Growth Operators has named co-founder Molly Hiller Chief Executive Officer as the middle-market advisory firm expands its platform across strategy, talent, technology and artificial intelligence.
Hiller co-founded Growth Operators with former CEO Rick Nordvold in 2010 and has spent more than 16 years helping build and manage the firm.
Her previous leadership responsibilities have included serving as President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.
The appointment formalizes Hiller’s leadership of Growth Operators’ operations over the past two years.
Nordvold will remain involved as Executive Chairman while focusing on his position as Chairman and Managing Partner of North Partners, a private investment partnership he co-founded with Hiller in 2026.
North Partners and Growth Operators’ employee partners are the long-term controlling owners of Growth Operators.
The investment partnership works with companies and executives to support leadership development and long-term value creation.
Hiller becomes the first female CEO of Growth Operators.
Her appointment comes as the firm broadens its capabilities beyond its traditional back-office advisory work.
During the past year, Growth Operators has added services across Strategy & Execution, Talent Intelligence, Strategic IT and Decision Intelligence & AI.
The expanded platform is intended to help middle-market businesses develop value-creation plans, align organizational structures and talent with growth strategies, modernize technology platforms and make greater use of data in decision-making.
Growth Operators provides those services through its proprietary nextLEVEL assessment and an embedded operating model that pairs clients with fractional and interim executives.
Those executives can fill leadership gaps and work directly alongside client teams to execute initiatives rather than limiting engagements to traditional consulting recommendations.
The firm was named to the Inc. 5000 in 2026 for the sixth consecutive year after recording 51% revenue growth over three years.
It also received its third consecutive Minnesota Top Workplace recognition from the Minnesota Star Tribune and a 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award.
Before co-founding Growth Operators, Hiller began her career at Arthur Andersen, held financial management positions at Target and founded and led an entrepreneurial venture.
She earned an undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
KEY QUOTES:
“Since the beginning, we have built Growth Operators alongside an incredibly talented team. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and excited for the opportunities ahead. We’ll continue building on that foundation, expanding our capabilities and finding new ways to support our clients as their needs evolve.”
Molly Hiller, Co-Founder and CEO of Growth Operators
“Molly is a natural leader. I’ve seen her impact firsthand since we founded the firm, and her dedication to our employees and clients has been central to Growth Operators’ success. Through North Partners, along with our employee Partners, we’re committed to this firm and its people for the long term.”
Rick Nordvold, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Growth Operators
