Chiefly & Co. is an executive collective that helps companies balance planet and profit
By Kyle O’Brien, ADWEEK
Plenty of agencies claim some form of sustainability offerings for clients, but few make it their main focus.
As Climate Week NYC gathers global leaders to find ways to tackle climate change, Chiefly & Co., a women-led fractional executive consultancy, is launching to help companies prove that being sustainable is not just the right thing to do, but it’s also good for the bottom line.
Chiefly & Co. has created a unique model that combines fractional domain expertise with a commitment to sustainable practices. The consultancy looks to become a go-to partner for companies and organizations that have a desire to accelerate their sustainability efforts while still driving for business success.
The ‘planet profit pros’
Founder Melanie Mercier, after stints at BlackRock, Gap, and as a consultant and experiential marketer, decided to get her executive MBA at Tulane University a few years ago. There, she read case studies about organizations like Unilever, which transformed its business through sustainability efforts that led to profitability and success. She also realized the negative impact the experiential and events industry had on the planet and wanted to do something about it.
“Sustainability is a business imperative, and it’s not just in one sector, it’s across all business sectors, Mercier told ADWEEK.
Mercier cited studies by Morgan Stanley, Accenture, and others showing that sustainability is the new key driver to innovation, value creation, and cost savings and profitability.
“There is a misconception out there that sustainability and profitability don’t coexist, when actually they do and they should. We’re helping to shed light on that and bring that to the forefront of businesses,” she added.
Debuting during Climate Week NYC—where Mercier will be on hand with a few of the fractional executives on her roster—underscores Chiefly & Co’s commitment to helping businesses take meaningful action on sustainability. The consultancy’s approach leverages the power of top-tier fractional leaders and provides companies with expert guidance to navigate sustainability issues and profits, especially since many companies don’t have that type of leadership and domain expertise internally.
Chiefly & Co’s C-suite leaders will ensure success for clients by looking across the organization to break down silos, build consensus, and embed sustainability throughout organization.
“No matter where sustainability originates, whether it’s through the marketing function or just coming from the CEO as a mandate, we make sure it is embedded into the fabric of the organization,” said Mercier.
Every organization gets tailored strategies from Chiefly & Co. based on the needs and budget, but the company works from frameworks that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also will follow all compliance and reporting guidelines.
“It’s really looking at how organizations can innovate, create value, and build strategies, but making sure they’re aligned with the SDGs so companies are on target to hit net zero by 2050, if not sooner, and lowering carbon emissions,” said Mercier. “We’re positioning Chiefly & Co, and our fractional experts, as the planet profit pros.”
Taking a fractional executive approach is another step towards sustainability, as the client can scale up or down based on needs.
Fractional is a sustainable model
Fractional talent and agencies are a growing trend in the marketing world. While one might call it freelance work, being a fractional C-suite member offers former agency and business executives the freedom to work on high-level projects without being tied to one client or agency.
“Fractional is the new modern, sustainable leadership solution and that is the benefit that we bring to businesses,” said Mercier.
Mercier continued that some companies may need expertise in a particular area, but they don’t have it internally, so Chiefly & Co. can fill that gap with a fractional executive. Those people have been in executive roles before, so they can easily embed themselves and contribute value, helping organizations meet both commercial and sustainability goals, she explained.
“We’re bringing domain expertise and industry expertise into that business, so we would very carefully match a fractional executive with an organization to make sure it’s a good fit and we can deliver on those goals,” Mercier said.
Mercier built her team through connections she has culled throughout her career. As she moved into fractional work as a COO, she met other like-minded women—currently, all Chiefly & Co. talent are women—and decided she could create something that brought sustainability to the forefront. She has a collection of CEOs, CSOs, CMOs, talent officers, CXOs and CTOs who have worked for companies including Deloitte, Gap, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase to scale for brands seeking top-level fractional talent.
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