Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer
Transforming complex business challenges into executable strategies. Over 25 years partnering with Fortune 500 companies, global enterprises, and high-growth organizations to drive measurable performance and lasting enterprise value.
Vanessa Leme is a C-suite executive consultant and trusted advisor with a distinguished career spanning finance, technology, luxury retail, and global operations. Known for translating complexity into clarity, she partners with leadership teams to unlock growth, build scalable systems, and drive sustainable enterprise value.
Her career spans roles at Google, Columbia-educated with deep expertise across customer success, supply chain strategy, financial planning, and organizational transformation — all delivered with the precision of a seasoned operator and the insight of a visionary strategist.
"She brings clarity to ambiguity, structure to complexity, and momentum to organizations that need to move quickly and intelligently."— Mark Avery, SVP Global Partnerships, FAT Brands
Executive Consultant · New York
Vanessa Leme is a C-suite strategist, trusted advisor, and seasoned operator whose career reads like a masterclass in building what matters — at every scale, across every industry.
Born and raised in Brazil, Vanessa began her career in the financial sector in São Paulo — first as an Investment Analyst at Banco Credibanco, then leading back-office operations at Socimer International Bank. These early years forged a rigorous analytical foundation and an instinct for operational integrity that would define everything that followed.
Her trajectory took a decisive turn when she joined Lemon Bank and Patagon.com as Chief Customer Officer, pioneering customer retention and relationship marketing strategies for one of Latin America’s first internet banks. It was here she discovered her defining skill: the ability to transform ambiguous challenges into structured, high-performing systems — and to inspire teams to execute with precision.
Relocating to New York, Vanessa spent nearly a decade at Cote France as US Managing Director, forging deep expertise in luxury retail, international operations, and cross-cultural business development. She subsequently founded two ventures — Atelier LV Paris, a handcrafted luxury interiors brand with artisan partners in Paris, Milan, and São Paulo, and Beatrixie Designs, a high-end resort wear label she brought from concept to market.
At Google, Vanessa operated at the highest level of enterprise customer success — leading a $180M+ global portfolio, scaling a 25-person international team, and securing over $95M in multi-year renewals across Fortune 500 clients. Her AI-driven process innovations cut operational overhead by 30% while raising NPS by 23 points.
Today, through Leme Consulting, Vanessa brings this breadth of experience to organizations navigating critical inflection points. She serves as a strategic partner, change management advisor, and executive consultant — trusted by C-suite leaders who need a rare combination of vision, execution rigor, and global perspective.
Vanessa holds an MBA from Columbia University, undergraduate degrees from PUC São Paulo and Unaerp, and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Cornell University’s eCornell program. She is fluent in English, a native Portuguese speaker, and conversational in Spanish.
“Vanessa operates at a level that is exceptionally rare. She is not only a trusted advisor but a true business operator — someone who seamlessly integrates finance, strategy, and execution to deliver outcomes that directly impact growth and profitability.”— Mark Avery, SVP Global Partnerships & Supply Chain Strategy, Avery Global / FAT Brands
With a rare combination of operational depth, financial acumen, and strategic vision, Vanessa brings end-to-end transformation capability to every engagement. From building enterprise frameworks from scratch to optimizing complex multi-brand global operations — each mandate is executed with precision, accountability, and measurable impact.
Translating executive vision into executable growth roadmaps. Go-to-market strategy, partnership development, new market entry, and competitive positioning across industries.
End-to-end process redesign, workflow optimization, and supply chain transformation. Proven results: 25–40% reductions in costs and processing time for Fortune 500 clients.
Driving enterprise retention, expansion, and NRR through outcome-based success models, AI-driven team systems, and predictive health frameworks.
Strategic financial modeling, performance tracking, budget management, and investment analysis. Delivering financial discipline alongside operational agility.
Leading organizations through transformation with clarity and momentum. Stakeholder alignment, team enablement, and culture-building during critical transitions.
Serving as a strategic partner to C-suite leaders — managing cross-functional initiatives, board communications, and high-priority programs with discretion and precision.
Leading comprehensive assessments of clients' operational processes and delivering customized transformation strategies. Trusted advisor to executive leadership across industries on growth, efficiency, and change management.
Strategic partner to SVP of Global Partnerships across supply chain, financial planning, and executive operations. Built scalable systems enabling high-impact partnerships across complex, multi-brand international environments.
Directed Customer Success for $180M+ in global enterprise accounts. Achieved 132% NRR, reduced churn 37%, and secured $95M+ in multi-year renewals. Scaled a 25+ person global team with AI-driven efficiency improvements.
Spearheaded showroom operations in the luxury retail sector, managing European production relationships, team development, and US market expansion for premium handcrafted furnishings.
Led customer service, financial operations, and relationship marketing for a fintech pioneer in Brazil. Built back-office frameworks, drove customer retention strategy, and cultivated a high-performance team culture.
Fluent across the modern executive technology stack — from AI-powered strategy and analytics tools to enterprise CRM, project management, automation, and collaboration platforms. Rapid learner with a track record of implementing and optimizing new systems for organizational efficiency.
Any organization would be fortunate to have her — she will raise the bar immediately and materially impact performance.
Ready to engage a strategic advisor who delivers results? Reach out to discuss how Vanessa can partner with your organization.