About Executive Connexions

Outplacement & Career Coaching Consultancy

As an outplacement & career coaching consultancy, we help you to achieve the career success you want, faster.

About Executive Connexions Outplacement

Our Mission

Personalised career coaching for senior executives.

About Executive Connexions Outplacement

Our Vision

We empower senior executives to achieve their next role faster.

About Executive Connexions Outplacement

Our Values

Why choose us?

We understand

We know that as an executive, you face unique challenges in your executive job search and as a result, your needs differ from those of other professionals. We’ll work with you to overcome any obstacles and accelerate your job search. We want you to land your best senior level role yet!

Personalised 1:1 career support

Our personable, flexible service is tailored specifically for you, ensuring you receive precisely the right career support for your individual needs and circumstances. Whether you’re seeking your next role or a complete career change, we’ll work with you to reach a personal solution that satisfies you.

Sensible fee structure

We believe there is no justification for some of the exorbitant fees charged for career coaching services. We aim to be highly cost-effective to ensure our comprehensive, fully bespoke career coaching service is accessible to all senior executives. This is an important investment for you or your company, and we believe in providing value for money, with innovative approaches to your job search. We work with those executives funding their own coaching programmes, and with those where we work as your outplacement provider.

Recruitment industry insights

Understanding recruiters can help you, big time. We help you to learn what other senior level candidates won’t: understand the perspective of senior-level recruiters, headhunters and hiring managers enabling you to build stronger candidate/recruiter relationships. Our recruitment industry knowledge derives from independent research and frequent conversations with a great many recruiters and headhunters globally over the past nineteen years. Our philosophy? ‘You’ll know what we know after working together’.

Collaborative and empowering approach

Our collaborative approach to coaching is characterised by a process of mutual inquiry and constructive reflection. What’s more, our pragmatic executive career coaching programmes will stand you in good stead for your next role and for future roles as you further progress your career. With our ‘teach a person to fish’ style you will develop job search and networking skills and strategies to last a career lifetime.

Professional network growth

We know how valuable peer connections can be; our peers have both experience and contacts to be in a position to potentially facilitate your professional development. That’s why we want to help you to grow your professional network and share strategies, tactics and insights. As a client, you will be granted access to Executive Connexions LinkedIn Group where senior executives get fresh perspectives on how to accelerate career success in today’s competitive market.

Meet the Team

Administration

Steve Nicholls

Managing Director

Chris Gendall

Non Executive Director

About Executive Connexions Outplacement

Jan Hunt

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor

Just a Few of Our Executive Career Coaching Teams

UK/EU Coaches

David Opperman

Sue Watson

JANICE TAYLOR

Ric Robinson-Horley

Monica Mundo

Dionne Lewis-Reid

Catherine Brown

Leila Denison-pender

Ruth Saville

Sabrina Bryan

Lesley Holt

Winnie Sorenson

Bruce Murphy

Sheila Coles

JANE GILL

Robert Webb

Dipal Shah

Virginia Wan (UK Based)

Tracy Shuff

SUSAN BAIRD

Sybille Schiffmann

Tracey Clay

Caitriona Farrell

Rebeca Valenca

Paula Donnan

ULRIKA MANDELL

USA/CANADA Coaches

Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill

JASMINE ESCALERA

Yennie Rautenberg-Loya

Julia Babij

Peter McStravick

Naja Christensen

Jennifer Anne Garcia

Shena Mistry

Asia Coaches

Jane Cha

Steve Man

Virginia Wan (Ex Hong Kong)

Dr. James Kwan

Karen (Chia-Hsin) Chen

Karen Gotthelf

Ken Tan

Maggie Hu 截图头像

Jerry Jiang

South Africa Coaches

Ulrike Schottler

Gwynedd Theron

Specialist Career Coaches

Jim Claussen

Social Leadership Coach

Matthew Clark

Voice Optimisation Coach

carolyn trafford

Resilience Coach

Learn How Our Team Can Help You

We invite you to explore your career plans with us

Value-led, this complimentary & confidential discussion will help you to better understand the need for this new approach in today’s recruitment market, and you’ll also get some answers to any burning questions you may have about your career and job search strategy.

Steve Nicholls, Managing Director and Executive Career Coach

As a career development coach with 20+ years of career coaching experience, Steve specialises in helping talented senior executives and managers to achieve their full potential and forge meaningful careers. He has built a highly credible reputation as the ‘go to’ career management specialist for professionals worldwide. Steve is a member of the Career Development Institute, and holds the Post Graduate Diploma in Career Guidance. He adopts a straightforward, transparent and direct approach across all business and client relationships. After a successful solo coaching career Steve launched Executive Connexions in 2014. He draws on his diverse professional experience within business, gained across a number of sectors including corporate, public and third sector environments and consultancies. Steve’s key roles include coordinating the team and managing the business. Contact directly: Email: [email protected] | Direct Tel: +44 (0) 7508018470 | Connect with me on LinkedIn

Chris Gendall, Non Executive Director

Chris is a Masters level qualified Executive Manager, a strategic thinker with exceptional management expertise who is excited by developing business. A person with a strong ethical business approach, who loves life and the rich experiences it brings. Chris is a leader and a mentor with a ‘hands on’ approach who specialises in running high performance teams and organisations that deliver. He brings HR, Operations, and Strategy experience to the Executive Connexions table, and we’re grateful to have him on board.

David Opperman, Executive Career Coach

As an experienced career consultant, David has coached clients from a variety of sectors and disciplines since the 1990’s, helping them to successfully move into new career areas. As an experienced Executive Coach, David has helped many senior business professionals discover their true potential and achieve greater career success.

Providing guidance to achieve their aspirations within a realistic timescale, David has effectively supported many ambitious business professionals to gain promotion and develop their CPD.

David began his career working as a manager for large hotel groups, an independent brewery, contract catering and country house hotels. He then spent several years in college teaching and university lecturing, delivering on a wide range of business and management qualifications which included postgraduate and masters’ level/MBA courses. As part of his role, he also enjoyed coaching graduates and post-grad MBA students in their job search, helping many to progress into new careers.

Sue Watson, Executive Career Coach

Sue is a qualified Executive Career Coach with extensive international experience across multiple industries, including financial services, telecommunications, professional services, IT, construction, retail, not-for-profit & education. She has worked closely with business leaders from diverse specialisations and cultures in the UK, Europe, Australia, the US & India for over 30 years.

Sue coaches business leaders at all levels including C-suite executives, business owners and individuals in career transition. This may include preparation for promotion; first 90 days in a new role; maximising use of social media; self-employment; interim management; consulting & NED opportunities.

Sue has extensive expertise in leadership development, change and project management. She encourages leaders to establish and develop robust stakeholder relationships and to strengthen their professional capability. Sue uses sound commercial insight to help clients to achieve their desired business outcomes.

Sue establishes a trusting & safe environment where she challenges thinking and assumptions that may limit potential. Her coaching approach balances passion, energy and creativity. By asking perceptive questions, she prompt clients to step outside of their comfort zone and uncover their true potential.

Janice Taylor

Janice is a qualified (PGDip, MSc, BSc (Hons)) career coach who has run her own business for twenty years. During this time Janice has coached and delivered workshops within British Airways, the BBC, the London School of Economics, The Learning and Skills Improvement Service, Brighton and Hove City Council, and Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.

Her last full-time employed position was within a Further Education college where she ran the Open and Distance Learning service and managed the successful opening of the College’s High Street Learning shop.

Janice has never regretted her decision to become a coach and is passionate about promoting resilience in others. She strongly values the ability of each individual to take ownership of their working lives and careers, with an acute awareness of her resilience, Janice has developed some expertise in helping people to maintain energy and focus in challenging times.

When Janice isn’t busy running her business and her home, she spends her time playing the piano and writing.

Ric Robinson-Horley, Executive Career Coach

Ric is an experienced and successful career coach, counsellor and mentor with a valuable and varied corporate background. Ric’s skill lies in helping, advising and mentoring executives who may have reached a crossroads in their career, perhaps due to restructuring or redundancy.

Ric’s sector experience includes Banking, Recruitment, Sales and Marketing and Business Development in Advertising, Real Estate, Aviation and FMCG. A start-up specialist and advisor, he has also raised finance for new businesses. He has also provided coaching support for existing companies in the UK, Hungary and Denmark.

In 2006, Ric made the decision to put his extensive experience to good use and become a career coach. He is now based in London, specialising in Career Transition and Progression and has helped many senior-level executives to find suitable positions in a multitude of sectors.

Monica Mundo, Executive Career Coach

Monica is a qualified career coach and a member of the Association of Coaching.
She is passionate about working with clients and supporting them through their career change, promotion as well as relocation. Monica is also a qualified life coach and has 10 years of cross-cultural experience in the corporate world between Italy and the UK.

Her approach is based on the latest research in career evaluation and transition. As a Licensed Firework Career Coach she breaks up the process into clearly defined milestones, which help clients to understand their strengths and their vision as well as identify their transferable skills and opportunities for their transition into new roles and sectors.

As a certified Strengths Profile practitioner, a tool built on a decade of research in positive psychology, she also supports professionals going through a career promotion. Together with her clients she works in developing self-awareness, professional confidence as well as personal resilience to empower them to realise their strengths and accomplish their goals in the new role.

Her skills as a life coach are incorporated into her career coaching, because often the path to success goes deeper than professional achievements.

Monica is a certified career coach with Firework coaching, as well as Strengths Profile practitioner and a Mental Health First Aider.

Dionne Lewis-Reid, Executive Career Coach

Since being made redundant from her role as Head of Equality and Diversity in 2009, Dionne went on to found her own training and coaching business, whose aim is to help people transform their lives and the lives of others, and empower them to be more efficient and effective both at work and in their personal lives by delivering Training and Coaching solutions on a range of subjects, including; Outplacement/ Employability, Equality and Diversity, Communications and Soft Skills.

She also runs Six Degrees of Inspiration (SDoI) a group set up to create a ‘Butterfly effect’ of inspiration where the ripples create abundance and inspire many others be grateful and acknowledge what they have!

Her clients often include Senior Leaders and Managers and staff from a wide range of sectors, corporations and organisations; Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Ministry of Defence (MOD), Housing Associations (HA’s), Local Authority (LA’s), National Health Service (NHS), Higher and Further Education Colleges (HE & FE) and OFCOM.

Catherine Brown, Executive Career Coach

Catherine Brown has varied experience including as a languages graduate, to practising barrister to EMCC-qualified coach, so has lived experience of career change which she brings to her coaching.

15 years of experience in the courtroom allows Catherine to deploy her forensic skills in her coaching, to delve beneath the surface and identify what is perhaps not being said, or any incongruity between what is being said and what has been done.

Her coaching philosophy is informed by her belief in the power and responsibility of the individual to bring about change in their professional and personal lives.

Against that background, she employs a collaborative and conversational style which allows her clients to stop and think and gives them the time and space in which they can express themselves, explore new ideas and develop their own solutions.

Leila Dension, Executive Career Coach

Leila is a Career Coach with a Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching which is accredited by the ICF (International Coaching Federation).

After originally graduating with an MSc in International Marketing, Leila spent the first part of her career in Marketing Research, providing strategic insights to large corporations. She then transitioned to the world of Recruitment, helping hundreds of candidates find their dream job across an array of sectors, from Financial Services to Tech and Advertising.

Leila has always been passionate about helping people achieve their full potential and has a sweet spot for anyone contemplating a career change.

She likes using creative techniques in her coaching when appropriate as she believes they allow to tap into our subconscious and unleash powerful insights.

She speaks French and Spanish and can also conduct sessions in those languages if need be.

Ruth Saville, Executive Career Coach

Ruth is a qualified career guidance and development coach with 13 years’ experience. A career shifter herself, Ruth previously enjoyed life as a senior international HR and OD manager in industries including manufacturing, finance and management consulting, before retraining following a family-focused career break.

Ruth is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and is trained in psychometric profiling. She works with professionals in career transition at all levels, including senior executives and entrepreneurs from multiple sectors including HE, local government, finance, hospitality, manufacturing, IT and health. She particularly enjoys supporting ‘square pegs’ in finding their ‘square hole’ and will work creatively and tenaciously to achieve positive insights and outcomes.

Empathetic, encouraging and practical, Ruth’s approach facilitates self-awareness and belief by helping clients identify values, achievement stories and transferable skills, then building their ability to research, network and self-market effectively. Key areas include interview prep and technique, first 100 days in role, and reintegration of returners to the workplace. Developing a client’s long-term career management capabilities is integral to Ruth’s practice, as is creating the space for an honest, enjoyable and productive working relationship.

Ruth is an avid arts and sports fan.

Sabrina Bryan, Executive Career Coach

Sabrina is an experienced professional with over 15 years’ experience, specialising in finance across a variety of sectors including housing, construction, and education.

She has completed CMI Level 7 coaching courses and has been successfully carrying out career and life coaching. Leadership and management development are her forte. Known for setting up and running high performance teams of varying sizes, she has never shied away from a challenge. Her coaching experience ranges across all levels of experience and seniority.

Sabrina enjoys having a balanced life and in her spare time enjoys watching sports and enjoying family life. She loves nothing more than help people to realise and achieve their goals.

Lesley Holt, Executive Career Coach

Lesley is an accredited coach and a member of the Association of Coaching with several years’ experience of coaching people through organisational, career and personal changes. She has worked in both retail and the pharmaceutical industry, holding a variety of leadership roles across several companies.  This hands-on experience meant Lesley developed a deep understanding of and curiosity about people, along with the ability to develop clear objectives. She brings these skills to her coaching, creating a supportive environment for her clients, enabling them to increase self-awareness and create clarity.

As a senior leader in a corporate role Lesley has personal experience of career transition. This along with her ability to engage with people from all walks of life allows her to easily establish trust and guide her clients towards a positive future.

Lesley’s clients say she radiates calm, is highly supportive yet challenging and helps them look deeper into themselves thus enabling them to create greater clarity.

Winnie Sorenson,
Executive Career Coach

Winnie is an experienced executive, career and transformation coach, NLP practitioner, DISC practitioner and ‘Time to Think’ coach and facilitator. She spent over 30 years working within the maritime industry around the world before becoming a coach in 2013 supporting individuals and companies through change and transformation.Winnie provides an environment where you can think safely for yourself and assists by igniting your mind to produce new and transformative ideas. She believes in utilising and harvesting existing skills, empowering clients to uncover options and values to enable them to make confident choices. She promotes independent thinking across all her work.

Using her extensive experience in management, HR and cross-cultural settings Winnie works with individuals as well as the commercial and public sectors. She has built an impressive track record demonstrating her capability to help develop change and transformation in organisations and individuals. Winnie is encouraging, enthusiastic, and hopefully inspirational!

Bruce Murphy, Executive Career Coach

With a broad and varied HR career, Bruce has worked in 25 countries including 16 years on a range of expatriate assignments in Dubai, Oman and Nigeria. His career includes periods with GEC, Nestle, Nissan, Inchcape, Emirates National Oil Company and more recently he was Head of a Talent Development for Aggreko Plc. He has operated both as an internal and external coach and is passionate in looking to support people in career transitions and career path development.

He trained as a coach with Ashridge Business School over 10 years ago and supported the Ashridge Leadership Programme in the UAE in a coaching capacity. He is a licensed career coach with Career Counselling Services and is a Member of the Association for Coaching. Bruce holds an MSc in Training and HRD.

Sheila Cole, Executive Career Coach

Sheila has rich experience as a professional career coach and psychologist. She takes a relational, client-centred approach to supporting career transition: facilitating the development of career management skills that are attuned to clients’ wider life contexts and fit for purpose for use in both the here-and-now and the future.
Combining leadership experience with her own career change, Sheila has an MSc in Career Management & Counselling, British Psychological Society membership and psychometric testing qualifications.
She is fascinated by how people navigate the world of work: enjoying working with clients to overcome external and internal challenges to effective presentation of their professionalism. Sheila’s particular career coaching interests include: the effective use of social media, and enhancing personal resilience, self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

Jane Gill, Executive Career Coach

Jane is an experienced career coach with over 25 years’ experience both within organisations and in career coaching. As a HR Director on the Board of several large corporate organisations she had responsibility for search and selection strategy and implementation. This has enabled her to have valuable insight as to what it takes to get the role – both in preparation and at interview.

Her HR Director roles have also meant that she has shaped company strategy and delivered significant business change through building leadership capability. Jane has worked in Europe and the US. Jane has also used her experience to be the Chair of a well know charity.

Jane is a qualified coach with the international Coaching Federation She is a qualified as an MBTI practitioner and is a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Development.

Jane is passionate about enabling coaching clients to maximise their strengths and potential to gain career and life fulfilment.

Robert Webb, Executive Career Coach

Robert inspires his clients to achieve their self-potential and help them fulfil their career goals most efficiently and effectively. He is a highly experienced Career Coach, MBTI Assessor, NLP Practitioner and MBA qualified.

Robert strives to support his clients, taking them from a position of ‘forced change’ into one of ‘opportunity’ in their career and helps to release fears, increase self-confidence and open new doors. He considers integrity, trust, professionalism and honesty as key values to the foundation of his results-driven coaching.

He has a highly successful business track record having worked in the corporate international business community for more than 30 years with global high technology brands. He has undertaken key management roles in business development and marketing.

Dipal Shah, Executive Career Coach

I worked in the Investment Banking world for 15 years and then decided after having children to become a coach, helping women return to the workplace with confidence and self-worth. I want women to succeed with their careers, and not feel guilty being away from family. Being a working mum and juggling so many balls is definitely a challenge, and my aim is to help clients be more resilient and see these challenges as opportunities, as well as enjoy what they do.

Life can be hectic, and it’s easy to lose sight of where your career is going and where it could go, and therefore believe that self development is important in these times. I enjoy seeing clients grow in confidence, and their self esteem, and lowering the expectations of themselves. I am also an ICF accredited coach.

Virginia Wan, Executive Career Coach

Virginia’s 25-year career has been devoted to corporate talent management, helping graduates and executives in multi-national companies with their needs of pivoting careers and lives. She has studied in Canada and France, holds a degree from ENSAM and has lived and worked in the US and major cities in Asia.

She is a certified NLP Master Practitioner, Ericksonian Hypnosis, and a Christopher Howard Master Results Coach. She has also practiced many years of mindfulness and is passionate in developing mental health and wellness; boosting creativity, decision-making and emotional well-being that are well reflected in the executive’s performance and results.

Virginia’s expertise is helping executives through their career challenges at different life stages, during corporate changes in management or redundancy, covering sectors of retail and service, sourcing and manufacturing, finance and consulting, technology and technical products.

She conducts coaching and training programmes in English, Cantonese and Mandarin and speaks fluent French.

Tracy Shuff, Executive Career Coach

I was in Interim Management recruitment until 2011 when I realised I was no longer getting the same buzz from it.  I spoke with a career coach and decided to completely change direction and become a coach myself.

I did a couple of Post Graduate Certificates in Executive and Team Coaching and launched myself as a Career and Executive Coach.  I have been coaching for over 11 years now and I absolutely love it.

My executive coaching skills enable me to help clients explore more deeply their career values and aims and my 20 years in interim and executive recruitment means I understand the executive job market, and all other options including self-employment, consultancy etc.

Susan Baird, Executive Career Coach

​Susan is a qualified Executive Coach (ILM Level 7, PG Dip, MA Hons) and member of the Association of Coaching. She has a successful track record in helping leaders, business owners and executives unlock their potential through 1:1 coaching. Susan is also a Chartered member of the CIPD with over 23 years of working in Human Resources and is qualified in Occupational Testing and Personality Profiling.

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Susan has worked across a variety of industries in the public and private sectors including the health service, oil and gas, retail, legal, charities and financial services and with individuals based throughout the UK, Europe, the USA, and Asia. She tailors her coaching methodologies to align with the unique needs and goals of each client.

Susan’s approach is client-focused, quickly establishing an open and trusting coaching relationship to foster self-belief and motivation. She asks insightful questions to allow clients to set their goals, break through barriers and achieve success. Supportive yet challenging, Susan ensures her clients achieve their outcomes by providing encouragement and accountability throughout the coaching process.

Sybille Schiffmann, Executive Career Coach

I have over 20 years’ experience working with executives and senior leaders from a range of sectors. Formerly, I have worked as a senior leader myself involved in training and higher education and over the last 13 years I have been actively involved in 121 and team coaching engagements, that largely complement professional leadership development programmes that I have designed. I have therefore supported executives in their career and role transitions, plus providing coaching support for a host of other ‘change’ agendas that they bring.

I am qualified as an NLP coach. My coaching approach is creative and action-oriented, supporting clients to explore and effectively progress their career and life goals. This involves adopting strengths-based approaches to draw out clients’ talents, resources and motivations and enable them to develop their unique ‘brand’. Finally, in line with my leadership doctoral research, I also draw on a range of research informed coaching methods and approaches to support individuals in their coaching ambitions, in line with their values and purpose.

Tracey Clay, Executive Career Coach

Tracey’s own career journey has been shaped by her understanding of the importance of ‘Pivotal Moments’ in life and work.

After two decades of success in recruiting a wide range of hires, including senior levels across various industries and sectors, Tracey founded Pivotal Recruit & Coaching in 2019. With a passion for developing people, she has coached and mentored a wide range of professionals at all levels including senior management and executives. A qualified Coach, Recruitment and Talent professional Tracey’s unique skillset and style helps support individuals and businesses in their ‘Pivotal Moments’ and beyond, providing solutions with one common factor – ‘People’.

Caitriona Farrell, Executive Career Coach

Caitríona qualified as a coach with Coaching Development Ireland, an
ICF (International Coaching Federation) accredited programme in 2021. She was winner of ICF Ireland’s Rising Star Coach of the Year in 2023.

Caitríona has previously worked as a Recruitment Consultant with
Ireland’s leading recruitment company, Cpl. She has been a Careers Consultant with University College Dublin. She herself has navigated career change from previously being a Chemical & Bioprocess Engineer.

Along with her passion for people is her love for languages. Caitríona speaks French, Portuguese along with some Spanish and Irish. She is curious about the language we speak to ourselves with, and that which we communicate with others. Caitríona can be found drafting CVs, LinkedIn Profiles, Applications, Cover Letters, GitHub Profiles, Bios, Personal Statements and other Personal and Professional Branding with her clients to working on verbal and body communication in Networking, Interview Preparation and Offer Negotiation. She helps her coachees build confidence and have executive presence. She coaches graduates to mid-management to CEOs moving roles or re-entering the world of work.
She uses the psychological schools of Transactional Analysis, NLP and
Positive Intelligence in her work.

Caitríona has lived in France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Brazil with shorter periods of time spent in the UK, Spain, Germany and onboard an NGO Japanese cruise ship. She has been to 48 countries and coached clients from more nationalities than the countries she has visited. She believes life and our career is a wonderful journey and knowing what we want on a deep level and with the right tools, we have control in how we navigate our career and life.

Rebeca Valenca, Executive Career Coach

Experienced in recruitment, training, leadership development, and outplacement, dedicated to advancing executive’s careers. Founded TalentFactory.coach to scale digital coaching for C-suite professionals in career transitions, helping top management redefine career paths with clarity and purpose.

As a performance coach, trained over 1,200 senior leaders in career
advancement strategies, interview preparation and negotiation equipping them with essential tools for success. Supported board members in application processes and established partnerships with venture builders and private equity recruitment firms.

Seasoned in event planning, collaborating with industry leaders to promote early adoption of emerging technologies like AI, Web3 and Blockchain, aiming at driving corporate buy-in. Delivered workshops on personal branding for founders and CEOs to enhance digital presence (top voice) on Linkedin.

Paula Donnan, Executive Career Coach

I am a dedicated career coach and mentor with over 10 years of
experience helping individuals navigate their career paths and achieve their professional goals. My journey into career coaching began through working on employability programs, where I was fortunate to mentor individuals at different stages of their careers and deliver targeted employability training. It was in this role that I discovered my passion for guiding others in finding meaningful work, developing their skills, and building confidence in their professional lives. In 2023, I decided to take a bold step forward by founding my own career coaching business, Donnan Coaching Services, where I now support professional job seekers and career changers across various industries. My approach is rooted in a combination of practical guidance and mindset coaching, helping my clients not only find new career opportunities but also thrive with confidence and purpose in their work. Today, I am pleased to be part of Executive Connexions, joining a community dedicated to developing leadership growth and career success.

Ulrika Mandell, Executive Career Coach

Ulrika is a creative and dedicated Career Coach with over 20 years of
experience helping individuals navigate their career paths and achieve their professional goals.

Ulrika started her company in the fall of 2004 because she saw a great need from people she met to get help with life- and career planning. She met a lot of people who felt that they wanted a change but they did not really know what kind of change. It surprised her that so many people felt unhappy with their ives or in their jobs. That was the spark. The spark that ignited her passion and gave her the courage to start her own business.

Ulrika has an exam in Behavioral Science with expertise in coaching, work environment and leadership. For the past twenty-five years, she has worked in Human Resources with a focus on wellbeing, career guidance and development of both companies and individuals.

In her work as a leader and a recruiter, she has seen many examples where people feel that they are not in the right place, and therefore they do not feel great. She feels that it is truly unnecessary, when there are fairly simple tools to use to end up in the right place.

Today, She is pleased to be part of Executive Connexions, joining a community dedicated to developing leadership growth and career success.

Nii Ato, Executive Career Coach

Nii Ato is a New York based career coach with master’s level training in mental health counselling, allowing him to provide a holistic approach to his work with you. He spent 5+ years as the Sr. Career Advisor at Ivy Exec, an online professional development platform, where he provided job search, resume, and career guidance to 5,000+ global clients spanning mid-career professionals up to C-suite executives — across industries.

Nii Ato earned his BA in Psychology from Hamilton College and MA & Ed.M. degrees in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. His early career includes roles as an HR Analyst at Merrill Lynch and an Associate Recruiter in executive search at Isaacson, Miller.

Nii Ato was born in London, raised in NYC, finished high school in Accra, Ghana, and spent a full year studying abroad in Paris, affording a high level of cross-cultural understanding. He is a husband, and a father to a wonderful 8-year old girl.

Jasmine Escalera, Executive Career Coach

Jasmine Escalera is a New York based certified career and life coach with over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, recruiting, and staffing. She has spent years providing professional development and leadership coaching to companies and clients across the globe. Jasmine has worked with clients within a range of industries and experience levels.
Jasmine earned her BS in Biochemistry from Pace University and PhD in Pharmacology from Yale. She is an experienced executive level Program and Operations Director with a passion for designing research programs that increase the quality of life and healthcare options for underserved populations.
Jasmine was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and in her free time loves to travel the world and learn about new cultures and people. She is a mom to a puppy named Cody who keeps her remarkably busy when she is not working.

Yennie Rautenberg-Loya, Executive Career Coach

Yennie Rautenberg-Loya is a bilingual (Spanish/English) and multicultural ICF-certified and EQ-certified leadership coach with 25+ years of global experience in corporate and executive communications, and 10+ years delivering life and executive coaching and training programs to hundreds of people.

She has championed, participated and served as an ally of multiple inclusion and diversity initiatives, and collaborated with teams in 25+ countries. Yennie designs customized programs in the areas of leadership, resilience, communication, inclusion and diversity, emotional intelligence, career advancement, and career/life transitions (relocation, job termination and retirement). She enables teams and individuals to build inclusive, productive and collaborative work environments where everyone experiences a sense of belonging, is empowered to participate and has equal opportunity to thrive.

She is honored to coach one-on-one multiple clients from diverse backgrounds, senior executives, mid-career professionals and entrepreneurs.

Julia Babij, Executive Career Coach

Julia M. Babij, M.S., CPCC is located in Northeastern United States.  A passionate advocate of educating individuals to their highest potential, Ms. Babij has parlayed a successful 20+ year career rooted in counseling to expand to corporate training, talent development, mentorship, and career coaching.  Bringing a unique perspective of discovering what makes a person who they are and how they apply it to their role at any stage of life helps Ms. Babij work with her clients to find their ‘fit’. She lives by three words: yes, you, and can. She works to impart that feeling to anyone with which she crosses paths. Because yes, you can!

Peter McStravick, Executive Career Coach

For almost 15 years, Peter has worked at the forefront of the talent industry as a retained executive recruiter and career consultant. In his career as a recruiter, Peter has worked with hundreds of executives from across a multitude of industries looking to take the next step in their careers. In particular, Peter enjoys working with executives in transition who seek out his expertise in career planning, networking, interview preparation and offer negotiation.

Prior to his work in career management, Peter was an analyst for a global market research firm where he studied and reported on issues impacting talent management and learning services. Earlier in his career Peter held roles in learning and development.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts from Ryerson University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto, as well as a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa.

Born and raised in Canada, Peter is an aviation enthusiast and a member of the Massachusetts Civil Air Patrol. Peter volunteers in his community as a baseball coach and on local board initiatives. Peter lives outside Boston with his wife and four children and enjoys coaching, running, and listening to a good podcast.

Naja Christensen, Executive Career Coach

Naja Christensen is a highly experienced executive career coach with a track record of guiding clients through successful career transitions. With extensive experience as a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry, a change management consultant, an entrepreneur, and a non-profit leader, Naja has developed a deep understanding of the challenges executives face in today’s dynamic business environment.

Certified as an executive coach from New York University (NYU) and a career coach from GetFive, Naja also holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Copenhagen Business Schools. Currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Executive Coaching and Organizational Coaching from NYU, she is committed to ongoing professional development.

Outside of coaching, Naja enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, including her Australian husband, two teenage kids, and their Goldendoodle puppy, Merlin. Living in New York, she also loves taking advantage of the city’s cultural opportunities.

Debbie Benami-Rahm, Executive Career Coach

Debbie Benami-Rahm, M.S., is a highly skilled, nationally renowned Career Expert who has 25+ years of Human Resources and Talent Acquisition ex-perience in 11 industries, including 10+ years in Entertainment/Media.

Most recently she held the Executive role of Vice President, People & Cul-ture at Entertainment 360, one of the most renowned Talent & Literary Man-agement and Production companies in Hollywood.

Prior Entertainment/Media Industry experience includes Talent Acquisition roles at Paramount Pictures, Viacom CBS, Nickelodeon, BET, Showtime, Paramount+, Warner Bros. and Activision Blizzard.

Her targeted professional strengths include Executive Career Coaching and Career Transition Counselling and building internal diverse talent pipelines. She is an expert in formulating career strategies using her post graduate counselling skills to smoothly guide executives through career transitions. Debbie has been on both sides of the HR Desk from start-ups to Fortune 300 companies.

Debbie holds a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology and a minor in Education from Clark University, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Debbie currently lives in Los Angeles, California and enjoys time with her growing family, hiking, Pilates, outdoor adventures and avidly devours a diverse selection of TV and Film.

Jennifer Anne Garcia, Executive Career Coach

Jennifer Anne Garcia is an Executive Career Coach, small business owner, writer, and the author of “Best Resume Recipe.” For years, Jennifer has helped job seekers across various industries move into new career paths, realize their own professional confidence, and improve their quality of life. Jennifer is originally from Arizona where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication with Honors from Arizona State University.

Now, Jennifer is living out her dream job while helping others find theirs! She specializes in career transition to help talented professionals across various industries make meaningful and lasting career change. Jennifer believes in the power of authentic storytelling—even in the resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and job interview.

As a veteran spouse, Jennifer is passionate about helping military veterans transfer leadership skills to the civilian workforce. Jennifer currently lives in Central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two cats. For fun, she enjoys practicing yoga, appreciating nature, singing karaoke, and baking healthy yet tasty treats.

Shena Mistry, Executive Career Coach

 
Shena Mistry is a certified professional coach specializing in personalized coaching for professional growth. With a background in recruitment, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship, Shena has supported individuals across various industries – particularly mid-career professionals and executives – in achieving success in leadership development, career advancement and transitions, overcoming limiting beliefs, and enhancing
performance. She is committed to empowering her clients to navigate their careers with clarity and confidence.
 
Shena holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK and a Bachelor of Arts Honours from Queen’s University in Canada. She is also dedicated to shaping future leaders through mentorship programs for students and recent graduates worldwide.

Jane Cha, Executive Career Coach, Singapore

Jane coaches leaders and individuals to discover their personal values, unique strengths and talents so that they can progress in their careers with purpose and confidence towards a positive future.

Having worked in global multi-national corporations for more than 25 years as HR professional and the recent ten years in regional leadership role, Jane has hands-on experience in talent management, hiring and selection, and developing career management solutions and workplace effectiveness skills.

Jane’s areas of expertise include helping clients to develop greater self-awareness and professional confidence, personal resilience and branding. She uses strengths-based approach to empower jobseekers to identify and achieve their goals. Jane is passionate about supporting career changers to identify transferable skills and articulate their values as they transition into new roles and industries.

Jane is an NCDA-credentialed Global Career Development Facilitator, ICF-credentialed Professional Certified Coach and a certified Knowdell Career Advisor. Jane is a career transition coach, in addition to her leadership work with leaders from Fortune 500 companies. Jane is also an Associate Trainer training leaders in the labor movement on personal effectiveness and leadership skills.

Steve Man, Executive Career Coach, Hong Kong

With over 30 years as inhouse and external human resources practitioner, Steve has extensive experience working with both public and private organizations, including multinational corporate and large organization covering various industries. Steve held executive positions including Department Head (for over 30 staff) and Senior Management Team.

Due to his rich experience in corporate human resources management and interest in coaching, Steve intended to develop a second career as a professional career coach who can inspire others to create positive change in their professional lives.

Knowing well the importance of formal coaching experience and qualifications, Steve has successfully completed the Professional Corporate Coach Certification Program (PCCCP) Professional Level – Module I & II by Institute of Innovative Corporate Coaching, Progress-U in early 2014, and successfully attained the professional qualification as RCC (WABC) in December 2014.

Steve is specialized in coaching at all management levels, professionals and teams. Most of his coaching experience concerning careers (mid-life career transition etc.). By adopting various coaching skills, Steve would like to draw upon the people’s greatest, authentic abilities to significantly impact their careers.

Dr. James Kwan, Executive Career Coach

An accountant by training, and consultant/trainer in practice, James has worked in finance,
manufacturing, higher education, hotel and property development industries for more than 20 years. He is a Certified Executive Coach, Certified Team Coach, Professional Career Coach, and
Certified Solution Focused Coach. He provides career coaching and life coaching for
undergraduates, postgraduates and mid-career professionals seeking career changes or facing career transition.

His coaching style is engaging, transformational, goal oriented and solutions focused. He builds trust and good rapport with his clients within a short time frame as he truly cares and being sincere in supporting them, listen with an open mind, demonstrate empathy, and maintain high confidentiality. His clients appreciate his intuitive, practical but customized approach, sincere and insightful feedback, and holistic perspective.

James holds a PhD in Accounting and Finance from University of Western Australia, and five
master degrees in business administration, digital education, investment and finance, business and higher education research. He is a fellow member of several accountancy bodies in Singapore, Australia and UK.

Karen (Chia-Hsin) Chen, Executive Career Coach

Ms. Karen (Chia-Hsin) Chen has over 15 years of extensive experience in HR across Asia Pacific Region and Japan. Her expertise includes culture & organization development, target selection, leadership development and coaching.

In addition to HR experiences, Karen also has successful business experiences in sales and marketing. Her commercial experiences benefit her providing practical HR solution and earn the trust and long-term partnership with the clients. Her services include Taiwan, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

In addition to help customer growth and success, Karen continues sharpen her coaching skills by receiving International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Global Gallup Strengths Coach certification. Coaching is a very customized service, and she takes enough time to gain trust and clarification and move toward the goal with the clients. She is a bilingual authentic and blended coach. Her coaching services covers Asia, US and Europe.

Karen Gotthelf, Executive Career Coach

Karen’s coaching approach is personalised, goal-focused and collaborative. She is distinguished by the natural rapport, trust and alliance she establishes with a diversity of clients, including emerging leaders, mid-career professionals, executives and entrepreneurs. She draws upon research from applied neuroscience, developmental psychology as well as cognitive-behavioural, solution focussed and strength based models to inform coaching conversations, aimed at cultivating clients’:

  •  reflection and insight,
  • self and other awareness,
  • clarity in thinking and
  • sense of agency to make adaptive behavioural changes.

Ken Tan, Executive Career Coach, Singapore

Armed with more than a decade of experience in the specialized field of career development, Ken has successfully coached leaders and individuals across Asia and Europe in discovering their values, and innate KSAs (knowledge, strengths, abilities) for better-informed decision making. He is known for using a person-centered, strength-based and trait-oriented approach.

Ken is a NCDA-credentialed Certified Career Services Practitioner (CCSP) and a certified Knowdell Career Advisor. He shares valuable insights with HR Managers on employee engagement – given his time as a Lead Advisor for Employee Experience, Asia.

He was also appointed as a former Council Member for CDAS – Career Development Association of Singapore and currently a member for CDI UK, CDAA and APCDA. His articles on career development solutions, employability and workplace management are featured in newsletters. Ken is asked to speak on topics relating to career planning and models used for best-in-class talent development practices within organizations and institutions in SE Asia.

Maggie Hu 截图头像, Executive Career Coach

Having worked in global multi-national corporations for nearly 30 years as a HR professional, Maggie now works as consultant specialized in Change Management Leadership. Maggie has rich experience in organizational development of talent management, culture change and workplace strategy.

Maggie coach clients on evoking self-awareness, cultivating leadership presence and building up personal impact by engaging individual key stakeholder’s networks. Maggie is passionate about individual inward looking and assists clients adopting inside-out strategy to frame and develop their individual career ladders from a long-term perspective.

Maggie is ICF-credentialled Professional Certified Coach, IAOL (International Association of Organization Leadership) certified Organzaiton and Leadership Expert, and as an Image Dialog Facilitator, Maggie is enthusiastic to leveraging the powerful image cards for many coaching sessions when the clients are more visual based in terms of information capture and interpretation.

In 2020, Maggie worked with other executive coaches and published the first Chinese executive coaching book “Creating Excellence” that was endorsed by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, who is one of the most senior executive coaches globally.

Jerry Jiang, Executive Career Coach

Jerry is a differentiated ICFcredentialed Professional Certified Coach with strong business operation background and National Psychological Counsellor certified. In his coaching Jerry leverages his vast experience of working in various industries such as in High Tech, Manufacturing, Internet of Things, Semiconductor etc.

Since 2014 Jerry has been working as an executive coach, career and leadership coach and work with you to effectively develop and implement a solid career strategy and successfully migrate to the new roles.

Meanwhile through coaching to help you improve your self-leadership, leading team as well as lead the organization. Jerry works with executives and managers to effectively manage priorities and deadlines, achieve optimal work/life balance, manage their stress level and that of their teams, communicate and build stronger relationships with bosses, peers and direct reports, level-up their emotional intelligence, strengthen their executive presence, and illuminate “blind spots” in their behaviour affecting their impact and advancement to both individual, team and organization.

Prior to becoming a professional coach Jerry spend over 20 years in sales & marketing and business operations in various multinational companies including Renesas, Philips and ThermoFisher.

Jerry cares about respect, sincerity, intimacy, results and driving objectives. He brings strong coaching skills and essential eastern culture together, making his coaching more influential and deep into clients’ heart and mind with the goal of mindset and behaviour transformation. Also pay attention to people whole level, systemic dynamics in organization, stakeholder influences, vertical leadership development and feedback.

Ulrike Schottler, Executive Career Coach

Ulrike is a Career- and Leadership Coach and a certified Life Coach accredited by the ICF (International Coaching Federation). She started her professional Career & Personal Development Business in 2008, and has extensive experience in Leadership- and Team Development. In 2020 Ulrike was part of a Leadership-Development Assessment Project in Hamburg, Germany, for an International Company.

Ulrike supports her clients to identify their career purpose and fulfillment and to live an inspired life and career. This includes career challenges and development, personal development, and improved performance. She uses her leadership experiences and knowledge to guide newly appointed Managers/ Leaders and Executives to make their transition a success. She facilitates trainings and workshops to enhance Team- and Leadership effectiveness.

Creating a “Thinking Environment” which is safe and encouraging for her clients to move out of their comfort zone and thus identifying their own solutions, abilities, and potential. It is most important for Ulrike that her clients develop self-awareness, finding their own “blind spots” which hinder them to move forward in their career and life. Ulrike finds it very rewarding and fulfilling supporting people to be their best!

Gwynedd Theron, Executive Career Coach

Gwynedd is a seasoned coach and consultant with over a decade of experience in executive, career management, and life coaching. Transitioning her career in 2011, she brings expertise from diverse sectors such as marketing, education, and information technology. Before her independent coaching journey, she spent 21 years in roles spanning human resources, client services, operations, and training across various industries.

Her extensive background enables a holistic approach to coaching, catering to clients across industries and hierarchies, from C-Suite executives to individual contributors. Specializing in personal branding, she assists clients in articulating their brand across multiple platforms and excels in guiding them through career transitions.

She incorporates her HR knowledge into coaching, offering deeper insights into workplace systems, enabling clients to make considered decisions and take appropriate actions along their career paths. Passionate about helping clients rediscover, reorient, realign, or reposition themselves in the workplace, Gwyn values the opportunity to assist outplacement clients in regaining a foothold in the marketplace.

She possesses certifications in Training & Development Management (UCT) and Master Career Management Coach Certifications from international collaborations, complementing her academic background, which includes a BA in Drama & English Literature from Stellenbosch University and an Integral Coach (ACC) qualification from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Business (GSB).

Jim Claussen, Social Leadership Coach

Jim is an experience Social Leadership Coach, helping leaders and organizations transform how they engage, hire and collaborate in an increasingly connected business environment. Jim’s expertise spans social leadership practices, social business solutions and talent management technologies.
As the Founder of the Executive Social Academy and Co-Host of the #SocialLeader Chat, Jim focuses on helping leaders amplify their impact, lead with greater influence and provide value in today’s digital age of business. He is an active speaker, podcaster and thought leadership author.

With Executive Connections Jim is passionate about helping executive leaders stand out, amplify their voice, engage a network of influencers and activate digital serendipity to Be Found, be hired and make a bigger impact.

Matthew Clark, Voice Optimisation and Presentation Coach

Matthew coaches on presentation techniques and improving the sound of the voice for business purposes. He will help you to perform at your best in the executive job interview.
Matthew has more than twenty years’ experience in the wonderful world of the media. He started out in 1988 at a small recording company in South London where he worked as a sound engineer. He moved on to business affairs at EMI Records (UK) Ltd head office in the West End – where he bumped into stars of the day (Simon Le Bon, Jesus Jones, Blur etc…), before retraining at Falmouth School of Art and getting a job as a journalist at Radio Mercury in Sussex.

Matthew has spent 20 years in radio, with a short venture for a few years into PR. In 2010, Matthew branched out with his own business, launching KernowPods – Video Production and Media Services. Pulling on his journalism, radio and marketing skills, he also runs crisis communications training sessions.

Carolyn Trafford, Executive Career Coach

An experienced career and confidence coach, Carolyn has spent over 20 years working within financial services, gaining almost 10 years experience in personal development and coaching before starting out as a professional coach in 2010.

Carolyn has studied personal and business coaching at post graduate level and is passionate about supporting others through difficult times of career change and helping them develop confidence and the ability to stretch their comfort zone.

A skilled networker herself, she understands the value of using existing contacts to develop new key relationships, valuable to clients building businesses or seeking executive roles.

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