Olivia Parrish becomes Gerald Edelman’s first ever Chief People Officer

At Gerald Edelman, we believe that our success is intrinsically linked to the success of our people. As we embark on an ambitious ten-year vision, we are committed to ensuring that our people remain at the heart of our journey. 

That’s why, in July 2025, we were delighted to welcome Olivia Parrish to our senior leadership team as Gerald Edelman’s first ever Chief People Officer (CPO).

Bringing with her extensive experience in accountancy and finance roles, Olivia will be pivotal in ensuring cultural cohesion whilst we scale. The newly created role forms part of our commitment to culture as the foundation for growth, designed to help our firm achieve our long-term goals by building the framework and environment that empower our people to thrive. 

A vision built on our people

Olivia’s appointment represents a major step in Gerald Edelman’s continued transformation – ensuring that as our firm scales and grows, our unique, people-centric culture remains a key differentiator. 

Many major accountancy and business advisory firms struggle to overcome work-life balance challenges. A recent survey of employees at Big Four firms found that three-quarters (71%) said they feel their mental health suffers because of work pressures, making it crucial for us at Gerald Edelman to build a culture that empowers and supports our employees, and the impact of adding a CPO to our already brilliant HR team will no doubt be felt by team members at all levels.

In her role, Olivia will work closely with CEO, Carl Lundberg, who commented: “We are delighted to welcome Olivia to the team. Our firm’s vision is so heavily reliant on having the right people in the right roles and developing and building on our high-performance culture that I believe this role is fundamental to our ability to achieve it. After all, it is our team’s expertise and guidance that keeps our clients coming back, so it is crucial that they are kept at the front and centre of our vision. Olivia will no doubt be crucial to ensuring that investing in our people is treated as a core business priority.”

Olivia’s proven track record

Olivia brings over two decades of extensive HR and leadership experience across professional services, accountancy, and large-scale organisations, including senior roles at Haines Watts and Cooper Parry. Her background in cultural transformation, HR leadership, and organisational development is a perfect fit for steering our strategy.

Most importantly, having founded and run her own consulting business, Olivia also brings a strong entrepreneurial insight – a spirit we value highly at Gerald Edelman.

Commenting on her appointment, Olivia said: “I’m honoured to join Gerald Edelman at such a pivotal point in its journey. The creation of the Chief People Officer role demonstrates a real commitment to investing in our people and culture. My focus will be on creating an environment where our teams can thrive, innovate, and grow.

“As part of this I will be looking to continue efforts to embed a culture that fosters collaboration, innovation, and wellbeing, whilst also empowering employees at all levels and fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship that will allow for career development, leadership opportunities and ultimately boost business performance.”

We look forward to the expertise and strategic direction Olivia will bring as we invest in the future of our firm, with our people at the forefront.