Meet our Team

Dr. Lucrecia Grandolini is an organizational psychologist with 15+ years of global experience in leadership, learning, and organizational transformation. Formerly Global Head of Learning at Investec, she built leadership ecosystems, embedded purpose-driven culture, and drove strategic capability building across AI, ESG, and DEI. With roots in management consulting and clinical psychology, Lucrecia blends evidence-based psychology and business insights to help leaders and teams thrive in complexity.

Emily Ricci is a leadership development expert, consultant, and master facilitator who helps leaders grow with clarity, confidence, and purpose—both at work and in life. With 20 years of experience and leadership roles at Apple and Robinhood, Emily brings a rare blend of real-world savvy and deep expertise in adult learning, talent development, and leadership strategy. Her portfolio career bridges industries—from aerospace and finance to media and pharmaceuticals—and her impact spans emerging talent to the C-suite. As a professor of leadership development and decades-long practitioner, Emily’s brand of high-impact, compelling learning experiences that are as practical as they are transformative. Whether she’s advising executive teams, facilitating workshops, or speaking on stage, Emily is known for her engaging presence, sharp insights, and human-centered approach.

Skilled and results-driven leadership development professional with over 20 years of experience at McKinsey & Company in building and leading change both within a global learning organization in a demanding professional services environment and with clients.

Ana Karina Smith Cain helps leaders live with purpose, inner ease & heart-guided confidence. Ana Karina also guides organizations and groups through meaningful conversations that can lead to powerful shifts, fueled by Appreciative Inquiry as an operating system and sustained by the Science of the Heart, developed by the HeartMath Institute.

Dr. Minette Chan is a lifelong learning and longevity expert with a passion for empowering individuals and organizations through education, technology, and inclusive workplace practices. With a unique background that spans engineering, advanced learning sciences, and organizational leadership, she bridges the gap between technological innovation and human development. Having served as a Longevity Ambassador at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity, Minette advocates for age-diverse and future-ready workplace strategies. She brings extensive leadership experience from past executive roles such as Dean of Product College at Visa University and advisor to startups and venture initiatives in Silicon Valley. Recognized with multiple industry accolades—including the Chief Learning Officer Innovation Award and ATD’s BEST Practice Award—Minette is widely respected for her impact in learning, talent development, and change leadership. Minette’s work is grounded in academic excellence, real-world results, and a deep belief in lifelong, inclusive growth.

I am an entrepreneur with a technical and educational background, driven by a passion for using innovative technologies to elevate the performance of people and organizations.

I bring global experience working with a wide range of organizations, designing and delivering impactful leadership workshops that create meaningful and lasting change.

Patricia García Rodríguez Esq., LL.M., is a leadership development expert and lawyer with a decade of international legal experience and a passion for advancing sustainable, inclusive workplaces. She is Co-Founder of the Pathos Leadership Institute and Adjunct Professor at IE University, where she designs and facilitates learning journeys that integrate psychology, law, and systems thinking. Patricia combines her background in business and law with coaching and experiential learning to help leaders gain self-awareness, navigate complexity, and inspire change. Her work spans the private sector, the UN, and the NGO world. She is known for her warm, insightful, and transformative facilitation style.

My name is Hadewig Dokter. For more than 25 years, I’ve been devoted to the art of leadership—especially in times of change and transition. Having started my career as a manager, I’ve spent the past two decades working as a leadership coach and facilitator, guiding individuals and teams through transformation. I design my programs in close collaboration with leaders and their teams, tailoring each step to what’s truly needed in their context.

I’m known for combining warmth, energy, and creativity with a sharp practical eye and a healthy sense of humor. I work from presence, deep listening, and what I call “love in confrontation”—helping people do the work that matters, while paying attention to what is ready to shift beneath the surface.

Dr. Nick van Dam is a globally respected expert in leadership development, with over 30 years of experience in designing and facilitating impactful programs for leaders across industries and continents. He has served more than 100 global clients as an advisor, executive coach, and faculty member. Nick is widely recognized for his engaging, practical, and inspiring facilitation style. As a former Chief Learning Officer, HR Executive and Partner at top firms like Deloitte and McKinsey, he brings unparalleled insight into the intersection of business, talent, and learning.

Mattijn Ebbing is a financial expert and has more than 30 years’ experience as a financial controller, debt restructuring specialist and debt advisor. He started his career in banking and was involved and responsible for resolving debt restructuring situations at large national and international companies. As from 2014 Mattijn works as an independent consultant for both government organizations (e.g. housing associations, ministries) and commercial companies in The Netherlands as well as abroad.

Hi, I’m Laura. I design and develop leadership experiences that help leaders reconnect with purpose, shift their mindset, and lead with more clarity and humanity. I’ve spent 25+ years helping organizations to navigate complexity and change — through immersive learning, culture-building, and strategic leadership programs.

I believe the most powerful transformation happens when we combine business relevance with inner development. Whether I’m working with senior executives or frontline leaders, my focus is on building trust, insight, and the kind of behavioral change that lasts.

Dr. Alicia Paramita has very diverse origins. Her father is from Madrid and her mother Indonesian of Chinese and Korean ancestry. However, she was born and raised in Seville, Andalusia. This link with Indonesia and the memories of her childhood in Papua New Guinea awakened in her a deep interest in different cultures. For this reason, she finished a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology (Autonomous University of Barcelona), focusing her studies on the Island of Flores (Indonesia). In parallel, it was at this academic stage when yoga entered her life as she was seeking her own well-being.

Through a constant practice, she ended up discovering her passion and started giving classes in a few studios at the same time as working in other jobs. It was during COVID-19 pandemic when she decided to focus completely on yoga and give her working career a 360º turn by opening her own yoga studio in the city of Segovia, Spain. Today, she can happily say that Paramita Yoga embraces and welcomes cultural diversity in its facilities, giving space for Eastern and Western cultures to coexist, dialogue and flow in unity.

Judith Grimbergen is a passionate educator, designer, and art historian who teaches at IE University (Madrid) and in the Netherlands. She is known for her interdisciplinary approach, weaving together art, design, literature, and positive psychology to help people make life more beautiful. With a deep background in creative disciplines and academic rigor, Judith inspires both executives and master’s students to explore topics such as trend watching (for business), visual storytelling, and resilience through the lens of the arts. She is co-author of the book: ´”Ga doen wat je écht belangrijk vindt!” (Ask what Matters) and author of “De Kunst Van Jezelf Presenteren” (The Art of Presenting Yourself). Judith believes that art and design are not only forms of expression, but powerful tools for personal and professional growth.

Dr. Rens van Loon is a globally respected expert in dialogical leadership and dialogical self theory. He has over 30 years of experience in designing and facilitating impactful programs for leaders across industries and continents. He has served a great variety of Dutch and global clients as an advisor, executive coach, and faculty member. As a former Partner and Director Leadership at Deloitte, Right Management and ADC, he brings clear insights into the intersection of business, science (personality psychology), and personal & leadership development.

Åsa Björnberg is a highly sought after executive coach and family business consultant, because of her unique and progressive methods that place her firmly on the leading edge of leadership development and personal transformation. She combines deep expertise with warmth and wisdom, allowing for embodied learning that incorporates recent advances in neuroscience.

As a lecturer for London Business School’s executive education, Åsa’s trademark is her practical and affectionate style grounded in solid theory. This approach instantly connects her with the participants for an open and challenging learning atmosphere. As a former researcher at LBS and a Senior Expert at McKinsey, Åsa has had global exposure to clients from a wide range of industries and cultures. She has honed her coaching approach over the past 20 years with over 700 individuals from 60 different countries.

Cyriel Houben is a seasoned expert in Data-driven Organization, with over 30 years of experience in Data & Analytics Strategy and how to execute it successfully. He has served several major companies in different markets, both private and public, mostly as an advisor from Capgemini. Cyriel is a guest lecturer at various educational programs in the field of Data & Analytics.

Dr. Maria Kottari is a renowned expert in sustainability, climate, and energy transition. She is currently a Principal Consultant specializing in Green Economy and Innovation. Previously, she worked with the European Commission, various international organizations, and in academia, contributing to the development of sustainable policies and strategies. She actively participates in initiatives that advocate climate action, climate-resilient policies, equitable transitions, gender equality, and innovation fueled by citizens and technology.

For the last twenty years Angel Buster, MA, MSc. has acted as a bridge between organization and mental healthcare settings. From 2003 until 2017 she worked in a variety of roles as facilitator, leadership, and team consultant, including as Senior Manager Leadership Learning & Culture at Deloitte Human Capital in the Netherlands. She also remained an active faculty member of Deloitte University Europe, until 2023. Since 2016, using her background in psychology and somatic psychotherapy she has worked independently with individuals, couples, and leaders to develop more resilient capacity and vitality through principles of dialogue and embodiment.

Ghada has more than 20 years’ experience in the field of Employee Engagement through L&D. She started her career in learning from within the training room, impacting behavioral transformation in several Power Skills areas especially around Management and Leadership Skills. Ghada moved gradually into leading the learning function, building focused strategies and utilizing her understanding and passion for growth to create learning cultures where employees value and own their development. She has a very motivating and engaging communicative approach and believes the most important element of leadership role is developing people and coaching them for increased resilience and adaptability in a fast-transforming reality. Her master’s in education from the American University of Beirut and certifications are helping her build a stronger career in the realm of developing human potential. Ghada was nominated as finalist for “The Learning Performance Awards 2020” in the UK for “Learning Professional of the Year” Category. Currently she is a doctoral student at Hult International Business School completing a doctorate in Organizational Change.

Caroline Mol is a global growth strategist and workshop facilitator with 18 years of experience helping organisations scale. Originally from the Netherlands, she lived and worked in France, Guatemala, India, Italy, the Netherlands, the UAE and the USA, and currently resides in Spain. She has spent more than a decade leading fully remote teams. Caroline began her career at Deloitte in India before moving to Deloitte Consulting in the Netherlands, where she led cross-border digital-transformation programs. A brief assignment with the United Nations deepened her focus on social impact and prepared her for her next chapter at edX. As the founding head of edX EMEA, she opened new markets across Europe and Latin America and launched region-specific products and services that now contribute to a platform serving 76 million learners worldwide. A lifelong learner herself, she holds an MSc in Organisational Psychology, completed Harvard’s Program on Negotiation and the Amsterdam School of Business’s AI in Business program, and regularly sharpens her generative-AI skills through online courses. Today she consults, teaches and facilitates workshops on generative-AI adoption, expansion strategy and women’s leadership from her base in Spain; when she is not working, you’ll find her playing padel, reading (philosophy, psychology and novels), hiking Mediterranean trails or chasing after her two-year-old daughter.

Laura Rojo is a seasoned Leadership & Organizational Development professional with over 20 years of international experience spanning Executive Education, Global Management Education, Corporate Training, Higher Education and Consulting. As Executive Consultant, Facilitator, and Adjunct Professor, Laura works with global clients to unlock the potential of their talent, teams and organization through customized programs that deliver developmental and business impact. Laura´s comprehensive experience and methodologies are fueled by having worn the managerial, executive, teaching, and consulting hats – together with a diverse and robust academic and training background.

Jan Rijken is a seasoned facilitator, coach, and trusted advisor with 30+ years of global experience in corporate learning and leadership development. As a former Chief Learning Officer at leading organizations such as KPMG, Daimler, and ABN AMRO, Jan has a deep understanding of how to shape impactful L&D strategies and drive leadership excellence across industries.

Known for his candid approach, Jan openly shares both his successes and lessons learned, helping organizations navigate complex challenges with practical, research-based insights. Today, he facilitates global leadership programs and serves as a strategic sounding board for companies looking to refine their L&D strategies.

Passionate about innovation, Jan collaborates closely with clients to develop actionable solutions, including recent explorations into the transformative impact of AI on learning and talent development.

Marcella Sarno is an experienced facilitator, wellness coach, and leadership and business development expert with over two decades of international experience across Europe and the United States, and with life experience in Africa. She specializes in crafting transformative programs that integrate corporate wellness, purpose-driven leadership, business development and emotional resilience.

Known for her dynamic and human-centered facilitation style, Marcella empowers individuals and organizations through retreats, trainings, and coaching engagements that foster wellbeing, performance, and authentic connection.

She has worked with multinational organizations, guiding retreats, workshops, and coaching sessions that help leaders and teams thrive—mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Carla Szemzo is a globally recognized education leader with five nationalities and a 15-year career across the U.S., Europe and Latin America, known for becoming one of the youngest Vice Deans worldwide at IE Business School. She currently leads portfolio and digital learning innovation at Tecnológico de Monterrey. With deep expertise in business development, curriculum design, and global education strategy, she has co-founded a K-12 school model, launched a consulting firm for educational organizations, teaches at top universities, speaks at international conferences, and writes the Education & Business column for Forbes Latin America.