I first became involved with Appleby Associates as a client in 2008. At the time I had been working in the financial sector for over 13 years in senior management roles in Europe and Asia and was looking for a change in career. Working through the Appleby programme gave me the tools to review my strengths and skill set and gave me the confidence to change my career.

It also made me realise my strongest skill set was in working with people and coaching them through decisions they had to make about career or life in general.

I left banking in 2009 and joined a boutique consultancy firm focused on leadership development and change in organisations. I provided leadership coaching to Senior Directors of top-tier Financial Services companies, helping them to set and deliver business strategies and enhance their own and their organisation’s performance.

Next to my consultancy work in the financial sector I have also coached numerous individuals in different sectors such as medical sales, media and energy resources.

In 2014 I moved to the Netherlands and joined Appleby Associates where my main focus is on international clients. I am fluent in Dutch and English.

I have been developing individuals for over 25 years, either through facilitation of workshops or coaching.

I am a qualified business psychologist, Insights Discovery practitioner and trained to Level B in Psychometric testing. My work involves working with individuals, teams and organisations to enhance and improve effectiveness and competitiveness at all levels by maximising performance.

I regularly coach teams and individuals on a variety of topics and increasingly on career progression, so I was delighted when asked to join Appleby Associates as an Executive Career Consultant.

I have worked with individuals from a variety of backgrounds in the private, public and charitable sectors, and with individuals at all levels within the organisation.

Most recently my work has involved coaching individuals at senior director level, looking at how they can raise their profile by building more effective relationships and strengthen their communication skills both written and face to face to move forward with their next career move.

I really enjoy supporting individuals with their personal development and seeing the successes they achieve. I provide that extra support when life doesn’t move in the direction they had hoped and they need to refocus and remain positive to keep moving forward. To be part of an individual’s career journey is very special and I love to hear how people I have worked with have progressed into new roles, moved into new organisations and started education programmes to provide them with the skills and knowledge required to enter a whole new world of work!

I am passionate about people and their development. Over the last 10 years I have coached and developed over 150 senior executives from a range of sectors and have extensive experience and expertise in this field.

I am a qualified Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner, a member of the Association of NLPs and currently mastering the Energy Leadership model of coaching, including the relevant ICF accreditation.

Since my MBA from the London Business School in 2006, I have been coaching executives and running leadership development programmes.

In my corporate career I have managed global transformation programmes across Europe and India leading, coaching and developing managers and senior professionals giving me significant experience in Learning and Development. As a Client Director at the London Business School I pioneered the use of technology in Learning and Development for large corporations.

As a past client of Appleby Associates I have been through the Appleby process and had a great experience learning how to manage changes in my career. I work with Appleby clients both in the UK and internationally whether it is for a complete career change or simply accelerating their career growth. Building on a client’s trust and becoming a confidante, I have built long-standing relationships with many of my clients, and continue to get pleasure from helping people reach their career goals.

I have worked as a Director in executive search for the UK financial sector for almost two years. Before that I have worked in executive search for 8 years covering the Dutch financial sector and 23 years in different senior managing & commercial positions in the Dutch banking sector.

I have studied Economics in Amsterdam for three years before I started working in the Dutch financial sector. During my time as Managing Director Wholesale Banking at ING, I delivered an active contribution to talent & executive development as a mentor & coach. I have also been active as a coach & mentor for top talent with an international & diverse background in the financial sector.

My vision on Human Capital: My experience as a manager, mentor and coach in the financial sector, has convinced me of the key importance of mediating & coaching top talent for financial companies and act as a sparring partner for my clients. The business world is changing faster every day, the life cycle of products & services is becoming shorter and therefore companies need to reinvent themselves over and over again. In order for a company to do so, you need to attract, select, employ and retain agile top talent who complement each other and strengthen the company’s culture.

My vision on Modern & Successful Leadership: Regular self-analysis, by organizing regular 360 feedback (business and private), leads to better self-knowledge, self-confidence and more focus. With the purpose of continuously improving your performance & reputation as a leader and human being. This is only possible if you are willing to be vulnerable, ask open questions, listen sincerely to 360 feedback and change your behavior when needed (your capability & willingness to learn).

You must also be able to change your leadership style, to the needs of a specific company or economic situation, in order to survive as an effective & successful leader in the long term.

My career in learning & development started back in 2000 and since then I have always been passionate about people development. During this time I have worked with individuals (as a coach and mentor) helping them to reach their personal goals and aspirations. In addition I have worked with teams to improve performance and effectiveness as well as coaching aspiring new and existing managers as they progress on their leadership journey.

The ability to help individuals or teams reach new levels of personal effectiveness and fulfilment brings a level of personal satisfaction. Whilst my career has mainly been with the Financial Services sector I have worked with a range of clients from different sectors giving me a wider understanding of the dreams and challenges that people face from different areas. However, I strongly believe that the skills required to inspire and motivate people to help reach their full potential are the same whatever sector they work in.

As well as working with clients on career transition I have also designed and facilitated Talent Development programmes, facilitated leadership programmes and events, Change Management programmes and behavioural workshops.

I have the ability to engage individuals and stakeholders at all levels showing a flexible approach taking into account the needs of my client. My approach is empathetic yet open and honest to help bring the best results for the client and help them to achieve their goals and aspirations.

I first became involved with Appleby Associates as a client when, having spent 17 years in the corporate health and fitness market, I wanted to take my career in a different direction. Working through the Appleby programme confirmed my strengths lay in working one to one with individuals in a coaching and mentoring capacity.

I joined Appleby Associates as an Executive Career Consultant covering the London area and had the privilege of being mentored by Peter Appleby, the founder. In 2010 I became Managing Director when I also bought the Company.

My vision for Appleby Associates is simple – to be the best career consultancy in the UK. Therefore I constantly challenge myself to improve the product offering to professionals who expect a level of excellence.

We operate in a very competitive market; our clients have made a conscious decision to work with Appleby Associates because of our unique approach and our reputation is built on that. We don’t have sales teams for that very reason.

We are experts who have the time, knowledge and flexibility to consistently deliver exceptionally high levels of service, guidance and advice tailored to our clients’ needs and we are totally accountable to them.

Having the opportunity to become a trusted confidante is a privilege. I have built long standing relationships with many of my clients and some are now close friends.

I continue to gain immense satisfaction from working with clients both in the UK and internationally. For some the outcome will be a complete career change whilst for others it’s about driving their careers forward in order that they realise their full potential.

I provide recruiting, resourcing, career development and career transition advice and support to key decision makers and senior business leaders, typically board members and their direct reports.

My long-standing interest in issues which influence the effectiveness of individuals in organisations has enabled me to work with a wide variety of people and companies in the UK and globally.

With Masters degrees in engineering and organisational behaviour and 25 years of consulting experience, I combine intellectual rigour and pragmatic insights when helping clients to answer candidly and honestly the critical question ‘what am I trying to achieve?’

I particularly enjoy helping clients to arrive at a fuller understanding of their capabilities and a better awareness of how these can be transferred into new and different situations. This often contributes significantly to their success in competing for new roles.