ABOUT

HELPING LEADERS EXECUTE In a complex world

“I have been fortunate to lead Royal Marines in the most complex and uncertain environments and I’ve had to get comfortable making decisions under pressure based on imperfect information. I believe that the modern leader faces similar challenges and the reason my Organisation exists is to provide practical insights to help you navigate these challenges.”

What defines a Leadership Capital team member?

We don’t believe exceptional outcomes are possible without exceptional people. Every member of the Leadership Capital team has been in the arena — leading in demanding environments, making decisions under pressure, and delivering results when the stakes were high. We bring real-world experience, not theory, combining military, commercial, and academic disciplines to help our clients lead with clarity and execute their value creation plans with precision.

Our team is defined by six shared strengths:

  1. Credibility through experience
    Every team member has led in high-pressure environments (military, elite sport, global business). They’ve done it, not just studied it.
  2. Execution and results focus
    The emphasis is always on turning strategy into disciplined action and measurable outcomes.
  3. Adaptability and resilience
    Thriving in uncertainty, operating under pressure, and maintaining clarity when conditions change.
  4. Human performance and psychology
    Deep understanding of how to lead people, build trust, and sustain performance in complex systems.
  5. Cross-domain perspective
    The blend of military discipline, commercial acumen, and academic insight creates a distinctive, practical approach.
  6. Partnership mindset
    The tone is one of collaboration — working alongside leaders providing challenge and support, not lecturing from the sidelines.
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Roderic Yapp

Director

Roderic is a leadership and execution specialist who helps organisations create the conditions for high performance. A former Royal Marine Commando Officer with operational experience in Afghanistan, Somalia and Libya, he has spent the past decade supporting senior leaders and private equity–backed businesses to align their teams, sharpen decision-making and deliver their value-creation plans with discipline.

After leaving the military, Roderic held commercial leadership roles at Argus Media, Urenco and Harlequins Rugby Club, where he developed a deep understanding of how organisations grow, scale and stagnate. His work focuses on translating strategy into action — building clarity of intent, strengthening accountability, and embedding the rhythms and behaviours that drive consistent execution in complex, fast-moving environments.

As the Founder of Leadership Capital, Roderic partners with mid-market and PE-backed organisations across the UK and Europe, supporting CEOs, executive teams and boards through periods of transformation, growth and cultural change. His clients include KKR, Partners Group, Three Hills Capital, Oktra, Biosynth, Boatfolk, Faradion, OBEX and a range of founder-led businesses. He regularly designs and delivers executive offsites, leadership development programmes and retained coaching engagements focused on performance, resilience and organisational alignment.

Roderic’s approach blends operational discipline with behavioural insight, drawing on experience in elite military units, high-performance sport and commercial scale-ups. A strong believer in reflective practice, he provides every client with a leadership journal to capture insights, build self-awareness and turn learning into sustained behaviour change.

Based in Gloucestershire, with his wife and children, Roderic remains active within the Royal Marines community and is the founder of a growing network of military veterans working in private equity. He is passionate about helping leaders create clarity, maintain momentum and deliver exceptional results over the long term.

Graham Smith

Executive Coach and Change Management Consultant

Graham is an Executive Coach and Change Management Consultant who specialises in turning strategy into action. He combines a decade as a Royal Marine Commando with over 25 years in organisational development, bringing deep expertise in building high-performance teams and embedding processes that deliver lasting results.

He has led numerous leadership development and organisational change projects across the UK and internationally, supporting clients to simplify complexity and implement strategy execution tools that endure long after the engagement. His approach emphasises four key principles for leaders in today’s fast-paced environment: agility, authenticity, alignment and autonomy.

Graham has designed and delivered the flagship Leadership Plus module on the Warwick Business School MBA programme for the past eight years, developing emotionally intelligent leaders equipped to thrive in uncertainty. He has recently partnered with organisations including AMWINS Global Risks, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, VW Financial Services, AutoRek, The Carbon Trust, WBS, A4S and the UBT Executive Management Programme.

Based in the South West, Graham balances his professional work with his passion for rugby and the outdoors, spending time in the mountains, rivers and at sea with equal enthusiasm.

Graham
Jed

Jed Stone

Consultant and Coach

Jed is an experienced consultant and coach with a passion for enabling individuals and organisations to achieve higher levels of performance. He spent 25 years in the Royal Marines in a range of operational and instructional roles, including Senior Instructor at Joint Services Mountaineering Training Centres, the Commando Training Centre, the Royal Naval School of Leadership and Management, and the Royal Navy Engineering Centre for Resource and Initiative Training. During this time, he led teams that broke two Guinness World Records and represented Great Britain internationally in sport.

In 2001, Jed joined McKinney Rogers, a global business execution consultancy, where he progressed from Lead Coach to Regional Partner for Africa and India, and later Partner for Europe and the Middle East. Between 2010 and 2015, he led a team delivering more than £5 million annually in sales, working closely with global clients including Walmart, Diageo, Barclays, Kenya Airways, Bacardi, Zain, Kenya Commercial Bank and Grohe. A career highlight was his critical role in establishing the Walmart Leadership Academy in the US. His recent client portfolio includes KPMG, Welltec, Bray, Pentair, H+H, ING Bank, Ambu, Estée Lauder, Maersk, Armacell, Proman, Panasonic, as well as EDF and GE on the £34 billion Hinkley Point project.

Jed lives in Devon with his three daughters and son, and continues to enjoy rugby, mountaineering and skiing

Dom Weldon

Leadership Consultant and Coach

Dom is a leadership consultant and coach who specialises in strategy execution, team development and organisational performance. He brings over 15 years of experience across the Royal Marines, financial services and consulting, combining front-line leadership with commercial insight and a deep understanding of what drives results in complex environments.

He has worked with senior leadership teams across sectors including finance, FMCG, construction, energy, education and sport. Recent clients include Haleon, Allianz, EDF, GE Vernova, NG Bailey and McLaughlin & Harvey. Dom’s approach focuses on creating clarity of direction, building the leadership behaviours needed for high performance, and embedding disciplined, adaptive execution through structured performance cycles.

Dom began his career as a Royal Marines Commando Officer, serving on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq before leaving to join Blackrock then Citi. This broad foundation enables him to support leaders navigating uncertainty, fast growth, and organisational change.

Based in South West London with his wife and son, Dom enjoys travelling, watching rugby, and spending time in the mountains. He is also a committed reader, steadily working through an ever-expanding collection of books.

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Steph

Stephanie Taylor

Executive Coach and Leadership Advisor

Stephanie is an executive coach and leadership advisor who helps leaders deliver impact where it matters most — at board level, in the market, and in their personal lives. She brings deep experience from high-performance environments, having served as a Royal Air Force Officer before stepping into senior leadership roles in both consulting and financial services.

Her early military career included command of 250 engineers at the age of 21 and operational deployments across Africa and the Middle East. She was promoted early for outstanding performance and entrusted with briefing senior leaders, including the UK Prime Minister. She later worked as a consultant to the Metropolitan Police, where she consistently outperformed larger competitors by solving critical problems and building trusted relationships.

Most recently, Stephanie served as a Front Office COO at a Tier 1 investment bank, supporting global trading desks through complexity and change. She now works with senior leaders to build confidence, sharpen decision-making, and embed strategies that deliver sustainable growth.

Stephanie lives in the South East with her husband and two young children. She understands the reality of balancing family life with leadership responsibility and brings empathy and pragmatism to her work with clients navigating similar pressures.

Katie Muldoon

Leadership Consultant and Coach

Katie is a leadership coach and consultant who specialises in organisational culture, innovation, and transformation. She draws on over 20 years of leadership experience across the Royal Air Force, academia, and consulting, underpinned by deep academic credentials and a psychodynamic approach to coaching.

Katie began her career in the RAF, where she held operational roles including patrolling with the Royal Marines and assessing helicopter safety in hostile environments. She later completed postgraduate research at Cambridge University on the evolving role of technology in warfare, before joining PA Consulting to support public sector leaders with digital transformation initiatives.

Her academic background includes a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering, an MPhil in International Relations from Cambridge, and an MBA from Warwick Business School. Katie is also a certified Senior Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and has completed three years of psychoanalytic training with the British Psychotherapy Foundation, bringing rich psychological insight into her work with leaders and teams.

Based in the South West, she enjoys walking across the UK with her family and her dog, Milton.

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Helen

Helen Lunnon-Wood

Psychologist and Performance Coach

Helen is a pilot, psychologist, and performance coach specialising in team dynamics and decision making. With a unique background as one of the first female fast jet pilots in the UK, she has 27 years of experience in leadership, instructional, and operational roles in the Royal Air Force, underpinned by extensive academic study and professional development.

Helen spent over 13 years as a pilot and instructor flying Royal Air Force Fast Jets, which included multiple operational deployments and international exercises. Latterly she worked overseas, firstly as an Air Liaison Officer in the US, and later throughout Europe as a NATO diplomat, where she specialised in cross-cultural military planning and international negotiation.

Alongside an MA in Psychology and an MSc in Psychological Trauma, Helen is a qualified performance coach with the International Coaching Federation and an experienced Programme and Project Manager.  She has recently started working towards her PhD in aviation psychology and human performance.

Helen is dedicated to being an active role model and champion for young people in STEM and aviation. She also volunteers as a Mentor and Trustee for Icarus, a charity supporting military veterans facing immediate mental health and life challenges.

A married mother of two, she embraces the challenge of balancing work and family life and brings this pragmatic and empathetic perspective to her work.

Mark Hardie

Leadership and Human Performance Expert

Mark is a leadership and human performance expert with over 30 years of experience across elite military operations, organisational development and executive coaching. A former Royal Marine Commando Officer, he has led teams in some of the most demanding environments in the world, developing deep expertise in decision-making under pressure, crisis leadership and adaptive performance.

He is the co-creator of the RESeT® approach, which integrates ancient wisdom — including Stoicism — with neuroscience and psychology to help leaders think clearly, respond effectively and sustain resilience in high-pressure environments. His work focuses on improving the quality of team interactions, strengthening ethical leadership, and creating realistic training that prepares organisations to navigate complexity with confidence.

Mark has designed and delivered leadership development and cultural transformation programmes for multinational organisations, and his experience spans sectors from defence and hospitality to professional services and critical national infrastructure. As a Visiting Professor of Leadership Ethics and Professional Practice, he founded the Naval Service Ethics Programme, revitalising leadership and culture across the Royal Navy.

He also contributes to developing future leaders through his work with the Glion Institute of Higher Education, teaching on the Leadership Across Cultures programme for MSc students and the Executive Masters in Hospitality and Business Leadership, where he focuses on leading in uncertain times.

Mark is the author of Think Like a Marine: Anticipate, Adapt, Achieve, where he blends military precision with contemporary organisational psychology to enhance decision-making and team dynamics. His expertise includes diversity and inclusion, human factors, psychological safety, and resilience — all central to enabling teams to turn potential into consistent, high-quality performance.

Mark is an EMCC Master Coach, a Heroic PBC ambassador and coach (ICF), a certified mindfulness and breath-work trainer, a Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) instructor, and a Stress Management Advisor. He coaches leaders across private equity, elite sport and consulting.

Based in the South West, Mark balances his professional work with a love of cooking and an interest in integrating wellbeing practices into everyday performance.

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Gemma

Gemma Walton

Business Support Partner

Gemma is a trusted business support partner and recognised expert in the executive support profession. An award-winning Assistant, speaker, and founder of Portfolio PA, she supports the Leadership Capital team with project management and operational delivery, ensuring programmes run seamlessly from design to completion.

Following a decade as a C-suite Executive PA within FTSE 250 organisations, Gemma established Portfolio PA in 2015. Since then, she has built a high-performing team of fractional VAs who have supported more than 200 clients with the precision and reliability usually reserved for in-house teams. Her approach blends efficiency with emotional intelligence, creating the calm and clarity that come from having world-class operational support.

A three-time winner of Yorkshire VA of the Year and recipient of UK VA of the Year 2023, Gemma is a Fellow of both the Executive & Personal Assistants Association (EPAA) and the Institute of Administrative Management. She is also a contributing author to Executive Support Magazine, a licensed Insights practitioner, and a mentor to aspiring VAs across the UK.

Based in rural North Yorkshire, Gemma enjoys long walks with her husband and their two Bedlington Terriers and brings the same discipline she applies at work to her passion for strength training.

We work with some of the most prestigious leadership teams around.

We develop leaders who understand the context they face and are able to choose their behaviour to generate the best return for the stakeholders & the organisation over the long-term.

Private Equity Funds
Private Equity Funds
Portfolio and Scale-Up Companies
Portfolio and Scale-Up Companies
Banking and Insurance
Banking and Insurance
Wealth and Asset Management
Wealth and Asset Management
SaaS
SaaS
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Professional Sport
Professional Sport
Luxury Brands
Luxury Brands
Professional Networks and
Membership Organisations
Professional Networks and <br>Membership Organisations
Military and Police
Military and Police

Testimonials

As a Partner in an Executive Search firm, the pressure to deliver can be relentless. Working with Roderic has been invaluable. His outstanding listening skills and thoughtful questions have not only helped clarify my challenges but also opened new perspectives for me which change the way I view my challenges. Roderic's talent in creating a space for deep thinking is exceptional, and his ability to hold me accountable for my own commitments has been fundamental to my growth. His unique approach combines support and firm accountability, which have propelled both my personal and professional development. I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who is under pressure and having to drive performance through other people.
Partner, Executive Search Firm. Private Equity backed Portfolio Company
I am a Consultant within the BioTech and Pharmaceutical industry. Roderic was engaged to support me with my ability to deal with conflict, handle complexity and lead my team more effectively. My experience with Roderic has been nothing short of transformative. His coaching has significantly enhanced my ability to deal with conflicts within my team, fostering a more collaborative and understanding environment. He has helped me to understand complexity using the Cynefin Framework which has improved the quality of my decision-making and how I support my clients. Roderic's coaching has been a crucial element in my professional growth, and I highly recommend him to any leader looking to elevate their capability in managing conflict, complexity, and develop their leadership skills.
Management Consultant, Director-level. Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry
STEP is a global professional body, comprising lawyers, accountants, trustees and other practitioners that help families plan for their futures. As CEO I have engaged Roderic to support us for two recent off-site meetings. The first one involved the translation of our strategy into tangible milestones that would be delivered over the course of the following year. Working with my Executive team to design the agenda, he created the room for us to debate, make decisions and align what we planned to do over the course of the year. He is very good at challenging people’s natural inclination to try and do too much and encouraged us to do the few important things that would have the most significant impact. Most recently, he facilitated our annual strategic board day with our Chairman and NEDs. This off-site required him to balance the need to create space for a conversation whilst moving us through an agenda so that we made the most effective us of our time. He demonstrated the ability to quickly understand the context and challenges facing our organisation despite having little industry knowledge. Roderic comes with my strongest recommendation and we will be using him in the future.
Mark Walley, CEO, STEP
Roderic was first introduced to me in 2020 during my time at Merck when I was looking for someone to help facilitate and deliver the annual Global Process and Analytical Development Science Symposium of our Custom Manufacturing Services Division. The primary purpose of the symposium was to share information and learnings across teams based in the US, Germany and Switzerland. We also used the symposium to build strong relationships across geographies and help continue to develop the culture of the global teams within the division. Rod did an excellent job of designing and running the symposium. He worked with the organizing committee helping them to design the event and then facilitated it effectively so that we achieved the objectives we’d set. The team’s work was highly technical and involved lots of experimentation and related scientific data. It can be easy for them to forget the impact that their work has on people’s lives as a different but equally important dimension. Rod did a brilliant job of finding and sharing stories that helped the team understand the impact that their work had on patients. These stories inspired the team and helped them to remember why their work is so important by bringing to life the impact it has on people around the world. An empathetic and pragmatic leader, we have asked Rod to deliver all of our symposiums since 2020 and I look forward to continuing our professional relationship together in the future.
Dr Thomas Eisele, Chief Operations Officer, Biosynth
We have been working with Leadership Capital since 2020. Rod initially delivered a one-day session with my Executive Team on Resilience which received some excellent feedback. We subsequently invited him to support us on our Intermediary roadshow where he talked to our clients and partners about ‘Managing Uncertainty’ which was very well received. I recently asked for Rod to support us in running a High Performing Team’s workshop. I wanted him to help me clarify the type of culture and people I wanted in my team. We settled on a ‘high freedom – high responsibility’ culture which I reinforce whenever I am talking to my executive team. Rod helped me articulate the type of environment I want to create which has allowed me to communicate my expectations to my team. Whilst only a relatively small piece of work, he has delivered significant impact into clarifying what we do and how we do it.
Sean Osborne, Group Head of Sales, Charles Stanley
We asked Roderic to come and deliver a speech at our internal leadership conference in 2022. We wanted someone who could talk about Leadership, creating a High Performing Culture and decision-making under pressure because these are all themes that face the leaders of a fast-growing tech business. Roderic delivered an excellent speech bringing to life some of the principles he’s learnt over the course of his varied career. We asked him to follow up by designing a leadership development course which was delivered online. Inspiring and authoritative, I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking to further their understanding of leadership.
Duncan Walker, CEO, Skyports
I attended a Leadership Development programme that was delivered by Rod over the course of 2022. Working with our Head of HR, he co-designed a series of modules and workshops that we believed to be most relevant to leading in the private equity sector. These included the following;
  • The Fundamentals of Leadership and Management
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Effective Communication
  • Decision-making under pressure
  • Managing Difficult Conversations
  • Delegation and Empowerment
  • Creating High Performing Teams
I really enjoyed the sessions led by Rod. He helped us to understand that leadership is about how you behave and the impact you have on the people around you. He made the point that great leaders are able to behave in a way that generates the best possible outcome for the stakeholders involved and the business over the long-term. This programme has had a profound impact on how I interact with my team and peers, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone keen to develop their understanding of how to effectively lead and influence people.
Arjan Blok, Managing Director, Three Hills Capital
I was first introduced to Roderic Yapp through a mutual contact with a background in the Royal Marines. We were initially looking for someone to teach the Operational Excellence module of our Executive Management Programme. Rod was asked to take some of our training materials and teach a group of senior leaders some of the principles of operational excellence so that they could improve the performance of their businesses. We have high expectations of our trainer-facilitators and Rod has met that consistently. Earlier this year, he started to lead one of our leadership programmes. The feedback has been excellent, so we’ve asked him to lead a further four programmes over the course of the next eighteen months.
Operations Manager, Business Consulting & Training Company
As the founder of an angel-backed enterprise focused on pioneering massive IoT SMART security locking solutions for outdoor high-value items, my journey has been shaped by a series of pivotal experiences. At the age of 17, I joined and served with the Royal Marines from 2004 to 2009, before embarking on a path toward a career in medicine. These experiences have instilled in me a profound appreciation for leadership, teamwork and innovation, laying the groundwork for my entrepreneurial pursuits. Seeking to further hone my leadership skills and entrepreneurial acumen, I reached out to Rod via LinkedIn. We had a brief conversation where I outlined what I was looking for in terms of help and support. Rod, an advocate for veterans through the Heropreneurs program, graciously extended his mentorship, one of three mentees spaces. This collaboration has proven invaluable, providing me with invaluable insights into effective leadership and entrepreneurial strategy. Under Rod's guidance, I've undergone a profound transformation, gaining newfound clarity in my capabilities and a deeper understanding of my intrinsic values. Crucially, I've come to appreciate the nuanced dynamics of team dynamics, recognising the importance of individual personalities and effective communication in fostering collective success. This paradigm shift has reshaped my conception of leadership, emphasising empathy, collaboration, clarity and a commitment to collective growth over traditional notions of hierarchical authority.
Dr Matthew Leach, Founder, Geotekk
I was matched with Roderic through the Heropreneurs Mentoring programme. Rod and I have had a series of conversations that have helped me understand what I need to do to set up my own consulting business. He has listened carefully and provided thoughtful advice and guidance based on a good understanding of my situation. One of the things he does that has been really helpful is his willingness to share his mistakes and the lessons he’s learnt along the way. This has given me the sense that whilst the road to achieving my goal might be a bit bumpy, I too can do it. I am really grateful for his time and help and would recommend him to anyone who is looking for some support in starting a business.
Lou O’Connell, Entrepreneur
I have known Rod since 2017 when we invited him to run a two day offsite for our CEO and the four Business Unit Leaders. I believe that one of the things that bonds teams is a shared experience so we commissioned Rod and his colleague Tim to design something that the leaders would remember. Rod and Tim took the team to the Royal Navy School of Firefighting in Portsmouth and put them through a series of tests designed to test and expose them to ‘decision-making under pressure’. It was a brilliant event which they still talk about today. We have continued to work with Rod to help support our ambitious growth plans. Most recently, we have partnered with Leadership Capital specifically to help develop our people and teams. He has implemented an appraisal system, delivered leadership and management training, coached a number of our senior leaders and started to build a Sales Programme to help us develop the next generation of talent. We value his insight and support enormously and will be continuing this partnership into the next year.
Adrian Groom, CPO, Vensyn Group and Oktra
Clear, articulate, and thoughtful. Roderic shared some of his insights from his experience in Afghanistan. He was asked to share some insights on navigating through complexity which he did extremely well, would strongly recommend him to anyone considering an external speaker.
Partner and Head of Private Equity — THI Investments
Roderic has a very interesting background and delivered a brilliant keynote on Adaptive Leadership at our conference in Rome. He took the time to understand the audience and share practical takeaways that people are still using on a day to day basis within our Organisation.
Partner — Three Hills Capital
We are lucky to benefit from lots of external speakers at Salesforce. Roderic has been amongst the very best we’ve had. He strikes a good balance of confidence and humility. He captured the attention of the audience quickly and managed to hold it throughout his speech. When people aren’t looking at their phones, you know the speaker is doing a good job!
Senior VP — Salesforce
When I was first introduced to Roderic Yapp in 2019, I was looking for someone that could help me deliver front-line performance. boatfolk had been created by merging two mid-sized regional marina businesses to create one of the largest national businesses across the whole of the UK. We have grown quickly, expanding our number of locations, and the services we offer beyond berthing to include brokerage and boat maintenance and most recently restaurants and accommodation. One of the challenges we face is that we have 11 sites based all over the UK with slightly different ways of doing things led by people who have mixed experience of leading and growing a business, and a team that has tripled in size over the last few years, diluting some of the core cultures, values and behaviours Rod has supported us with coaching engagements, off-sites and a leadership development programme all of which have added value to our Organisation and helped us to grow but I think the most outstanding contribution has been the implementation of his Operational Excellence model across the business. This model has enabled us to translate our strategic goals into practical activity that our frontline managers must deliver. Pragmatic and approachable, he’s built excellent relationships across our business and I am delighted to have his support as we continue to grow our organisation.
Michael Prideaux, Group Managing Director, Boatfolk Marina Group Limited
As the Engineering Director at a rapidly growing technology company, I spearhead the development of new products designed to rival existing products in the market. Rod and I convene bi-weekly sessions to support me to balance the challenges of our rapidly growing organisation. Our discussions encompass a spectrum of topics, from cultivating high-performing teams to effectively engaging stakeholders across the organisation. The regularity of these sessions prompts me to reflect, enabling me to assess what's effective and what requires adjustment, thereby facilitating a critical review of my leadership impact. Our coaching dynamic functions as a partnership. Rod's attentive listening and incisive inquiries give me insights I might not otherwise uncover independently. The invaluable support and guidance I've received have significantly contributed to my growth, and I wholeheartedly endorse him to any senior leader seeking a pragmatic coach capable of addressing the demands inherent in executive roles.
Engineering Director, Technology Company
I first met Rod when he interviewed me along with the rest of the Executive Team in preparation for our strategic off-site in January 2023. As Director of Operations, I lead the scale-up and technology transfer initiatives at our company, ensuring seamless integration and adaptation of our processes. I focus on identifying and mitigating risks in manufacturing, utilizing tools like PFMEA, while also overseeing global equipment selection trials. Collaborating closely with our parent company, I ensure alignment on manufacturing processes and operational readiness, serving as the technical authority on build design. My role is complex and challenging, but I have found Roderic’s support and guidance to be invaluable. He is particularly good at helping me to clarify the most important things I need to be targeting whilst helping me to manage my work-life balance. I feel that I have significantly expanded my leadership skill set and would strongly recommend him to anyone else seeking to develop their leadership potential.
Director of Operations, Battery Technology Company