Coaching for Diversity and Belonging

I am an economist by education. I entered SEAT in 1992 and, since then, I have developed my professional career in the Volkswagen Group gaining a 360 vision of the sector.

Now, building upon my acquired knowledge, I see and ensure that we together identify the array of possibilities that we can apply to transform the industry for the sake of our society to become a better and sustainable place. I also recognize how people are feeling and encourage others to do the same -seeking to understand and integrate multiple points of view.

Born in Bilbao, my inquisitive and curious spirit lead me to live in Germany and work for the US, gaining extensive experience in international and multicultural circles. I speak Spanish (native language), German (bilingual) and English (advanced level).

Holding a degree in Business and Economics from the University of the Basque Country, and furthered by an MBA from ICADE and a PDD from IESE. I have spent 27 years at Grupo Santander, focusing on Human Resources for 22 of those years. My career, to a greater or lesser extent, has always intertwined with efforts in Diversity and Inclusion. This has led to my current roles as Global Head of DE&I (for 2 years now) and, as of January 2024, also in charge of Corporate Volunteering. As a certified Ontological Coach through Newfield Consulting, I am deeply invested in developing and supporting dynamic teams. My experience and passion have enhanced my ability to navigate and lead in diverse cultural settings, advocating for inclusive practices and equitable opportunities across the organization

Achie Ojany-Alai is an enterprising public sector leader, accomplished international conference Speaker and Moderator, and executive & corporate coach.

She is a former County Minister in Kisumu of Tourism, Culture and Sports (2017 -2022), moderated ministerial sessions in the World Urban Forum (Poland 2022) and was the Chief Moderator at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Kingston (Jamaica 2023). She was a keynote speaker and conference moderator at the International African Women’s Leadership Conference in Dubai (2022 & 2023).

She has an extensive private sector experience, serving as Vice President of IWC in The Hague, Global Account Director at the McCann Erickson and the Leo Burnett Advertising Agencies and Product Design Manager at Gillette PLC.

She holds an MBA in Advanced Marketing from Kingston University in London, a BA in Economics from the University of Nairobi and post-graduate diplomas in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) & Executive Coaching. Achie has just completed a Women in Leadership programme at the Said business school at Oxford University, is a Certified Professional Mediator, and is a Board Member at KCA University.

Having been an expatriate over the last 2 decades, Achie currently lives in Cairo, Egypt. Her great passion is getting public and private sector professionals as well as university students across Africa to speak well. The How, to Speak Well drives Achie to moderate, speak and curate local and international conferences, summits and expos.

Maria is leading the Dignity, Diversity and Belonging Office at IESE Business School.

She is an executive with 30 years of experience in business development and project management in the executive education industry and in consultancy.

With a background as Agriculture Engineer, she started her professional life at Andersen Consulting in the Financial Services Industry reaching Managing Director responsibilities. She joined IESE two decades ago to serve as Director of the Alumni Association and later as Executive Director of the Global Executive MBA Program. She was then responsible for IESE Industry Meetings, gathering academic and business experts in strategic sectors around conferences, summits, and publications.

Maria has combined her work at IESE with other responsibilities in Institutions related to Advancement, like CASE, where she served in the Board of trustees; and in initiatives related to Women Entrepreneurs, like the IWEC Initiative, which she has supported from its foundation and currently serving at the Board; the Women-in-Business Committee of the AmCham – Spain; and the “Women Angels for Entrepreneurs” group at IESE.

Dr. Monique Valcour is an executive coach and leadership development expert who creates transformative coaching and learning experiences that activate performance and vitality. Her expertise is built on 25 years of experience designing and delivering executive education, combined with rigorous coach training, certification, and high-level coaching experience in multiple countries and industries.

Monique holds PhD and MSc degrees from Cornell University, an MEd from Harvard University, and a BA from Brown University. She has served as a professor of management on the faculties of EDHEC Business School (France) and Boston College (US). She is a frequent external speaker and workshop leader renowned for her design and facilitation of interactive learning experiences that captivate attendees and make valuable use of their time and attention.

Monique is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review on topics including leadership, coaching, learning and development, careers, employee engagement, and well-being. Her digital articles are available at http://hbr.org/search/Valcour/0. Follow her on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquevalcour or contact her via her website, www.moniquevalcour.com.

Aline is a Global Executive Coach and Reputation Advisor with 20+ years of experience in brand, communication and executive coaching. She specializes in helping C-level and high-potential executives gain lasting influence and impact through her unique leadership coaching model. Aline has collaborated with global brands and leaders across Europe, Asia, The Caribbean and North America, including Deloitte, ING, WSP, Novo Nordisk, Siemens, The Government of Ontario and TD Group Bank. She coaches communication at IESE Business School, teaches leadership at HSU/UTCC in Bangkok and Barcelona and conducts workshops for senior leadership teams. Certified by the ICF in co-active, positive intelligence, and neuroscience coaching, Aline is based in Barcelona, Spain.

Lars started his management consulting career with Arthur D. Little in the Strategy practice group, where he specialized in technology companies. In 2004 Lars joined Egon Zehnder International, where he led executive search, board consulting, and leadership development projects on a worldwide basis. During that time, Lars joined the Board of FehrAdvice & Partners, a leading behavioral economics consulting group in Zurich. In 2012, he founded his own company—MAYDELL Advice—as a career coach executive sparring partner and has since accompanied more than 500 senior executives. Since 2015 Lars is a member of the IESE Executive Coaching team.

Maite Piera, BBA, IESE MBA 03 is an executive coach with a long career in HR. She has worked in different companies and has specialized mainly in family business and consumer goods. Right now she serves as the Engagement and Comms Director at GBfoods, a global food company present in Europe and Africa, with more than 3500 employees. At the same time, Maite collaborates with IESE as a coach and is the book author of two books that are focused on career development. Maite has recently launched her podcast, to give viability at Women’s career to serve as inspiration to the listeners (Háblame de ti is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts).

Stephen Stynes is a leadership development coach with over 30 years experience as a senior corporate executive, entrepreneur and leadership facilitator. He is Founding Partner at Nous Teamworks, a coaching and consulting firm specializing in high performance team development.

He is a qualified GTCI Teams Coach, a Kauffman Foundation US qualified facilitator in Entrepreneurial StartUps and Business Growth, a certified HeartMath practitioner, certified Leader Circle Practitioner and an MII Graduate in Marketing and Business. A long-time meditator and mindfulness practitioner, Stephen’s particular passion is helping people to connect with their inner voice and values to facilitate transformational changes in their inner game.

Estíbalitz Ortiz is the Executive Director of the IESE Coaching Unit, which provides executive and leadership coaching to global executives and managers participating in IESE educational programs around the world. She has a PhD from IESE, and the topic of her doctoral dissertation was mentoring and coaching. She had previously earned a degree in Spanish language and literature from the University of Navarra. She is an ICF-certified coach and senior practitioner by EMCC.

Most of Ortiz’s professional career has been developed in multinational environments. She worked 10 years in human resources at Agilent Technologies Spain, where she dealt with organizational development, training and coaching for people managers of more than 20 nationalities.

Since 2008, she has collaborated as a lecturer in International HR Management at Pompeu Fabra University. Her areas of interest are in the field of executive coaching in business schools. She is the author of the book La práctica del mentoring en la empresa (EUNSA, 2003), and co-author and co-editor of the book The 7 Moments of Coaching (REM, 2020).

Events Manager
Campus Experience Services

eribes@iese.edu