Hi!

I'm Karen.

Executive Operations Partner & Senior Executive Assistant to C-Suite Leaders

For over 20 years, I've been the person executives call before they call anyone else. I protect time, sharpen operations, and keep complex, fast-moving worlds running - quietly, precisely, and with the kind of discretion that lets leaders stop thinking about logistics and start thinking about the work that only they can do.

Phone: 646-844-6802

Email: karenk.bannister@gmail.com

An executive's right hand.
For over 20 years.

Years of C-suite suppport

20+

Industries served

Org Scale Managed

$B+

I PARTNER with C-suite leaders and founders to PROTECT their time, SHARPEN their operations, and keep their world RUNNING — no matter how fast it moves.

Anchor 1

Let's Work Together

Download Resume

The Person

Behind the Title

I've spent my career in the room where the pressure is highest and the stakes don't wait — alongside founders, C-suite executives, and senior leadership teams navigating growth, change, and complexity at scale. My path has taken me through medtech, management consulting, luxury automotive, real estate, and construction, supporting publicly traded global companies, privately held family enterprises, and independent founders alike.

What hasn't changed across any of it is what's asked of me: be the person who can be trusted completely. I'm known for anticipating what's needed before it's asked, for handling sensitive information and high-stakes moments without flinching, and for turning chaotic, high-demand environments into operations that simply run. I don't just manage a calendar, I protect focus, manage relationships at every level, and operate as a true extension of leadership.

I hold a BS in Business Administration, Summa Cum Laude, from Southern New Hampshire University, and an AI Proficiency Certification from Superhuman AI Academy. I'm also the author of Close the Gap: 7 Transformational Steps to Move You from Today to Tomorrow, a leadership guide built on the same principles that guide how I show up for the people I support.

My

Executive

Support Experience

Over the past two decades, I've supported founders, presidents, and C-suite leaders across a wide range of high-stakes, high-growth environments. My experience spans:

Global sales performance and leadership coaching organizations, supporting founding partners and presidents through rapid international growth.
Publicly traded medical technology leaders, supporting Chief Medical Officers, Presidents of Worldwide Sales, and VPs of Business Development through M&A due diligence, board interactions, and investor-facing engagements.
Multi-division global medtech operations, leading administrative and facilities teams of nine through a $1.8B acquisition with zero disruption to executive continuity.
Independent founders and small business leadership teams, providing executive operations consulting, ghostwriting, and executive presence strategy.

Across all of these environments, my work has included complex multi-time-zone calendar and travel management, confidential executive and personal matters, board and investor communications, real estate and lifestyle portfolio oversight, and the kind of operational judgment that only comes from doing this at the highest level for a long time.

Areas of

Expertise

Executive & Real Estate Portfolio Management

Oversee a $5.5M real estate portfolio as operational lead — managing revenue optimization, vendor contracts, booking strategy, and P&L reporting across short-term rental properties and a commercial event venue.
Reduced operational and personal medical expenditures by 20% through systematic audits and spending controls.
Provide full personal and lifestyle management, including financial reporting, expense management, healthcare coordination, travel, and household vendor oversight.
Reclaimed 10+ hours per week for each executive by proactively assuming operational and administrative responsibilities.

Board, Investor & Executive Communications

Prepared executive presentations, briefing materials, talking points, and stakeholder communications for board interactions and investor-facing engagements.
Coordinated executive operations related to M&A due diligence, strategic planning initiatives, and organizational priorities.
Drafted, edited, and owned executive correspondence and thought-leadership content, including ghostwriting for executives across multiple industries.
Partnered cross-functionally with HR and executive leadership on succession planning and organizational coordination.

Operations, Facilities & Team Leadership

Served as senior administrative leader for a 435-person, 140,000 sq. ft. corporate facility across three business divisions.
Led, supervised, and developed a nine-member team of administrative and facilities professionals, establishing performance standards and workflow systems.
Spearheaded a full office redesign to accommodate 50 additional staff — completed within a 90-day deadline with zero operational disruption.
Certified Safety Manager; maintained full OSHA compliance across protocols and training.
Managed a $2M Customer Experience Center, leading a cross-departmental team of ten to deliver VIP experiences for global delegations.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

Maintain high-trust relationships with stakeholders at every level — inside and outside the organization — across multi-time-zone, multi-cultural environments.
Coordinate complex international travel and scheduling across Europe and South America amid rapidly shifting priorities.
Advised independent clients on personal branding, executive presence, and leadership visibility to strengthen stakeholder engagement.
Managed social media strategy and content for executive and business clients, supporting brand positioning.

Tools

My

I use AI as a quiet, efficient partner in how I work, not a replacement for judgment, but an accelerant for it. I rely on tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Notion AI for drafting and refining executive communications, Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai for meeting capture and follow-through, and Gamma for fast, polished presentation building. AI helps me move faster on the repeatable parts of the work so I can stay focused on the part that can't be automated: judgment, discretion, and the relationships that make an executive's world run smoothly.

AI & Productivity

Platforms & Communication

CRM & Project Management

What Working With Me

Looks Like

Every executive partnership has a shape to it. Here's what mine looks like. In the first six months, I move from learning your world to running it with intention at every stage. This isn't a generic onboarding arc. It's how I actually work, refined over 20 years of stepping into high-stakes environments and getting up to speed without slowing anyone down.

First 30 Days
Learn, Listen, Stabilize

I focus on understanding the executive's priorities, rhythms, and communication style while building early operational wins: calendar clarity, inbox triage,

and a clear picture of what's urgent

versus important.

31–60 Days
Streamline & Systems

This phase is about structure: refined meeting cadences, travel and scheduling protocols, and the early workflows that take recurring friction off the executive's plate.

61–90 Days
Lead & Anticipate

By month three, I'm operating as a true extension of leadership: anticipating needs before they're voiced, managing stakeholders directly, and resolving issues before they ever reach the executive's desk.

Where

I've done this work

Southwestern Consulting — Executive Assistant · 2021–Present

Global sales performance and leadership coaching firm, part of the Southwestern Family of Companies (est. 1855, $106M+ combined revenue).

Independent Consultant — Executive Operations, Communications & Presence · 2019–2021

Freelance practice serving executives, founders, and leadership teams across real estate, medtech, financial services, and professional services.

Masimo — Executive Assistant · 2017–2019

Publicly traded global medical technology leader (~$2B revenue, 50+ countries).

CareFusion / BD — Manager, Administrative Support · 2008–2017

Global medtech company acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) in 2015 ($12B+ Fortune 500).

Download Resume

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

BS, Business Administration — Southern New Hampshire University, Summa Cum Laude (2019)
AI Proficiency Certification — Superhuman AI Academy (2026)
Continuing professional development through ASAP, IAAP, AICI, AMA, and PRSA (2020–present)

LEADERSHIP & AFFLIATIONS

Former Global VP of Business Development — Association of Image Consultants International (AICI)
Former Branch Director — International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
Former VP of Publications — Junior League of Nashville
Member — ASAP, PRSA, AMA, NSLS, Phi Theta Kappa

AUTHOR

Close the Gap: 7 Transformational Steps to Move You from Today to Tomorrow

A leadership and professional development guide built on two decades of working alongside high-performing executives — and observing what separates those who grow from those who stay stuck. A reflection of how I approach every role I step into.

Beyond

the Role

GET TO KNOW ME

I believe the people you hire should feel knowable before day one. Here's a little more about how I think and work:

Karen Bannister

Hi!