CHI THURBER
ADVISORY
STRATEGIC ADVISOR TO CONSUMER BRAND CEOS, BOARDS AND INVESTORS
Stronger businesses. Stronger leaders.
Chi Thurber Advisory partners with the CEOs, boards and investors of consumer brands at moments of growth, transformation and change, bringing the perspective of someone who has sat in the CEO chair.
People and performance are not a trade-off.
Too many leaders have been told they must choose between their results and their people. I don’t believe it, and I’ve led teams that proved otherwise. Teams that trust their leaders move faster, stay longer and go further.
Real accountability isn’t micromanagement. Leaders own the what: clear objectives, targets and what winning looks like. Teams own the how: the plans and choices to get there. Proven frameworks and a steady operating rhythm keep everyone accountable, without blame, and build consumer companies people are proud to work for.
Transformation rarely comes without hard decisions. Those decisions deserve honesty, respect and a clear plan, for everyone they touch.
CLARITY ON THE WHAT
Leaders set the direction, objectives and targets, so everyone knows what winning looks like.
OWNERSHIP OF THE HOW
Teams build the plans to get there. Trusted people make better decisions, faster.
DISCIPLINE IN THE RHYTHM
Proven frameworks and a steady operating cadence keep progress visible and accountability clear.
Strategy and leadership for consumer brands that want to win the right way.
For CEOs and founders, boards, and private equity sponsors and their consumer portfolio companies.
Four ways to work together, each built for consumer brands, and each one I lead personally.
For larger transformations, I can bring in trusted colleagues through TwinPoint Collective: former C-suite executives and senior functional leaders I work alongside.
01 · GROWTH STRATEGY
Build the strategy
For consumer brands at an inflection point: clarity on where to play, how to win and what it takes. Growth and turnarounds, brand and portfolio, loyalty and customer experience.
02 · CEO ADVISORY
Strengthen the leader
One-on-one partnership with consumer CEOs, founders and senior executives: a candid place to test decisions, navigate a bigger role, work with the board and lead through change.
03 · LEADERSHIP TEAM ALIGNMENT
Align the organization
The frameworks that turn strategy into results: objectives and targets that cascade clearly, decision rights, and an operating rhythm that keeps teams accountable for the how, without micromanagement.
04 · LEADERSHIP CONTINUITY
Keep the business moving through life’s biggest moments
For women founders, CEOs and C-suite executives welcoming a new baby, facing a serious diagnosis, caring for someone they love, or grieving a loss. Advisory from a former CEO that keeps the strategy, the team and the business on track, so you can be fully present where you’re needed most. Advisory first; hands-on interim support when it’s needed.
Kathy Chi Thurber, Founder
Kathy has spent more than 20 years building consumer brands and businesses, and leading them. She was CEO of Saje Natural Wellness, President of L’Oréal's Beauty Device Division, and President of Culligan’s Global Consumer Products Division. Earlier, at Starbucks, she helped create consumer-loved programs like Starbucks Rewards, the app and Blonde Roast.
Her approach is consumer-first and people-first: understand what customers need, set a clear what, and trust teams to own the how. She has built and refined the frameworks that make that work in practice.
Off the clock, she is a mother of three, a former NCAA Division I tennis player at the University of Washington and a volunteer high school varsity coach. She speaks Mandarin and is based in Seattle.
Building a consumer brand people love, with a team that wants to win? Let’s talk.
Demand excellence. Preserve humanity.
I take on a small number of clients at a time, so each one gets my full attention.
Start a conversation
CHI THURBER
ADVISORY