Phoebe Goldsberry Named CEO of The Hollister Group

A Note from Phoebe Goldsberry

Eleven years ago, I sat at a desk amongst our Administrative & HR staffing team, working the phones, learning what it actually takes to find someone the right job. I didn't yet know how much of that work would come back around. Many of the people I placed in their roles back then are clients of ours today. Others have become the reason we've partnered with new clients – one relationship leading to the next, the way it's always worked here. That's not a coincidence. It's what happens when you treat each engagement like it matters beyond the transaction, because it does, and that is who we are at our core.

Business thrives when it's built on real relationships, rather than transactions. This is the philosophy Kip Hollister built this company on 38 years ago. She started with that conviction and nothing else – no reputation and no guarantee it would pay off, particularly in an industry that wasn't exactly waiting for her to succeed. That belief has held for 38 years because of our unrelenting commitment to keeping people at the forefront, and it's as true today as it has ever been — our guiding pillar, now and going forward.

This August, I stepped into the role of CEO of The Hollister Group. I didn't take this on to change what's held true for nearly 4 decades. I did it because I've spent this most recent decade watching this approach prove itself, up close, and I believe in it wholeheartedly. My plan isn't a new one – it's the same one Kip started with, applied to what's next with a crystal-clear focus: to deepen the relationships we've already built and to deliver greater impact for you, through one unified team you can rely on as a true growth partner.

Kip isn't stepping away. She's stepping more intentionally into the work she loves most: executive team transformation, leadership development, individual and team coaching, and keynote speaking. That means Kip making herself more available to you directly — something we're equally excited about. I am also thrilled to be working and partnering with Ally McCabe who continues to lead as President in her 23rd year with us – still exactly the steady hand she's always been.

What I want you to take from this letter isn't a title change. It's this: we are people first, and we always will be.Every match we make between a person and a company is a commitment to someone's career, someone's team, someone's life – not just a role filled. The moment we make an introduction, that person or company becomes an extension of us, and we don't take that lightly. Our name is only as good as the relationships behind it, so we protect it the same way we built it: by looking closely, asking hard questions, and never referring anyone we haven't done the work to trust ourselves.

And it's not only about the people we place. Just as often, we're embedded inside leadership teams as an extension of their own, doing the close, hands-on work of transformation through Cultures. We grow organizations and raise up leaders and teams with impeccable communication, accountability, and the results to match.

Whether an engagement starts with a hire or a Culture conversation, the commitment underneath it is the same: real relationships, built for growth that lasts. It is a privilege to be trusted with that, again and again, and to watch the people and companies we've helped grow because of it.

If it's been a while since we've talked, consider this your invitation – to me, or to anyone on our team. Know the door is always open. That's really the spirit of this letter – not an update, but an open line.

We are very much looking forward to this next chapter we get to build together.

Phoebe Goldsberry
CEO – The Hollister Group