ghSMART
ghSMART is a specialist leadership advisory firm focused on helping CEOs, boards, investors, and senior leadership teams make high-impact people decisions.
- Highest 2026 tier: Tier I
- Board and chief executive advisory firm
- Board & CEO Advisory
Overview
ghSMART is a specialist leadership advisory firm focused on helping CEOs, boards, investors, and senior leadership teams make high-impact people decisions. The firm is particularly associated with leadership assessment, CEO evaluation, executive team effectiveness, succession planning, talent decisions, and leadership judgment in situations where leadership quality directly affects organizational performance.
Its advisory model is built around rigorous assessment methodology, behavioral analysis, structured interviews, and senior-leader evaluation. ghSMART frequently works with boards, private equity investors, founders, and CEOs to assess whether leadership teams are capable of executing strategy, navigating transformation, and creating long-term value.
ghSMART is included in one 2026 Advisory Ranking category. The highest recorded classification is Tier I.
Firm facts
| Founded | 1995 |
| Firm type | Board and chief executive advisory firm |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States |
| Primary focus | Board effectiveness, CEO succession and senior leadership advice |
| Highest 2026 Advisory Ranking tier | Tier I |
Principal activities
Board advisory
Board composition, effectiveness, governance and director assessment.
CEO succession
Succession planning, candidate assessment and leadership transition.
Senior leadership counsel
Executive effectiveness, team alignment and critical leadership decisions.
ghSMART works with clients on assignments that may combine strategy, specialist analysis, implementation support and organizational adoption. The precise scope depends on the mandate, sector, geography and client requirements.
Sector and mandate coverage
Sector coverage
- Public companies
- Private equity
- Financial services
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Industrials
Mandate types
- Board effectiveness
- CEO succession
- Leadership assessment
- Board composition
- Executive coaching
- Governance advisory
Market position
ghSMART is positioned as a board and chief executive advisory firm. Its relevance reflects the combination of specialist capability, institutional experience and practical involvement in consequential strategic or corporate decisions.
Distinctive focus: Its advisory model is built around rigorous assessment methodology, behavioral analysis, structured interviews, and senior-leader evaluation.
Competitive context
ghSMART competes with specialist strategy advisers, executive-services firms, transaction advisers, analytics providers and larger multidisciplinary professional-services firms. The relevant peer set varies by mandate, industry, client segment, geographic scope and delivery model.
Comparable firms are selected according to overlap in business model, client segment, service coverage, geographic activity and mandate profile. Inclusion does not imply equivalence in scale, ranking or market position.
Leadership
| Person | Current position | Institutional background |
|---|
Leadership information reflects the public sources reviewed for this profile. View the firm’s website ↗
Corporate and regulatory information
ghSMART provides advisory, executive, analytical, transaction, managed or technology services. The contracting entity, professional obligations and regulatory status depend on the service, client jurisdiction and engagement scope.
View registered-entity details
| Service status | Advisory, executive, analytical, transaction or technology services |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States |
Principal offices
- Chicago, United States
Rankings and recognition
Ranking inclusion is editorially determined. The existence or maintenance of a Wiki profile does not influence ranking eligibility, tier or position.
Related Economy analysis
Selected Economy Markets articles providing context for the firm’s advisory environment:
- The Silent Reshuffle of the Advisory Market
- How AI Is Reshaping the Consulting Industry in 2026
- Middle-Market Private Equity: Returns, Scale and Manager Selection
Related institutions and subjects
Sources and data transparency
The profile is based on the following publicly available institutional, regulatory and editorial sources:
- ghSMART — official firm overview and service information.
- Advisory Ranking — Top 30 Board & CEO Advisory 2026 — inclusion and tier classification.
