An internationally experienced HR professional and leadership coach specialized in the field of Intercultural Awareness and development for leaders, teams and managers Specialist area of focus is in innovation and dilemma reconciliation, as well as organizational behaviour and change and diversity with over 20 year in HR.
Using leading diagnostic tools, learning Apps and applying dilemma reconciliation theory in customized training and coaching, he brings unique and innovative methods to help realize behaviour change in leaders, teams and organizations.
His most recent professional initiatives include developing a leadership cohort called the “Global Supervisor”, creating a mentoring program and delivering “Values to Behavior Team Charter” workshops.
Toni Wilson is the Principal of AquaInternational Leadership Consulting specializing in the design, development and strategic cultural integration of diversity & inclusion. She has over 25 years of experience in human resources and has been consulting to Fortune 100 companies and nationally recognized nonprofit organizations including McKesson, Visa, Inc., UPS, Pacific Gas & Electric, Highmark Health, UC Berkeley, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), San Francisco Ballet, Exploratorium Museum and Dropbox, Inc.
Her areas of expertise include executive management of the HR function, organizational values and culture change, strategic diversity management, leadership development, business ethics and organizational effectiveness.
She has been an instructor of HR Analytics at University of California at Berkeley Extension and is a part-time instructor at the University of Texas in Austin. Prior to consulting, Ms. Wilson held senior executive and senior management positions in HR, Diversity, Organizational Development and Learning & Development with Syntex Pharmaceuticals, Levi Strauss & Co., The Gap, Inc., and the California State Automobile Association (AAA).
Ms. Wilson has worked in over 15 countries focusing on business practices effecting organizational commitment to responsible leadership, diversity, and ethics. She recently collaborated with Dr. Fons Trompenaars and KPMG London in developing a virtual learning program for reconciling cultural differences. She has a Master’s in Business Leadership from Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia, a B.S. degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco, and Senior HR Professional certifications from SHRM (SHRM-SCP) and HRCI (SPHR). She is a former Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute and currently a Doctoral research candidate at Charles Sturt University.
Ms. Wilson resides part-time in Queensland, Australia and the U.S.
With over 15 years’ HR, training and coaching expertise, Alex has run powerful and effective programmes with global and local clients. These programmes make significant improvements in communication within and between teams, and create effective leaders and managers.
She also has the organisational experience of having led the HR team for a large direct marketing company – responsible for all HR and training issues and initiatives – as well as managing all in-house support services. Alex transformed a day-to-day personnel department into HR contribution at board level.
She is able to guide others confidently through organisational change, employment legislation and tricky individual situations. This knowledge, combined with her coaching skills, truly empowers others to release their potential into action.
Alex has hands-on experience in all aspects of HR including recruiting and selecting staff for production, call-centre and marketing roles, running discipline and grievance procedures, redundancy programmes, time and attendance projects, pension arrangements, shift patterns and structural changes.
She has led employee development for two NHS trusts, both in a hospital and community setting, being involved in the strategic purchasing of non-medical education and leading Investors In People accreditation, as well as designing and delivering personal skills training and management development.
Alex designs and delivers easy-to-understand and totally user-friendly training in all aspects of managing and communicating with others. She has a thorough understanding of human nature, which means she can work with individuals at the point and level they find themselves, ensuring that they develop and grow in the most appropriate way for them.
Her experience also includes development roles in the banking and insurance industries, as well as an emergency call centre. Alex has helped a wide range of organisations set up development and coaching programmes, create sustainable change.
Alex has a professional doctorate in International Communication, a Masters in Management, European Business Degree and is a member of the CIPD, and an accredited Action Learning Facilitator. She is qualified at Levels A and B in psychometric testing, and is an NLP Master Practitioner.
She recently finished her book on Coaching International Teams which will be published in 2022.
Experienced international HR professional with extensive line management/business and supervisory board experience.
Gary was born in London, England but has lived for much of his life in The Netherlands (he has both British & Dutch nationality), although has also lived and worked in Russia and Kazakhstan. He has a technical background having a BSc in Chemistry and a PhD in Physics.
He joined Shell at the Research Centre in Amsterdam and after a first couple of years in a technical role, managed different research & development groups.
International HR roles include: Global HR Manager in Shell Chemicals for 6 years and Graduate Recruitment Manager throughout Europe. His business/line roles include General Director of Shell Technology Centres in the Netherlands and Belgium. He has also led a number of large organizational change projects. In his last role at Shell as VP Strategy & VP HR for the Shell shared service network, Gary combined both HR and business, growing the number of jobs from 1500 to 9000 and leading 100 HR staff in 10 countries
For the last 10 years Gary has consulted (and sometimes worked) for a number of companies.
He was HR Director for Fonterra, New Zealand’s biggest company, a dairy farmer’s co-operative (closing the European HQ in Hamburg and re-opening with almost all new staff in Amsterdam) and Deputy VP HR & OD for one of Russia’s largest oil & gas companies in Moscow. Gary also worked in Kazakhstan, as General Director of the Sovereign Wealth Fund Corporate University for 3 years. supporting all of the major national companies (including the oil & gas company, the railways, telecoms and post, the power grid & generation, engineering, mining, chemicals, airlines, finance).
Consultancy work has included introducing a full talent management system into the European Space Agency (and assessment of theirproject management capabilities) and four years with Sibur, Russia’s largest and most successful chemicals company, including executive coaching, setting up a new international-level, technical training centre in Siberia, refreshment of the Young Specialist programme; reviewing the organisational design of Sibur R&D to stimulate innovation and crisis management.
Other projects have ranged from organisational design for a large petrochemical company in the Middle East to talent and leadership development, executive coaching and setting up corporate universities, in different companies and countries.
Specialities: talent management; leadership assessment/development; coaching/mentoring; building organisations; change processes; globalisation; global & virtual organisations; People/HR strategy; consultancy & facilitation; international workforces, organisations & culture; technological organisations; shared service centres; service organisations; corporate universities.
Roland de Bruijn MBA brings over 25 years of international management and business advisory experience with the ability of translating big changes into the development of effective behaviours thereby realizing a real change. Successful leadership in the present time is based on authority and no longer on power. Roland demonstrates this by empowering and developing people using the ability to reconcile dilemmas. Roland has a successful track record for his inspiring view on leadership and his ability as a trainer and coach to support leaders and professionals to develop the necessary non-technical/soft skills. Leaders and professionals discover their own purpose, build relationships and manage their dilemmas to increase trust, effectiveness and performance.
In 2021, the book “End of Discussion: Leadership through Dialogue” was published by Roland de Bruijn and Fons Trompenaars.
Arun is a corporate educator and international lawyer in private practice. As a facilitator, coach and consultant he focuses on Intercultural Management and Communication, International Leadership, Impact and Influence, Intercultural Negotiations, Cultural Due Diligence, and Country-Specific Advice (among others Indian culture). He has carried out post graduate studies and research at the University of Cambridge into intercultural teams, negotiation and the impact of intercultural training. He has published in the Financial Times, Indian Economic Times and Euromoney.
Arun is an accomplished and widely recognized facilitator, consultant, coach and trainer on intercultural matters since 1988 for a range of international companies. In 1999 he was appointed an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for services to international investment and intercultural management. He is a Visiting Professor to Salford University Business School on International Leadership, Negotiations and Business. Arun also chairs an international investment company, audit committee and sits as a non executive director on the boards of two listed international investment companies.
Jelte has an extensive (17 years) consulting and management background in Non Financial Risk Management (ERM/ORM/Compliance and Internal Audit), Leadership and Programme & Change Management (within PwC, Rabobank, ING and KPMG). The majority of Jelte’s experience has been in the financial sector, but with a second focus on foundations and social enterprises. As a person Jelte is very driven but at the same time very caring and responsible towards the people around him and his tasks. Jelte loves building bridges between people, (strategic) themes at hand and between the vision and the things that need to be done right now. Using his vision and sharp analytical skills, Jelte has the ability and drive to challenge and motivate people to develop themselves and contribute to the organisation.
Oscar van Weerdenburg is a senior coach, keynote speaker and consultant working with a wide-range of blue chip companies who operate in a complex multicultural environment. He has held numerous seminars and presentations on diversity and team development, international negotiations, managing cultural differences, and global leadership development.
Much of Oscar’s work has also been in the area of in-house learning and development to help organizations and their members successfully recognize and profit from the different corporate and national cultural background they encounter. Creating and delivering services such as in-house cross-cultural competence centers and train-the-trainer programs, he has helped to bring a higher level of understanding of cross-cultural issues in the work place and increase business performance.
Oscar has assisted numerous companies in their merger processes and has been involved in various leadership development programs, helping top managers deal with the issues arising from the integration of various European firms.
Theresa’s mission is to support people and teams who work internationally with focus areas on cross-cultural competence, high performance teams and virtual teamwork. In addition, she consults with organizations to create a culture that enables cross-border virtual teams to thrive.
Theresa developed her awareness of the importance of cultural competence as a business asset while working in various management positions for multinational companies. In her work as a consultant with THT, Theresa’s clients have included global organizations such as Tetra Pak, DSM, Philips, Generali Group, Rolls-Royce, GE Healthcare and Prudential specifically facilitating post-merger cultural development, in-house management development trainings and multi-cultural, virtual team development.
Theresa is the author of the book Virtual Teams Across Cultures: Create Successful Teams Around the World, with a foreword by Fons Trompenaars. The book explains why working virtually is different, how cultural diversity impacts virtual work, and what a team can do to shift to a higher level of performance. As Fons explained, “Theresa has examined cultural diversity where it currently happens, in the virtual team. A masterpiece of research, stories and practical advice.” Theresa is fluent in English and lives in the Netherlands.
Theresa’s clients are multinationals and have included Tetra Pak, Generali, DSM, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pepsico, amongst others. Often she is included in corporate academies, leadership development programs, or requested for teams who need support. She partners with other professionals in her network to create the synergies for the best solutions for clients, exemplifying the benefits of diverse ideas.
Prior to associating with THT, Theresa led acquisition and post-integration M&A projects in Central and Eastern Europe, software implementations, and other strategic and operational projects. Due to her business background, she has a practical approach to the learning and understanding of the impact of culture in the business setting.
Theresa is originally from the US, having received her MBA from University of Michigan, graduating with high distinction. She is currently located in the Netherlands.
