What We Provide 

CHAIRS Global exists to help Chairs solve the leadership problems they cannot solve alone — but must ultimately own alone. We do this by supporting Chairs in navigating complex issues in real time, particularly where judgement, leadership, and human challenges are central.  

We offer a highly confidential environment in which Chairs can access contemporary proven advice, intelligence, and peer insight from a global network. 

We operate through two closely connected, but distinct, arms — each designed to support Chairs at different moments of need:

Community  – is the peer-to-peer leadership community for Chairs. Through a discreet, Chair-only environment, CHAIRS Global enables Chairs to test judgement, learn from peers, and access exclusive intelligence that supports better, more confident decision-making.

Advisory – is the independent advisory arm of CHAIRS Global. It is engaged directly by Chairs and Boards, when required, on specific difficult people, leadership and governance challenges — issues that typically require judgement, discretion and hands-on bespoke solutions and tailored, expert support.

Our work focuses on areas where the Chair’s role is uniquely exposed and consequential, including: 

  • Board dynamics and governance architecture
  • Board and Organisational culture
  • Board composition, design, performance and renewal
  • Chair and Board recruitment and succession
  • Chair and future Chair development
  • CEO succession and appointment
  • CEO effectiveness 

Where critical support is required in moments of heightened complexity, CHAIRS Global discreetly connects Chairs to the right expertise — enabling informed judgement, protection of institutional legitimacy, and confident decision-making. 

These areas include:  

  • Shareholder activism
  • Crisis management
  • Legal, regulatory and reputational risk stewardship
  • Public relations and strategic communications
  • External legitimacy with investors, regulators and stakeholders 

Our Impact 

CHAIRS Global delivers a unique combination: the extensive expertise of advisors who have spent decades working alongside Chairs and Boards worldwide with direct access to their wisdom and experience. This enables us to provide practical, grounded, judgement-based guidance. 

Our ultimate intent is to equip Chairs with the intelligence, perspective, and confidence required to exercise the highest level of judgement and decision-making in an increasingly complex environment. 

Who We Are

Based on the shared experience of hundreds of Chairs globally, the founders of CHAIRS Global are highly experienced and respected board advisors who have spent their careers assisting Chairs and Boards internationally in solving the most complex leadership and governance challenges. 

The founders are senior advisers who have each lived and worked across the globe and whose combined diverse experience spans global executive leadership, board advisory, succession, governance and organisational performance. Together, they bring decades of lived experience advising Chairs at the highest levels across the world.



 

Stephen Langton
Stephen Langton

Founder and Advisor - CHAIRS Global

Stephen is a global board-leadership advisor with 30 years' experience guiding Chairs, Boards and CEOs across major public, private and social impact organisations. He has led leading consulting practices at Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates and Deloitte, founded advisory firms, and supported succession and board development for some of the leading companies across the world. Stephen's experience is unique in that he has been an advisor across all regions from North America, Europe, through to Asia Pacific. A former British Army officer and helicopter pilot, he holds an MBA from AGSM and is a Graduate of the AICD, with a passion for polar exploration and its lessons for modern leadership.

Kok Kong Chan
Kok Kong Chan

Founder and Advisor - CHAIRS Global

Kok Kong advises Chairs, Boards and CEOs on matters of governance and leadership globally. Kok Kong co-founded Maritana Partners in 2016, and led as Senior Partner practices at Egon Zehnder, including serving as Secretary on the Global Partnership with the Chairman. He was the Chair of HammondCare, the leading dementia research and aged care organisation in Australia. Kok Kong was CEO of a healthcare company in Asia and a Corporate Finance advisor in Andersen. Malaysian-born, he holds a BCom from Melbourne University and a M.Sc from the London Business School. He is a CPA and member of the AICD.

Peter L. O'Brien
Peter L. O'Brien

Founder and Advisor - CHAIRS Global

Peter is a trusted advisor to Boards, Chairs, and CEOs in corporate governance, board effectiveness, Board & CEO succession, through to culture and leadership risk mitigation. Peter spent over 30 years working and living across the globe. He commenced his career as a corporate lawyer with Phillips Fox, before joining TNT and then DHL Deutsche Post, moving to Europe in the 1990s. He held various senior global executive roles, working across all regions of the globe. Peter was appointed CEO of DHL’s independent global supply chain business where he was based in China and Singapore. Peter led Russell Reynolds Associates as Senior Partner of the Global Board Advisory Practice & was the Managing Director of Asia Pacific. He was also the firm’s COO, and a member of the Global Board. Peter holds a BCom/LLB and LLM from the Queensland University of Technology.

Eliza Hui
Eliza Hui

Advisor - CHAIRS Global

Eliza is experienced in supporting and advising large listed and private company Boards across Asia Pacific. Prior to joining CHAIRS Global, Eliza was a Director in the Board Advisory Practice of international law firm, Ashurst. She has provided advice and support in relation to a range of corporate governance issues, Board and Company performance, Board and Chair succession planning and Director searches across industry sectors. Eliza holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from The College of Law (Sydney).

Contact Us

Chairs are expected to exercise exceptional judgement in increasingly complex conditions — often without a trusted space to think, test and be supported. CHAIRS Global exists to support Chairs not just in knowing what good governance looks like — but in making the hardest calls well. 

For a confidential discussion please contact CHAIRS Global.

 

chairs@chairsglobal.com  +61 2 9167 7416