What Our Clients Say

Carola's coaching really made a difference compared to all other trainings and programmes I have enjoyed so far. It is fair to say that she had quite some impact on my career development and many little skills she trained me on I still benefit from in my day-to-day work.
(Managing Director, Deutsche Bank AG)

The work with Maryvonne has been very useful to help me manage a remote team. It has also helped me to improve my positioning in a complex organization and to become more self-confident. This coaching had a positive impact on my career. I have just been promoted to become CFO of a business unit.
(CFO, major pharmaceutical company)

“I turned to Karen on my return to London from an overseas posting, a common time for reflection. I had achieved my career milestones to date but wanted to develop a fresh perspective. Karen’s deep understanding of the banking industry combined with intelligent and thoughtful questioning provided the mirror against which I could re-evaluate what I really wanted to do. Thanks in good part to Karen’s guidance, I have continued with my career but I am now working successfully with friends in a small corporate advisory firm freed from the burden of large bank bureaucracy”.
(Managing Director - Investment Banking)

“Leslie has an in depth understanding of cultures and extensive experience in executive coaching. I would highly recommend Leslie for coaching in leadership development, business growth and career transitions.” 
(Regional Director (APAC), Organization Development, The Walt Disney Company)

Talking to Carola was a highly insightful and reflective experience, and very well worth the while.
(Partner, SJ Berwin LLP)

"Coaching offers a valuable opportunity to step back from the day to day business pressures to reflect on how to increase one's personal effectiveness.
Karen is an attentive listener, assimilates complex situations quickly and through thorough discussion puts things in perspective and offers insightful advice. Our meetings are always stimulating and more importantly enjoyable!"
(Director, International Strategic Management Consultancy Group)

“Leslie has deep content knowledge and a sharp intellect. Her incisiveness and expertise was of great assistance in launching executive coaching interventions in my organization. A consummate professional!”
(OD Practitioner/Interim HRD, Nikko Asset Management)

Working with Carola has been fun. She understands the international place Booz Allen consultants operate in and like us is fact driven and not opinionated which I found makes it easy to work with Carola. We are building a pan-European utility team and in our last team session Carola leveraged various techniques effectively to help the team members better understand their personal drivers and how these impact others and team performance. It was an eye opening session for most of us and an experience we will continue to build on with Carola's support. Those that want results, I can definitely recommend working with Carola.
(Partner, Booz & Co.)

"On assuming my new role of UK CEO, I was offered the services of a Coach to provide personal support within this large, complex global organisation.
Karen McPherson was selected from a number of high quality Coaches on the basis not only of her track record with my company but also because of her credibility at operating at Senior Board level.
Karen has proved to be the ideal Coach for me.  She has provided the perfect blend of empathy and understanding with experience, intuition and professionalism.  With many personal and corporate challenges to be overcome within the first year of taking office, I can say categorically that without Karen's guidance and support success would have been extremely difficult to achieve.
Many CEOs may find the role to be extremely lonely and professionally challenging particularly on first appointment.  A strong and capable coach, however, can bring perspective and confidence to even the most Corporate-hardened Executive ensuring their personal impact within their organisation is both immediate and sustainable".
(UK CEO, Global Insurance and Financial Services Group)

“Leslie provided her expertise as an executive coach when I was going through various professional challenges. Her eyes and ears were like another pair of mine in the sense that they were offered at anytime to share my experiences, but in an objective way and without any prejudice. She understood the real world, including different types of companies' organizational structure, how this would affect people working there as well as the daily, business situations one might run into in an actual life. Because of this, her comments and advice was always realistic and practical while allowing me to navigate myself. Having her as my executive coach helped me to organize my thoughts without losing objectivity and long-term career vision. I strongly believe that for any business executives who wish to step up to the next phase of their professional development, Leslie would be a great person to consult with.”    
(Vice President, Goldman Sachs)

"Being coached by Carola was, from the methodological background to the practical exercises, helpful for my work and for my work-life-attitude.
Carola has definitely got a strong character. She challenges and supports you by working on concrete tasks with you. Her coaching style is not always comfortable, but it is extremely effective because of her deep and detailed analyses of behaviour in critical situations.
(Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers)

I improved significantly the understanding of my personal characteristics and the value I can generate. I developed also the capacities to set directions, act in accordance with my values, being strict when necessary and last but not least being more efficient in my day to day work.
In short, working with Maryvonne Lorenzen enabled me to uncover my skills, competencies and personal characteristics as well as dealing with my limits.
(Senior Sales, BNP Paribas Group)

“Leslie did a very good job in quickly understanding in great detail the issues I was facing and prioritizing them with me. She made a number of subtle suggestions, shared interesting readings, and gave me the confidence to explore alternatives ways to handle situations. She is a person with acute perceptions and high integrity who will bring benefits and positive energy to any individual or organization she coaches. I, for one, am a much better person and professional for having worked with Leslie.”
(Managing Director, HSBC)

Working with Carola has helped me develop new perspectives on some of my development areas. She has enabled me to appreciate my own strengths, which I found easy to overlook, and has given me confidence, along with some techniques and tools to improve my performance in the areas I wanted to work on. Carola is a warm and friendly person, who is easy to work with.
(Director, Deloitte UK)

Karen has been a major source of wisdom and counsel to me over the past nine years.
As Chief Executive and subsequently Non-Executive Chairman of a pan-European investment group overseeing £100bn. in client assets, she has been someone to whom I could turn without hesitation for honest and thoughtful guidance on issues ranging from strategy to execution and from thorny personnel problems to matters bearing on my own leadership style. She strikes that rare balance between being challenging but constructive. Karen has courage, commitment, drive and professionalism and her integrity is an example to us all. An effective member of the Board and a gifted consiglieri.
(Robert Jenkins, Chairman of the Board)

"Coaching was a valuable experience for me. Leslie helped me to better set my priorities for what I wanted in my career and personal life. Coaching has made me a better leader and a more successful finance executive allowing me to step up to a larger  regional finance role within in my organization".
(CFO, Global 100, Financial Services Firm)

Working with Carola was a great experience. She enabled me to have a differentiated view on myself in terms of character, leadership and communication and my impact on others. With her coaching and the “tool-set” she was offering / advising me, I will be in a much better position to address management, leadership and / or communication issues in my professional and also private live.
(Managing Director, Dresdner Kleinwort Investment Bank AG)

After entering into a new position I began the Business Coaching process with Dr. Carola Hieker in order to help improve the impact I could make in the new company and build a foundation for success for future assignments.  The coaching helped bring me clarity through helping me draw clear distinctions in various situations as well as concentrating on having the desired impact in different working environments.  Working with Carola helped me focus on direction, priorities and communication skills in diverse situations and allowed me to focus.  The working relationship with Carola was professional yet easy.  Her excellent observational skills and coaching methods helped direct me down the desired path. .I feel that I have strengthened the impact I have in business situations as of the result of the work with her, and I also have a clearer vision of a healthier work and life balance.
(CEO Mediatel spol s.r.o Czech and Slovak Republic)