The Business Journals Anthony Noto

Restaurant Associates president Ed Brown’s rise to the C-suite might be viewed as unconventional. A Michelin-starred chef, Brown’s culinary career began 30 years ago after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. His first stop was in NYC as the sous chef alongside Christian Delouvrier at Maurice, followed by a stint at Lucas Carton (3 Michelin stars). His restaurant The Sea Grill was named one of the best restaurants in the world by Esquire, and his next, Eighty One, earned him a Michelin star. At Restaurant Associates -- the NYC-based, billion-dollar company behind the food operations at Google and The Met as well as the U.S. Open's players dining room and Sweet Home Café, the award-winning restaurant at the National Museum of African-American History in D.C. -- culinary prowess is weighted equally alongside executive skills.

Now that his Broadway run with "Kinky Boots" has wrapped, Tiki Barber's starring role is at Grove Group Management. The retired NFL great discusses entrepreneurship, the various ins and outs of legal marijuana, and why the NFL should consider changing its suspension policies.

Chief's mission struck a chord with women across all industries. Names from Wal-Mart, HBO, Hearst, PepsiCo, WeWork, Google, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Facebook and Spotify make up this discreet list of business savvy members. Their goal: provide each other with unprecedented peer support throughout their respective C-suite journeys. The waitlist to become a member currently exceeds 4,500. With Chief, founders Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers — both New York startup vets — set out to redefine networking entirely. Click the link to learn more.