Susan Ko, Ph.D. '25 Contributor Since 2025

Susan joined Vantage as a Partner in 2023, bringing her expertise to advising clients across diverse industries, unlocking leadership excellence at the individual, team, and organizational levels. With a background that includes working with the C-Suite, senior leaders, Boards, and investors, Susan excels in assessing and optimizing talent by aligning purpose, values, and culture with the organization’s mission, vision, and strategy. Leveraging her clinical background, she ensures an intimate client experience that strategically and empathically maximizes leadership effectiveness.

Susan’s in-house experience at a venture-backed, high-growth biotech company, and her cross-industry private equity work have been pivotal in shaping her approach. She centers her strategy on the character and reputation of leaders, viewing them as key differentiators in building leadership teams that drive positive transformations and impact the ROI of businesses. Her clientele spans Fortune 100 companies, family-owned organizations, and diverse sectors, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, education, financial services, retail, and food/beverage.

Susan earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Brown University and pursued her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, drawn by the program’s specific focus on diversity and inclusion. Having lived in eight states across the United States and South Korea, she balances her passion for travel with interests in books, art, pastry, and service as the Board President for a non-profit organization focused on youth writing and literacy.