925-299-4450
MARGARET ABELES
Partner – COOs2GO
"Always Leave Things Better Than You Found Them."
A C-suite leader and operator, Margaret makes good companies even better and helps them grow. She creates and executes business and marketing strategy, performs Chief of Staff functions, project manages key initiatives, creates change management programs, and streamlines operations. Margaret saves C-suite leadership time so they can focus on what is most important to them, including their vision, innovation projects, and clients.
Her work crosses many industries (financial services, technology, entertainment) and sizes (Disney, Charles Schwab, Wells Fargo, Pfizer, and early-stage ventures). She created and led departments for multiple Fortune 500 companies and has served as a Chief Strategy Officer.
Margaret began her career in consumer insights. She consulted at a top insights company, led global insights in the U.K. for a renowned cosmetic company, Yardley, and ultimately led global insights for Disneyland, where she worked as a ride operator before college. At Disneyland, Margaret partnered with the Walt Disney Imagineers to determine which rides to build and how to update existing rides. During her tenure, she influenced the development of Disney’s California Adventure, a $4 billion theme park, and partnered with the advertising team to optimize over $1billion in advertising spend.
After Disney, Margaret created the West Coast strategic planning function for a global PR firm, Porter Novelli, where she developed successful marketing strategies for marquee clients such as HP, Wells Fargo, MGM, and McDonald’s. She then joined Charles Schwab where she led teams that shaped wealth and retirement client strategy, generating more than 500 research studies impacting strategic, positioning, and product decisions. Margaret received the Charles Schwab CEO Award.
She next served as Chief Strategy Officer for the Hanson Bridgett law firm, reporting to the CEO. She performed many Chief of Staff functions and developed and implemented the long-term strategy which contributed to 18% firm revenue growth and led the marketing and business development teams which implemented over 600 projects a year.
She consults with CEOs, C-suite leaders, and teams to determine strategy, implement key projects, determine ways to grow revenue, and create efficient operations. Clients have included Wells Fargo, First Republic, Pfizer, and small technology companies.
Illustrative projects include creating and implementing go-to-market strategy, achieving 20% revenue growth; defining the executive team’s roles so the CEO can spend more time with clients and less time on operations; creating compelling communications to increase digital marketing program funding; engaging over 1,000 stakeholders in a change management program; and creating comprehensive operational playbooks to scale operations.
Margaret holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School.
714-325-3351