CEO Peer Advisory · New York City
Leading with Clarity  ·  CEO Peer Advisory for Leaders Ready to Stress Test Their Strategies

A private board
for leaders building
something consequential.

Brooklyn Advisors builds and convenes private peer advisory boards for New York’s most consequential CEOs running complex, scaling organizations. Our members commit to stress test the strategies that drive them. Membership is earned, exclusive and limited to fewer than 20 CEOs in each peer group.

The founding principle

“I’m not building a room of listeners. Each group is a brain trust.”

John Collins  ·  Chair, Brooklyn Advisors

Group Size
<20 CEOs
Membership
Earned
Location
NYC Only
Confidential
100%
John Collins - Founder & Chair, Brooklyn Advisors
John Collins
Founder & Chair · Brooklyn Advisors LLC
About John Collins

Built for consequential leaders,
by someone who’s been there.

Through Brooklyn Advisors, I facilitate private personal peer advisory boards for New York City’s most consequential CEOs scaling complex organizations at all stages of maturity. Brooklyn Advisors, in tight partnership with Vistage Worldwide, uses the Vistage methodology — the world’s most successful CEO advisory model, with over 45,000 members across 35 countries and abundant resources to deliver success.

I lead a room of consequential leaders — Presidents, CEOs and Owners of substantial organizations — leaders running ahead of the curve. Leaders navigating institutional pivots, PE-backed expansions, and complex ownership transitions. Leaders who breathe the isolation of leadership every day and who crave peer review. They don’t need more advice. They need a rigorous stress test of their strategy and execution plans.

Our members self-select for the challenge to improve. The group determines if they’re a match for unfiltered peer challenge — because the people already in the room know better than anyone who belongs there. It’s not just your revenues that qualify you — it is your curiosity and experience.

The best learning happens through asking the right questions — asked at the right moment — to deliver the best answers. That’s the Socratic method. And it’s the foundation of everything Brooklyn Advisors does — from one-to-one executive coaching to the peer advisory board room.

I was recruited as a Vistage Chair not just to facilitate — but to audit. My background spans the business of new and the grind of the industrial — data networking, wearable tech, fleet telematics, and food distribution across the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Always the early innings. Always figuring it out. The institutional pivot — the moment a founder-led company must become an enterprise — is where I specialize. Most CEOs navigate it alone. They shouldn’t.

Our groups thrive on diversity. We mix generational leaders who can learn from and teach each other — scrappy entrepreneurs building more with less alongside experienced senior leaders who understand accountability and managing risk. Every member brings something. Every member leaves enriched. Each group is a brain trust.

John Collins
Founder & Chair · Brooklyn Advisors LLC · New York City
What We Do

Three ways to work
with Brooklyn Advisors.

Every engagement starts with the same question: what does this leader actually need right now? Sometimes it’s a room. Sometimes it’s a coach. Sometimes it’s a seat at a board table. Often it’s all three.

One-on-One
Executive Coaching

High-impact individual coaching for CEOs and senior executives. Grounded in ICF standards and 40 years of C-suite experience — a dedicated space to process complex challenges, sharpen your leadership presence, and move from busy to effective.

Start a Conversation
Board Engagement
Advisory Board Membership

Strategic governance and long-term oversight for both for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations. The outside-in perspective that keeps leadership focused on what drives results — not just what’s urgent today.

Discuss Your Board Needs
Career Background

The through line:
new market creation.

2024 – Present
Chair & Founder — Brooklyn Advisors / Vistage NYC
Building and leading curated CEO peer advisory groups for New York’s most consequential operators.
2016 – 2024
General Manager & BD Director — BakeMark / Valente
P&L ownership of a $25M NYC branch. Led post-acquisition integration of Valente Bakery Supplies into BakeMark.
2007 – 2021
Founder & CEO — Prova Systems / QIO Systems
Founded and scaled two technology companies — fleet telematics SaaS and wearable electronics — from initial specification to global market.
2003 – 2007
VP Business Development — Eleksen / BBC Vecta
Transformed Eleksen from £50K to £3.6M revenue. Built a new venture inside BBC’s corporate arm from concept to VC pitch.
1992 – 2002
Director — Lucent Technologies / Radioscape / Bay Networks
International strategy and marketing across data networking, LAN, WAN, VoIP across the US, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Every role I’ve held has been a version of the same challenge: take something new, build the market, deliver commercial results. Data networking. Technology startups. Global telecom. Industrial distribution. The industries change. The fundamentals don’t.

That breadth is what makes the peer advisory room work. I can engage credibly with a manufacturer’s supply chain problem, a founder’s succession question, a nonprofit CEO’s board governance challenge, and a PE-backed operator’s exit timeline — often in the same morning.

I’m not a specialist. I’m a generalist who’s been in the room for every stage of company building — and that’s exactly what a peer advisory chair needs to be. Vistage brings the specialists — world-class subject matter experts who educate and challenge our members on the issues that drive their businesses.

40+
Years Operating
Global Experience
6+
Industries
Cross-Functional Intelligence
4
Continents
US, Europe, ME & Asia
Advisory Board Services

The outside-in perspective
every board needs.

Whether you’re running a growth-stage company or leading a nonprofit through a strategic transition, the quality of your board determines the quality of your decisions. I bring 40 years of operational experience to both for-profit and nonprofit boards.

For-Profit
Corporate Advisory Boards

Strategic oversight for growth-stage and mid-market companies navigating scale, ownership transitions, or market expansion. Expertise in technology, distribution, and operational complexity.

Non-Profit
Nonprofit Board Membership

Governance and strategic counsel for mission-driven organizations. Experience navigating multi-stakeholder environments, funding complexity, and leadership transitions unique to the nonprofit sector.

What I Bring
01

Operational Credibility

I’ve run P&L, managed acquisitions, built teams from scratch, and navigated market entry across multiple industries. I don’t just advise on operations — I’ve done them.

02

No Agenda

As an independent board member, my only interest is the health and performance of the organization. No financial stake, no consulting contract, no conflict of interest.

03

Cross-Functional Intelligence

Having operated across technology, industrial distribution, telecommunications, and food and beverage — I see solutions in one sector that others miss because they’ve only ever worked in one.

04

NYC Market Depth

Built and led businesses in New York for decades. I understand the regulatory environment, the labor dynamics, and the complexity of operating in the five boroughs.

Discuss a Board Role
Get in Touch

If you’re searching for a place
to learn and lead with clarity.

I don’t run a process. I have a conversation. If you’re searching for a place to hone your leadership skills, overcome leadership isolation and stress test the ideas and strategies that drive you — reach out directly. No forms, no funnels, no sales pitch.

Email
john.collins@bknyadvisors.com
Phone
646-272-8938
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/jfcollins
Schedule a Call
calendly.com/bknyadvisors-john-collins
You've earned membership. You have the scars to prove it. Come meet your personal board.

Brooklyn Advisors runs distinct groups supporting businesses at various stages of development. The right group depends on where you are in your journey — and that’s a conversation worth having.

On average, Vistage members stay for 7+ years and achieve significantly better business performance than their non-member peers.

If you think you belong in the room, I’d like to hear from you. Send me a note with a brief description of what you’re working on. I’ll respond personally.

Fewer than 20 CEOs in each group. No agenda except to make each other better leaders.

Send a Note