The Advisory Bench Team
Real Experience Matters
The Advisory Bench was built around a simple idea: growing companies make better decisions when they're surrounded by experienced people with different perspectives. Our team helps CEOs access that experience in a structured, practical way.
Meet CEO Chris Hessler
I started my career at Procter & Gamble, where I learned the discipline of building brands and thinking long term. Over time, I found myself drawn to the challenge of building businesses. That path led me to work with firms like Bain Capital and The Carlyle Group, raise more than $80 million in venture capital, and later spend several years as an Operating Partner at Alpine Investors, where I was fortunate to be part of multiple successful exits.
At this stage in my career, I am drawn to that intersection where experience meets possibility. Whether through Advisory Boards, executive placements, or targeted project support, the goal is to help companies move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
The research supports what I have seen firsthand. Companies that engage Advisory Boards tend to grow faster, scale more effectively, and navigate complexity with greater confidence.
Our team helps CEOs access that experience in a structured, practical way.
The Right People on Our Bench
We don't just build Advisory Benches. We recruit advisors, facilitate meetings, manage relationships, and keep the bench engaged so it continues creating value as the business evolves.
Cathy Fischer
President and COO
At The Advisory Bench, our people are the CEO’s of early-stage companies who want their businesses to beat the odds and achieve sustained profitable growth, AND the business executives who know how to help the CEO’s do this. I am passionate about connecting the two parties. I find it patently ridiculous that the vast majority of startups go out of business when there is literally 40 million years of knowledge at their fingertips to help them. Contact me and I’ll explain that.
I have worked in CPG, Durable Goods, Specialty Retail, and Service businesses. I have led Marketing in B2C and B2B companies ranging from $5M to $16B in revenue. At the heart of any success I have achieved has always been the people around me. One of my core beliefs is that every person has a gift to bring to the team, and it is the job of the team leader to find that gift.
Who We Bring Together
Our network includes experienced operators, executives, specialists, entrepreneurs, investors, and connectors. Every bench is built around the expertise a CEO needs most, not a predetermined roster. And we rely on the same network for our own Advisory Bench.
Who Sits on OUR Bench?
Sue Bevan Baggott
Kip Knight
Boon Lai
Darryl Mobley
Kip Olmstead
Colleen Paulson
Jonathan Schechter
Jason Vincelette
David Wiser
Arra Yerganian
Steve Litzow
Your Advisory Bench Team
Sue Gauvain
Kim Flum
Stephanie Ayars
Nate Kaplan
Poyen Ramos
Ciary Manhit
Betsie Nielsen
Abbie Johnson
At the End of the Day, Experience Wins.
Building a great Advisory Bench isn't about following a process. It's about understanding people, identifying decision gaps, and creating the right mix of expertise at the right time.