WE started with Chiefs of Staff, and ended up redefining leadership support.

For over a decade, we've helped organizations hire, develop, and advise Chiefs of Staff. Along the way, we discovered that the role itself was rarely the root issue of an organization’s problems.

The real challenge was executive effectiveness: how leaders work together, make decisions, build trust, and execute. Today, we help organizations design the executive partnerships and operating models that enable leaders and teams to perform at their best.

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Meet THE TEAM

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CATHERINE BERARDI

Founder & CEO

Catherine Berardi is the Founder and CEO of Prime Executive Office, where she helps CEOs and executive teams build the systems, structure, and strategic infrastructure that enable exceptional leadership.

Since founding Prime in 2014, she has pioneered the professionalization of the executive office, specializing in Chief of Staff support, operational design, and executive effectiveness.

Previously, she served as Chief of Staff to Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, and founded CB Strategy + Design.

A frequent speaker at institutions including Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Northeastern, Catherine holds a BA in Psychology from Northwestern and is known for bringing clarity, rigor, and strategic insight to complex leadership challenges.

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TONY HICKOMBOTTOM

President & Chief Client Officer

Tony Hickombottom is President & Chief Client Officer at Prime Executive Office, where he leads the client experience and ensures exceptional outcomes for executive teams.

A former two-time Chief of Staff, Tony served the President & CEO of Jimmy John's Corporate before joining Kids 'R' Kids International, where he later became Vice President of Operations and Strategy.

His firsthand experience leading executive offices makes him a trusted advisor to Prime's clients, bringing deep expertise in Chief of Staff leadership, operations, and strategy.

Tony holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from Northwestern University and an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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EMI GORGES

Chief of Staff

Emi is a Chief of Staff at Prime Executive Office, where she partners with executives to build high-performing executive offices through strategic planning, operational excellence, and systems design.

Passionate about bringing clarity to complexity, she helps leaders scale by streamlining operations, driving cross-functional initiatives, and ensuring strategy translates into execution.

A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Marketing and Management, Emi first joined Prime as an intern and now combines a data-driven, systems-oriented approach with strong communication and organizational leadership to help executives and teams operate at their highest level.

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