Creating capacity
for leaders
to do what they do best.
Mahshid Görlich
Fractional Chief of Staff and Operational Partner
Frankfurt, Germany (hybrid & remote)
How I help
Most leaders I work with are not short on ambition. They are short on bandwidth. Urgent things crowd out important ones, and the operational weight of running something well quietly takes over the strategic thinking that should be happening instead.
I have spent over twelve years inside complex international organisations like the IFRS Foundation, Microsoft, and Novartis doing exactly this kind of work from the inside, turning operational chaos into clear priorities so leaders can focus on the decisions only they can make.
Working together starts with a short conversation about what is actually getting in your way, followed by a plan built around your specific situation. From there, I step in as a fractional Chief of Staff or operational partner, and you get something simple: clarity on what matters, and the capacity to act on it.
Executive Counsel
Fractional Chief of Staff
Every leader needs someone beside them who understands their priorities, protects their time and makes sure the right things happen. I offer that on a fractional basis, the experience of a senior operational partner without the cost of a full-time hire.
What this means in practice
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Managing your priorities so you focus on what only you can do
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Acting as the trusted interface between you and your teams and partners
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Overseeing execution across your most important initiatives
Operational Efficiency
Operational Partner
Most execution problems are not about effort. They are about coordination, clarity and follow-through. I manage the moving parts so projects land, stakeholders stay aligned and the right things happen at the right time.
What this means in practice
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Leading and delivering high-priority projects end to end
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Stakeholder management and alignment
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Change management support during transitions and growth
Mission Operations
Mission Enabler
Mission-driven organisations often face a specific challenge: high accountability, limited resources and the constant pressure to do more with less. I help NGOs build better processes so they can use their resources more effectively.
What this means in practice
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Mapping and redesigning workflows that slow the organisation down
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Building reporting and accountability structures that work
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Improving collaboration and communication across functions
Who I am &
Why I do this
Over the past decade I have worked at the heart of complex international organisations across three countries, three languages and three completely different professional cultures. And in each one I found myself doing the same thing. Building capacity for the leaders around me so they could focus on what only they could do. My path was not linear. I started in international business, moved into operational excellence at Novartis in Austria where I led improvement projects, then stepped into executive support and strategic counsel at Microsoft and the IFRS Foundation in Frankfurt. At the IFRS Foundation I worked directly beside the Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board — one of the most globally significant financial governance bodies — keeping priorities clear, managing complex international stakeholder relationships and making sure nothing critical fell through the cracks. That role confirmed something I had already learned across every organisation I had worked in. The difference between a good strategy and a good outcome is almost always about execution, clarity and trust. Not more planning. Not better frameworks. Just someone who sees the full picture, connects the dots and builds the capacity for leaders to do what they do best. That is what I have always done and it is exactly what I built The Vantage Practice around. Alongside my work with leaders and organizations, I created Vantage Women for those who have an idea, a vision, or a calling they want to pursue but are not sure how to move it forward. Supporting women as they turn meaningful ideas into action is something I care deeply about. I help them gain clarity, create a plan, and take meaningful action.
Master of Business Administration
+12 years international experience
Strategy.Operations.Execution
Maxwell Leadership Coach & Trainer
LinkedIn Profile
Your Advantage
1
Strategic thinking and hands-on execution at the same time
Most people are one or the other. I see the full picture and I do the work. I can sit with you in a strategic conversation in the morning and manage the operational detail in the afternoon. You are not getting a consultant who has read about this work. You are getting someone who has been in the room and has spent over 12 years working directly beside senior leaders in complex international organisations.
2
Cross-sector depth
My experience does not fit neatly into one box. I have held different roles across pharmaceutical development, tech and international financial governance — each one adding a different layer to how I think and how I work. Combined with fluency in English, German and Farsi I bring a range to every engagement that goes well beyond a single industry or discipline.
3
True Partnership
I do not arrive with a ready-made solution. I arrive with the right questions. Every engagement starts with genuinely understanding what you need and what success looks like for you. Nothing here is templated. Everything is shaped around your specific situation and your priorities.
I care about the outcome as much as you do. That is how I work.
