Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's New Chief of Staff, Catherine St-Laurent, Used to Work for Melinda Gates
With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's office at Buckingham Palace slated to close on March 31—the date on which they officially stepped back from their working royal roles—the couple were in need of some new staffers.
Luckily, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have secured a highly qualified candidate to be their chief of staff—and to serve as the executive director of the couple's new non-profit, once it gets up and running.
"We are proud to be joined by Catherine St-Laurent in this next chapter with us," the couple said in a statement earlier this week. "Her leadership and proven track record working within two organizations that have tremendous impact in the world—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Pivotal Ventures—make her an incredible asset and we are excited to have her on our team."
Here's what you should know about Catherine St-Laurent, Harry and Meghan's new hire.
She used to work for Melinda Gates.
St-Laurent spent years as Melinda Gates's head of communication at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation before joining Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company founded by Gates, in 2015.
According to Pivotal Ventures's website, Gates started the organization "to identify, help develop and implement innovative solutions to problems affecting U.S. women and families."
Back in 2014, St-Laurent was named one of PR Week's 40 Under 40. The director of external relations at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shared that she'd done well in her role there, saying, "Catherine has played a key role in supporting that vision and enabling Melinda’s voice to be used as effectively and powerfully as possible."
She's already excited about—and prepared for—the role.
"From our very first conversation, Harry and Meghan have expressed a deep commitment to improving lives and having a positive impact on society," St-Laurent said in a statement. "Their perspective on the role that empathy, connection, and compassion can play in that mission is both deeply personal and incredibly timely. I am delighted and honored to be able to play a role in realizing their vision as they embark on this journey of learning, listening, and inspiring all of us to act."
Presumably in anticipation of her new job, St-Laurent appears to have deleted both her LinkedIn and Twitter accounts in recent days. In a People article published on March 30, her Twitter bio is quoted and a recent tweet is embedded—but by that afternoon, the account appeared to be deactivated. Her LinkedIn page, too, readily appears in Google search results—suggesting it used to exist—but when clicked on, the link leads to an error message.
St-Laurent seems to share some interests with Meghan.
Per People, St-Laurent listed yoga—something the Duchess is also known to love—as a hobby in her since-deleted Twitter profile. She also described herself as a facilitator for "conversations about women and girls’ rights," a topic that Meghan made central to her work as a senior royal, and will likely continue to pursue after stepping back.
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