Meghan appoints Bill Gates's ex-assistant as chief of staff

Telegraph

10-05-2025

The Duchess of Sussex has hired an administrator who previously worked for Bill Gates as her first chief of staff.
Meghan appointed Sarah Fosmo, 45, to be her most senior adviser as she prepared to relaunch her career.
The Duchess is releasing With Love, Meghan, her Netflix lifestyle series, alongside As Ever, her commercial enterprise, and Confessions of a Female Founder, her podcast. Ms Fosmo will oversee this 'dynamic period of growth'.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex has also hired a new chief of staff.
The Duke opted for a trusted and long-serving member of his team after Josh Kettler, the high-flying former Patagonia executive who previously had the job, did not outlast his trial period.
The Duke has promoted Lianne Cashin, a former executive assistant to the top job.
The Sussexes have become known for their apparent inability to attract and retain the right staff after hiring and losing a series of senior advisers since relocating to the US.
They are hoping that the 'exceptional' new employees will prove the right fit to guide the next chapter of their 'ambitious ventures'.
Ms Fosmo described herself as 'an accomplished professional with an extensive, long-tenured career managing complex, high-stakes operations for ultra-high net worth individuals'.
She said she was 'adept at navigating high-pressure environments, while maintaining a warm, approachable presence and representing principals with poise and professionalism'.
Before being hired by the Duchess, Ms Fosmo worked for six years for Gates Ventures, Mr Gates's private office, in executive administration.
Prior to that, she spent seven years working for Tony Robbins, the American motivational speaker, as a senior executive assistant.
She has described Mr Gates and Oprah Winfrey – a friend and neighbour of the Sussexes – as two of her 'favourite people'.
Ms Cashin has worked her way up through the ranks since joining Archewell, the Sussexes' production company, shortly after its inception.
She is understood to have been an executive assistant and then worked as head of operations for almost four years before being promoted to become the Duke's right-hand woman in the couple's private office.
The American maintains a low public profile, but is thought to be single and in her early 50s. She previously worked as a personal assistant to Shaun White, a professional snowboarder, and is thought to have been involved with Los Padres Polo, the Duke's polo team.
Ms Cashin will be responsible for guiding the Duke through the next stage of his post-royal career, after his Netflix documentaries, revelatory television interviews and confessional memoir.
She will have played a pivotal role alongside Meredith Maines, the Sussexes' new communications director, in arranging the Duke's BBC interview last week, in which he railed against his father and complained of an 'establishment stitch-up' after losing his legal appeal against the Government over security provision.
Another early priority in her in-tray will have been the Duke's African charity, Sentebale. Its implosion was followed this week by the admission by African Parks, for which the Duke sits on the board, of multiple human rights abuses carried out by its rangers.
A source close to the Sussexes said the couple considered themselves fortunate to have two 'exceptional leaders' in Ms Fosmo and Ms Cashin, adding: 'Sarah, our proud senior hire as chief of staff for the Duchess of Sussex, brings a wealth of experience perfectly suited to guide the Sussexes' ambitious ventures, including a new business, podcast, and television project.
'Her expertise and steady leadership are critical to navigating this dynamic period of growth.'
The source added that Ms Cashin had become a valued consultant and provided 'deep operational insight for key projects'.
'Not the right fit'
Mr Kettler, the Duke's previous chief of staff, quit after both sides agreed following a three-month trial that 'it wasn't the right fit'.
He had an impressive CV, as former chief of staff and head of strategic partnerships at Cognixion, a communications platform, and as an executive at the outdoor clothing company Patagonia.
He started a week before the Sussexes' visit to Nigeria last May and accompanied the Duke on his trip to London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
When the couple quit royal public duties and moved abroad they hired a joint chief of staff, Catherine St Laurent, a former adviser to Bill and Melinda Gates. She left after less than a year, transitioning to an advisory role.
On Friday, the Duke and Duchess were spotted enjoying the fifth night of Beyonce's Cowboy Carter Tour in California in a backstage picture.
They were among thousands of fans who crowded into the SoFi Stadium as the singer performed her last show in Los Angeles before heading to Chicago.