Leadership Advisory Firm ghSMART Announces First-Ever Chief Marketing Officer and 2021 Leadership Promotions

G.H. Smart & Company, LLC announced that it has hired and promoted several colleagues into leadership positions. Each of these A Players has an exceptional track record helping leaders to solve their most challenging leadership problems with confidence.

Carrie Miller joins ghSMART as the firm’s first Chief Marketing Officer. Miller brings a wealth of experience from her nearly 15 years at Bain & Company, where she first served as a strategy consultant and then the Global Marketing Director of Recruiting, charged with creating Bain’s employer brand and marketing it to the world’s top talent. She earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania after time at Accenture, and holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Arizona.

“We have gone 26 years without a Chief Marketing Officer, but to fulfill our full potential with colleagues and clients, we decided it was time to hire a highly-accomplished professional to elevate our brand messages as an employer and partner to CEOs and investors,” said Dr. Geoff Smart, ghSMART’s Chairman & Founder.

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Vice Chairman Randy Street added, “We are very pleased to welcome Carrie to the senior management team to amplify our communications with influential leaders as well as with the talented, diverse, good-hearted people we would love to hire as colleagues. Our culture allows our team the opportunity to do fulfilling work, while enjoying unparalleled freedom and flexibility regarding how that work gets done. ghSMART shows that it is possible to have a challenging and impactful career while maintaining a life outside of work, and Carrie is going to help us tell this story and set an example for other organizations around the world.”

Randy Street, who has served as Managing Partner of the firm since 2010, has been elevated to the role of Vice Chairman. “Randy brought strategic thinking, operating discipline, and a servant leadership approach to the firm. Over his tenure, ghSMART has grown tenfold, while setting industry standards for client satisfaction, culture, and employee satisfaction. I am thrilled to continue to work with Randy in his new role on several of the firm’s most important growth initiatives to further enhance our client impact and colleagues’ success,” said Smart.

Jeff McLean has been promoted to President. After graduating with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy, McLean began his career as fighter pilot, completing three combat deployments aboard aircraft carriers. As a test pilot, he led testing on a revolutionary unmanned jet aircraft program that pioneered autonomous aircraft capabilities including successful carrier landings and aerial refueling. As a Fulbright Scholar and Truman Scholar, he earned a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University. He also earned an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and served as a White House Fellow in the Office of American Innovation. Immediately prior to joining ghSMART in 2019, McLean was Director of Strategic Initiatives and Asset Management for a large privately held family office with operating businesses in multiple industries. “Jeff’s strategic planning and team leadership skills are first rate. We are looking forward to entering the next stage of global growth for the firm under his leadership,” said ghSMART’s Chief People Officer Ellen Walpert.

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Chris Nichols was promoted to Partner. Prior to joining ghSMART in 2018, Nichols served as President of Ancos, a manufacturing company, and worked in Corporate Development at WestRock, a Fortune 500 company, where he led M&A activity and integrations. He began his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he advised companies on strategy, organization, and marketing. Nichols holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a B.S. in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University.

Sanja Kos was promoted to Associate Partner. She joined ghSMART in 2016 after serving as a consultant for seven years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised Fortune 500 financial services and healthcare clients. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Zagreb.

Emily Sheeren was promoted to Associate Partner. Prior to joining ghSMART in 2016, Sheeren served as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she advised Fortune 500 companies and leading private equity investors on M&A integration, organization design, and change management. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in International Studies from the College of William & Mary.

About ghSMART: ghSMART is a leadership advisory firm. In 2021, Vault named ghSMART the #1 boutique consulting firm and also rated it #1 in overall employee satisfaction, client interaction, and level of challenge in the entire consulting industry. Harvard Business School has published two case studies on the firm as a pioneer in its industry, and is writing a third case on the firm’s unique culture. Firm leaders authored some of the top-selling and most-acclaimed books in the field of leadership.

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