Open to opportunities

Lucy Coulden

@lucycoulden

Message

Founder-facing COO and CEO-office operator driving execution and investor relations.

United Kingdom

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek a senior operational role supporting founders or CEOs where I can build governance, scale programs, lead investor relations, and drive cross-functional execution in high-trust, mission-driven organisations.

I am a founder-facing COO and CEO-office operator with 10+ years of experience in venture capital, fintech and web3 environments, known for discretion, precision and calm leadership under pressure.

I build operating cadence, tighten decision-making, and turn complex work into clear priorities with owners and follow-through; I have led CEO office operations in global technology organisations and built governance and operating frameworks for large, decentralised contributor communities.

My achievements include launching and scaling a 200+ ambassador global programme, founding and operating a web3 DealDesk that funded multiple deals, leading investor relations and fundraising processes, and designing operational infrastructure that reactivated large dormant contact lists and secured strategic partners.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Founder and Global Programme Director

Polkadot Ecosystem

Mar 2024 - Jul 2025 (1 year 4 months)

Built and operated a global contributor programme from concept to scale, onboarding 200+ ambassadors and creating a 100+ person waitlist while implementing governance, onboarding flows, and escalation pathways to mitigate reputational risk.

Community Operations Governance Onboarding Stakeholder Management Trust & Safety Project Management Reporting

Director, Executive Operations

Parity Technologies

Mar 2022 - Mar 2024 (2 years)

Served as right-hand to the Co-Founder/CEO establishing CEO office cadence, decision tracking, and cross-functional coordination while leading investor and senior stakeholder interfacing and executive convenings.

Executive Operations Decision Tracking Investor Relations Stakeholder Management Event Planning Team Leadership Governance

C-Suite Operations Lead

Improbable

Oct 2020 - Mar 2022 (1 year 5 months)

Managed executive operations for four C-suite leaders, maintained an investor data room for fundraising diligence, and led hybrid work strategy research and rollout across 250+ staff.

Executive Operations Change Management Research Analysis Cross Functional Communication Hybrid Working

Founder Associate

Atomico

Dec 2019 - Sep 2020 (9 months)

Acted as a high-trust executive partner to the Founder CEO managing diary, briefings, stakeholder coordination and delivery of internal and external events with senior attendees.

Executive Support Event Management Briefing Documents Vendor Management

Business Operations Manager

QuadReal Property Group

Jan 2019 - Dec 2019 (11 months)

Supported the Managing Director EMEA and London team by running executive operations, stakeholder reporting for the 22 Bishopsgate build phase, and managing office operations and supplier relationships.

Executive Operations Facilities Management Supplier Management Onboarding Coordination

Senior Executive Assistant

Bain Capital Private Equity

Sep 2016 - Jan 2019 (2 years 4 months)

Supported deal team leadership across MD/Principal levels, coordinated investment committee materials, managed client events including a 120-person £100k event, and oversaw in-situ refurbishment project delivery.

Executive Support Event Management Project Management Budget Management Documentation

HR Associate

Hg Capital

May 2015 - Aug 2016 (1 year 3 months)

Supported the HR Director and senior investment stakeholders by managing recruitment coordination up to Partner level, organising MBA recruitment events and collating performance review documentation.

Recruitment coordination Event Coordination Performance Reviews HR & Administration Documentation