Chief of Staff to the CEO, or to the Business? with Ryan Kelly

Guest: Ryan Kelly (  / ryan-kelly1801  ) , VP, Chief of Staff, Veremark Host: Tristan Lim (  / tristan-lim-709527a2  ) , founder of Beyond Founders and Chief of Staff Network Singapore chapter lead Episode Overview Every Chief of Staff gets pulled between the CEO's fires and the work that changes the business. Ryan Kelly, Veremark's first Chief of Staff, settles it with a monthly check on himself, because a CEO kept happy day to day won't be happy at the end of the quarter. He also walks through how he pitched the role into existence, earned his founder's trust in week one, and explained the job to a company that had never seen one. About Ryan Kelly Ryan started out as a welder, joined the JCB graduate scheme, then quit to study Mandarin in China. He moved into business operations at ITRS Financial Services in London, where he got his first taste of M&A, spent time at Skyscanner, and ran his own consultancy for three years before settling in Singapore. He met Veremark's CEO at a vendor event (and again at the gym), pitched him on the need for a Chief of Staff, and then won the role in an open process against more than 1,000 applicants. He now sits on the leadership team of the Series B workplace trust company, which has around 300 people working fully remote. Key Takeaways • Frame a new Chief of Staff role around velocity, not repair. "Things are creaking" looks backward. Helping founders move at the speed they want is a value-creating pitch, the same reason revenue roles are easier to approve. • Front-load trust. Ryan spent his first month's trip asking his CEO 500+ questions, named his own blind spots, and asked to have dinner with the CEO's family. Seven months in, he has never had to justify the role. • Say what the role isn't. Ryan's town hall intro read out the questions people had been asking him ("What are you even here to do?") and answered them directly. • Listen for the quiet noise. Late laptops for new starters were too small for the CEO's radar but were straining HR. Mapping the whole process fixed it for good. • The job is negotiation between competing priorities, which is why Ryan argues it stays human: "Be a human Chief of Staff and you'll add more value." Tristan and Ryan met at a Chief of Staff Network meetup in Singapore. Find your local chapter and upcoming events at chiefofstaff.network (https://www.chiefofstaff.network/) .