO of BBH USA and a Chief member since its founding. “Chief was the answer I was looking for and didn’t even know I needed.”
This profile has been updated.