Sara Sparhawk
Sara is a strategic leader and experienced operator who partners with companies at critical inflection points where growth demands better systems, clearer decisions, and stronger alignment. With experience spanning small businesses, venture-backed startups, global enterprises, and financial services firms, she knows how to meet teams where they are and help them move forward with confidence.
Clients value Sara for her strategic thinking, hands-on execution, and warm leadership style. She brings order without rigidity, accountability without friction, and clarity that empowers teams to move faster and smarter together.
Experience
Lattice Consulting
Fractional COO, CPO, & Strategic Advisor
At Lattice Consulting, Sara partners with founders and leadership teams as a trusted, strategic operator who brings clarity to moments of growth and transition. She helps organizations move from reactive to intentional by building the systems, rhythms, and decision-making structures that enable leaders to focus on what matters most.
Clients rely on Sara to navigate ambiguity, simplify complexity, utilize technology, align teams, and translate vision and strategy into execution, all while fostering trust and momentum across the organization.
Amazon
Global Talent Acquisition
At Amazon, Sara held roles across internal mobility and early-career talent acquisition teams, giving her a rare, end-to-end view of how organizations attract, develop, and retain talent at scale. She worked with leaders across Amazon to design systems that enabled employees to grow, move, and advance within the company, impacting tens of thousands of careers annually.
Sara led campus recruiting programs that fueled critical technical hiring pipelines during periods of rapid growth. Together, these roles strengthened her ability to align talent strategy with business needs, balance long-term workforce planning with near-term execution, and build people systems that support both individual growth and organizational performance.
Guggenheim Partners
Fund Controller
At Guggenheim Partners, Sara operated in a highly sophisticated investment environment where accuracy, judgment, and trust were essential. She partnered closely with investment teams and external stakeholders to ensure financial operations were clear, reliable, and well-governed.
This role deepened Sara’s ability to navigate complex financial structures, manage risk, and communicate clearly in high-stakes settings. The discipline and financial fluency she developed here continue to inform her work with founders and leadership teams who need confidence in their numbers as they scale.
West Tenth
Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder
Sara co-built and scaled a venture-backed marketplace focused on helping local small businesses grow and thrive through three AI-powered tech products. She played a central role in shaping how the company operated and expanded by establishing the foundations that supported sustainable growth, strong retention, and operational efficiency.
Her work balanced big-picture strategy with hands-on leadership, ensuring West Tenth could scale without losing its culture, mission, or connection to customers and small businesses.
Apttus
Early Talent Acquisition
During a period of rapid growth, Sara built the company’s first early talent acquisition team. She created strategic, repeatable attraction and hiring practices that supported both speed and quality, enabling the organization to grow without sacrificing culture or quality of hire.
Her work helped leaders move from reactive hiring to intentional workforce planning, creating systems that supported both immediate growth and long-term organizational health.
PwC
Tax Consulting & Compliance and Talent Acquisition
At PwC, Sara built a rare combination of deep financial rigor and people-centered leadership. She began her career advising banking and capital market clients on complex tax matters, developing a strong command of financial structures, compliance, and risk. This experience continues to inform her strategic decision-making today.
As her career evolved, she moved to talent acquisition, where she applied that same analytical lens to building strong teams and scalable hiring processes. This blend of tax expertise and organizational leadership gives Sara a unique ability to connect financial realities with people strategy, something clients consistently value when navigating growth, change, or increased complexity.
Skills & Education
Software
- Productivity : ClickUp | Slack | Google Workspaces | Notion | Excel & Sheets | Airtable | Microsoft Office | Jira/Atlassian
- AI Tools: ChatGPT | Claude
- Sales & Marketing: Hubspot | Wix | WordPress | Squarespace | Sendgrid | ConvertKit
- Design: Figma | Canva
- Data Analytics: Mixpanel | Google Analytics | Hubspot
Certifications
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
– Licensed by the State of Connecticut
(Inactive)
Brigham Young University Marriott Business School
MAcc & BA
2004
- Masters & Bachelors in Accounting
Interests
Travel & Cultural Curiosity
“The more you see, the better you understand.“
Sara has traveled to over 40 countries, driven by a deep curiosity about how people live, work, and connect across cultures. Experiencing different ways of thinking and leading has shaped her perspective as an operator and advisor. She brings that global mindset into her work, helping teams challenge assumptions, stay open, and design solutions that reflect the real world.
Concerts & Live Music
“Music has a way of bringing people together in the moment.”
A proud Swiftie who attended The Eras Tour four times, Sara loves the shared joy and momentum that only live music can create. Being part of that moment reminds her how powerful it is when people feel connected and aligned, a theme she carries into how she builds culture, motivates teams, and creates experiences that resonate.
Time in Nature
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
Whether hiking, skiing, or simply spending time outdoors, Sara finds grounding and clarity in nature. Time outside supports her resilience, perspective, and steady decision-making, especially when navigating complex or high-pressure leadership environments.
Baking
“Good things take time.“
From sourdough bread to pies and bagels, baking is Sara’s creative outlet and happy place. It is a practice rooted in patience, experimentation, and care, qualities that mirror how she approaches building teams and systems. Thoughtful inputs, the right timing, and a little intuition go a long way.