About Me
Leadership
An experienced senior executive with a high passion for people. Have held diverse roles as manager, finance manager, transformation change manager, group treasurer, CFO and CEO across different types of businesses and countries in the world. This has given me a good understanding and appreciation of the challenges and complexity of leadership, different leadership roles and leading people. It has also taught me a lot about new capabilities required to successfully fill out different types of leadership roles and how it feels to be ill-equipped for a given challenge
Cultural Understanding
Lived and worked in Argentina, UK, Venezuela, Romania and Denmark. Combined with holding regional and global roles in a global corporate, I have gained a broad understanding of different cultures and the challenges it brings in professional and personal life but also how not understanding cultural differences can cause considerable challenges in leadership and your leadership effectiveness but also how vital inclusion and diversity is for the truly successful leaders and corporates
Change and Transformation
Extensive experience in leading change and transformation. Led and orchestrated a significant business transformation as a CFO in a large (1.500+) manufacturing company in Venezuela while the country was undergoing an unprecedented crisis (massive supply shortages, hyperinflation, riots, corruption etc.). Led a cultural transformation as a CEO in a large (1.000+) service centre in Romania and have held regional and global positions with a high focus on implementing change. It has given me a solid understanding of what change triggers in people and why consciously orchestrating transformations is pivotal for a successful outcome. I have also experienced how my lack of leadership agility and understanding of transformation in my earlier days at times caused unnecessary challenges in my career
Reflection and Self-awareness
Highly self-aware and reflective person. My entire life, I have focused on developing myself and others. I have written the book "Vertical Development" around how this self-awareness and reflection - combined with qualified coaching and mentoring - has led to new and more constructive ways of leading and living my life. Improving my self-management and self-leadership gradually enabled me to achieve more outstanding results. But also how I, at times, stalled in my development and how I struggled with particular leadership challenges and overcame them
I have coached, consulted and sparred with leaders, high-potentials and teams for more than ten years before "officially" becoming an academically trained executive coach (Henley Business School) and a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), where I adhere to their code of ethics.
People Development
Today, I exclusively dedicate my time to people development. I am consciously aware of how much other people's support has played a vital role in my growth and development. Without this help, I would not be where I am today. This has made me understand how much I can play a role in other people's vertical growth and development. Not all are blessed with good managers, friends and family that challenge you as a person, that makes you reflect more around belief and world views, nor coaches and mentors you to grow - because that feels most natural for them. People development is what I genuinely burn for, and that I why I have chosen a new career path and started my own company, Hafjall Consultant, as a Catalyst for Growth with the mission:
"To accelerate the world's vertical development for the benefit of leaders, their organisations and their employees"