Middle Market Advisory Firm Growth Operators® Names Molly Hiller Chief Executive Officer

Co-Founder Rick Nordvold to Continue as Executive Chairman and Lead North Partners™ as the Firm Expands Its Platform Across Strategy, Talent, Technology and AI

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Sept. 30, 2026)—Growth Operators® today announced that Co-Founder Molly Hiller has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marking the next chapter for the middle-market consultancy she co-founded alongside former CEO Rick Nordvold in 2010. The announcement comes as the firm broadens its platform well beyond the back office and marks a sixth consecutive year on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

The transition builds on Hiller’s more than 16 years helping shape Growth Operators, including serving as President, CFO, and COO, and formalizes her leadership of the firm’s operations for the past two years. Nordvold will remain closely connected to Growth Operators as Executive Chairman while focusing on his role as Chairman and Managing Partner of North Partners™, a private investment partnership he co-founded with Hiller in 2026. As the long-term controlling owner of Growth Operators, along with the firm’s employee Partners, North Partners focuses on investing in and partnering with companies and leaders to support leadership development and long-term value creation.

“Since the beginning, we have built Growth Operators alongside an incredibly talented team,” said Molly Hiller, Co-Founder and CEO of Growth Operators. “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.”

As Growth Operators’ first female CEO, Hiller steps into the role at a moment of deliberate expansion. Over the past year, the firm has added capabilities in Strategy & Execution, Talent Intelligence, Strategic IT, and Decision Intelligence & AI—broadening what had been a firm known primarily for Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, and Transaction Advisory into a fuller execution platform for middle-market and private-equity-backed companies.

“Molly is a natural leader,” said Rick Nordvold, Co-Founder of Growth Operators and Executive Chairman. “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. I have tremendous confidence in Molly and in the team that she’ll lead moving forward.”

“Growth Operators has always been built to outlast any one leader,” Nordvold added. “Through North Partners, along with our employee Partners, we’re committed to this firm and its people for the long term and to backing leaders who build companies that last.”

A Broader Platform Built for Execution

The expanded capabilities are designed for organizations that need real-world strategy and execution support, not just advisory. They include:

Strategy & Execution. Growth Operators helps organizations translate ambition into an executable value-creation agenda that is prioritized, resourced, governed, and built for traction. Engagements may include value creation roadmaps, operating model and governance design, and embedded execution pods that run initiatives end to end.

Decision Intelligence & AI. Growth Operators operationalize decision-making by connecting data, workflows, and accountability so insights lead to action. Services include decision inventory and prioritization, data readiness and signal design, scenario modeling, and cadence and adoption support—so leaders make faster, better decisions with measurable outcomes.

Talent Intelligence. Growth Operators aligns structure, leadership, and talent capacity to the growth plan so organizations can scale effectively. Services include organizational design, decision rights, workforce and skills planning, leadership and performance systems, talent acquisition enablement, and flexible capacity through Growth Operators’ delivery models.

Strategic IT. Growth Operators modernizes the platforms and processes that power performance, selecting, implementing, integrating, automating, and driving adoption so technology becomes a growth enabler. Services include platform strategy and selection, implementation and integration, workflow automation and AI enablement, data governance and reporting readiness, and adoption and change management.

Growth Operators delivers each through its embedded model and proprietary nextLEVEL® assessments, pairing cross-functional teams with fractional and interim executives who step into leadership gaps, provide continuity, and lead initiatives to completion alongside the business.

Growth That Funded the Expansion

Growth Operators was named to the 2026 Inc. 5000 list for the sixth consecutive year, recognized for 51% three-year revenue growth. The firm has reinvested that growth into expanding its capabilities and the breadth of challenges it can solve for middle-market clients. The national recognition comes alongside honors for the firm’s people and culture, including its third consecutive Minnesota Top Workplace recognition from the Minnesota Star Tribune and a 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award.

“We’ve never believed growth is simply about getting bigger,” Hiller said. “It’s about building the people, processes, financial foundation, and strategy to grow well and to keep going. That’s what we do for our clients, and it’s how we’ve run this firm since 2010.”

About Molly Hiller

Throughout her career, Hiller has built experience across finance, operations, and entrepreneurship. Before co-founding Growth Operators, she began her career at Arthur Andersen, held financial management roles at Target, and founded and led her own entrepreneurial venture. She earned her undergraduate degree in accounting from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. During her tenure in executive leadership, Growth Operators has continued to expand its capabilities while earning national and local recognition, including six consecutive appearances on the Inc. 5000 list and three consecutive years as a Star Tribune Top Workplace.

As Growth Operators looks ahead, the firm remains focused on helping clients navigate strategic complexity, strengthen their operations, and build for what’s next.

About Growth Operators®

Founded in 2010 by Rick Nordvold and Molly Hiller, Growth Operators® is an operator-led professional services and advisory firm that partners with private equity firms, their portfolio companies, and founder-led and other middle-market businesses to strengthen the operational and strategic capabilities that drive growth and long-term enterprise value. Its team of experienced executives and operators—known as “Growth Pros”—brings deep, hands-on operating expertise to help clients solve complex business challenges, scale efficiently, minimize risk, and enhance enterprise value.

Growth Operators provides expertise across Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Transaction Advisory, Strategy & Execution, Talent Intelligence, Strategic IT, and Decision Intelligence & AI. From navigating complex transactions and closing leadership gaps to optimizing financial performance, modernizing technology, and turning data into clearer decisions, Growth Operators works alongside clients to deliver practical solutions tailored to their business needs.

For more information, please visit growthoperators.com.

About North Partners™

North Partners™ is a private investment partnership co-founded in 2026 by Rick Nordvold and Molly Hiller. Together with Growth Operators’ employee Partners, North Partners is the long-term controlling owner of Growth Operators. The partnership invests in and partners with companies and leaders to support leadership development and long-term value creation. For more information, please visit northpartners7.com.