CEOs of large Indian start-ups turn to chiefs of staff to get things done

Flipkart first created the role of chief of staff—a position typically associated with US presidents—in 2015, taking a leaf out of the playbook of some US technology start-ups and companies.

Apart from Flipkart, cab-hailing firm Ola, restaurant discovery and food-ordering app Zomato, doctor discovery platform Practo and a few other start-ups have hired experienced professionals in the role of chief of staff to their CEOs. Flipkart, Ola and Practo even have chief of staff positions for some other senior leaders.

Depending on the company and the particular chief of staff, the role can vary from programme management to strictly controlling access to the CEO to administrative matters such as taking notes in important meetings. Programme management or project management usually comprises a large part of the responsibilities of a chief of staff.

“Chief of staff is a role that involves cross-functional work, so often you will find that it is held by executives with general management competencies or a consultancy background,” said Anshuman Das, managing partner at Longhouse Consulting, an executive search firm. “In start-ups, you are always doing too many projects and new initiatives along with your core business, so a chief of staff can help out a CEO with keeping tabs on them. Also, some start-ups have become very big so a chief of staff can help out by managing egos of senior executives across various functions and ensuring things get done.”