(2026-08-07) Why So Many Ceos Are Getting A Chief Of Staff

Why So Many C.E.O.s Are Getting a Chief of Staff. The position as a trusted sounding board is in high demand as business gets more complex — and everyone wants to get in on the latest bureaucratic fad

When Richard Gelfond, the chief executive of IMAX, hired his first chief of staff, he went looking for a shadow, someone who could take notes during meetings and let him know what was up next.
But over time, as IMAX grew more complex...

Raphael Roesler, who was Mr. Gelfond’s chief of staff until June 2025, recently worked on a high-profile project: coordinating with research and development to build the special camera used in Christopher Nolan’s summer hit, “The Odyssey.”

Mr. Gelfond has had a chief of staff for 16 years, but the position is becoming increasingly trendy among his peers. Since early 2020, postings for the role have increased 85 percent, according to Indeed, the job posting site.

Unlike executive assistants, the chief of staff is often a senior level role, according to data from Indeed, because they serve as a second brain for the busy boss.

An executive assistant “figures out what time something goes on the calendar, but a chief of staff figures out whether it should go on the calendar at all,” said Clara Ma, founder and chief executive of Ask a Chief of Staff.

Lower level executives, such as vice presidents within marketing, communications and finance departments, are getting them as well.

be the “orchestrator” who ensures that leaders in the company are working together well, said Catherine Berardi, formerly the chief of staff to Mellody Hobson, a co-chief executive of Ariel Investments.

When you think of these big issues that organizations have today — A.I., cybersecurity, customer success, growth — it’s hard to be like, ‘this is just your thing,’” said Ms. Berardi

Chief executives, she said, “need somebody to make sure that that’s coordinated and successful and not a nightmare.”

From the executive’s point of view, Ms. Jarrett said, a chief of staff is someone who has no line or departmental responsibilities, but whose “job is me.”

After winning over the boss, the chief of staff has to gain the respect of other executives. He or she makes sure different business units (and their leaders) are communicating well with one another and completing the companywide tasks that the chief executive wants done. Leaders turn to their chief of staff for a neutral perspective when weighing differences of opinion.

Unlike in the military or politics, chiefs of staff in business “don’t have structural authority,” said David Astorino, senior partner at the leadership consulting firm RHR.

Matt Baer, the chief executive of StitchFix, said he was in “perpetual communication” with his chief of staff, Elliott Glass. (Somewhat confusingly, Mr. Glass’s title is head of strategy and transformation, but both he and Mr. Baer consider him a chief of staff.)

The two sometimes spend mornings at a library in the Connecticut town where they both live, thinking through big issues on a white board, uninterrupted by office distractions.

Many people seek out the job when they’re looking for a springboard to a more senior or managerial role.

The role offers exposure across an organization — a built-in networking opportunity.

*Vikram Arumilli worked at McKinsey & Company and attended Wharton business school before becoming the chief of staff to Mr. Gelfond in 2019. He served until 2022 during a time of upheaval for the movie theater industry.

Mr. Gelfond, who generally changes chiefs of staff every two years, put Mr. Arumilli on a Covid-19 task force alongside the head of human resources and the chief financial officer.*

Mr. Arumilli went on to become a general manager of IMAX’s streaming and consumer technology division. This summer, he accepted the chief executive role at a software company based in New Zealand.

Not all executives are sold on the idea of having a chief of staff.

“I’ve always thought of the role as a kind of gatekeeper, someone who sits between an executive and everyone else,” said Spencer Rascoff, chief executive of Match Group, which owns the dating apps Tinder and Hinge. “That’s not my style. I don’t want anyone between me and my teams.”

He turns to A.I. agents to help him organize his day and accomplish tasks that chiefs of staff sometimes do, such as preparing for meetings

“I think there’s a difference between A.I. helping someone do their job better, and A.I. replacing the judgment and relationship building that a good leader, or a good chief of staff, actually provides,” Mr. Rascoff conceded.