Private Strategic Thought Partner to Executives & Founders

Expand to meetthe moment.

The person you call before you make the call.

I help you step more fully into who you are and how you need to lead, bringing an independent perspective, honest challenge, and focused momentum to the decisions, challenges, and opportunities that shape what comes next.

Book a Confidential Partnership Conversation

Because the calls that shape what happens next rarely come with certainty. They demand clarity, confidence, credibility and conviction.

When the stakes feel high, the path isn’t obvious, and the decision is yours to carry, I bring the independent perspective and honest challenge that can be hard to find inside the room. Together, we cut through the noise, test what matters and turn your thinking into a decision you can stand behind, and act on.

Where my private clients are backing themselves:

If you’re an executive

You have earned the role, but you are still working out who you want to be in it. You are surrounded by expectations and competing priorities, making it difficult to hear your own voice. You know how to deliver, but you are less clear about what you stand for, how you want to lead and what success should look like now.

If you’re a founder

You are building the business, but you may not have stopped to consider the leader you need, or want, to become. Your identity is increasingly tied to the company. Opportunities pull you in different directions, and you are trying to separate what genuinely matters from what simply feels urgent or expected.

Who you are. How you lead. What comes next.

A new role or growing business rarely asks for more of the same. It asks you to become more deliberate about who you are, more confident in your judgement, more credible in how you show up and more strategic in how you lead.

Your responsibilities have grown. Has the way you lead
grown with them?

Who am I now, what matters most and how do I want to lead?

Know who you are before the role defines you. Greater responsibility can pull you in multiple directions. Get clear on who you are, what matters, the strategy for execution, the leader you want to be and the principles that will guide you when the pressure rises.

For executivesYou know how to deliver, but you are less clear about what you stand for, how you want to lead and what success should look like now.

For foundersYou are building the business, but you may not have stopped to consider the leader you need, or want, to become.

You don’t need to have all the answers.

But you do need to know yourself, trust your judgment, carry credibility, and lead in a way that supports what comes next.

A personalised, living reference that brings together who you are now, what matters most, the leader you want to be and the priorities that deserve your attention.

It captures your definition of success, values and leadership principles, strengths and potential blind spots, highest-value contribution, decision filters, boundaries, key relationships and immediate priorities, giving you a clear point of reference for making decisions, navigating competing demands and leading what comes next with intention.

Depending on what you need, our work may also include a deeper exploration of:

Success Definition and Measures
Leadership Mandate and Value Map
Strategic Priority Map
Decision and Opportunity Filters
Leadership Principles and Soundbites
Stakeholder and A-Team Map

The partnership in depth

Performance through partnership.

You have stepped into something bigger. But greater responsibility does not automatically bring greater certainty. Expectations shift. More people are watching. Your decisions carry more weight. And the way you have always thought, worked or led may no longer be enough for what comes next.

There is no standard formula for navigating that moment. Our partnership is shaped around you, who you are, what matters, the environment you are operating in and the challenges and opportunities in front of you. It evolves as you do, providing the perspective, challenge and momentum you need when you need it most.

Think clearly. Decide confidently. Act with conviction.

The first month sets the foundation.

The first month gives us the space to build trust, understand what is really happening and establish how we will work together. The 90-minute opening session replaces one standard monthly strategic conversation for Month One.

Confidential Context Questionnaire: Completed before the partnership begins, giving me an understanding of your world, your current priorities and where you most need support.

90-minute Strategic Opening Session: A deep exploration of your role or business, ambitions, key relationships, current pressures and the decisions, challenges or opportunities in front of you.

How We Will Work Together: Agreeing on confidentiality, communication channels, response expectations and how you want me to challenge, support and hold you accountable.

Expansion in Action Plan: A concise, evolving document capturing all key Keep/Stop/Starts and deadlines across the four foundations to keep focused and striving for change and results.

What is included across the six months.

Monthly Strategic Conversations

Private 60-minute sessions in months 2 to 6, creating the space to think aloud, untangle complex situations, challenge assumptions and decide what to do next.

Responsive Feedback

Responsive weekday access through our agreed channel for brief questions, voice notes and sense-checks when something arises between sessions.

Rapid Decision Calls

15-minute calls each month for the moments when an important decision, conversation or opportunity cannot usefully wait.

Strategic Tools and Working Resources Library

Practical frameworks and tools to support the work, which may include decision-making frameworks, stakeholder maps, difficult-conversation plans, priority maps, reputation strategies or visibility plans.

Communication Sense-Check

Review of concise, high-stakes communication or working documents each month, providing an independent perspective before it goes out or into the room.

Expansion in Action Plan

A concise evolving action plan and summary updated after our monthly conversation capturing the decisions made, commitments agreed, next moves and issues to watch.

90-Day Partnership Review

A midpoint conversation to reflect on what has shifted, recalibrate priorities and identify what now needs your attention.

Six-Month Review and Next Chapter

A final review capturing your progress, important insights, recurring patterns and the strategic focus required for what comes next.

Real clients. Real results.

Making the right call through a business sale, and defining what came next

FinTech Founder and CEO · New Zealand
Partnership: 12 months, with ongoing advisory support

The impactMy client navigated the transition with a clearer sense of what mattered to her and the freedom to make decisions from intention rather than momentum.

The momentSelling her FinTech business required my client to make a series of significant commercial and personal decisions. Beyond the transaction was an equally important question: after building and leading a successful business, what did she want the next chapter to look like?

The partnershipI provided an independent strategic sounding board throughout the sale, helping her step back from the noise, examine her options and make considered decisions with greater clarity.

FocusBusiness transition · Strategic decisions
Founder identity · Next-chapter clarity

Janine mapping the four foundations on a whiteboard with a client

Growing from young technology leader to CEO, investor and venture builder

CEO · Venture Builder, Investor and EdTech Founder
Partnership: 10+ year engagement, with ongoing advisory support

The momentWhen our partnership began, this client was a young EdTech CTO learning to navigate leadership, a growing team and the complex dynamics between founders and the board. As the company expanded internationally, the scale and complexity of his role grew with it.

The partnershipI have acted as an executive sounding board, confidence catalyst and strategic challenger through pivotal moments involving launches, international expansion, business contraction, sales and new ventures.

The impactMy client has evolved from an emerging technology leader into an experienced CEO, CTO, investor and venture builder.

FocusFounder evolution · Executive leadership
Board dynamics · Strategic decision-making

Stepping into Managing Director with the confidence and capacity to lead at a new level

Managing Director · Financial Services, Hong Kong
Partnership: 1 Year + engagement, with ongoing advisory support

The momentMy client was simultaneously stepping up to Managing Director and stepping into a new global firm. The transition required her to establish credibility quickly, introduce new initiatives, build a growing team and navigate unfamiliar stakeholders, while remaining true to herself and managing the demands of a fulfilling career and family life.

The partnershipTogether, we worked through priorities, team decisions, stakeholder relationships and the leadership presence required at Managing Director level.

The impactThis client stepped into the position with greater clarity about how she wanted to lead and the value she was there to create.

FocusExecutive transition · First-year strategy
Leadership adaptability · Sustainable performance

Balancing command with connection in a complex global leadership role

Global Corporate Affairs Leader · New York
Partnership: 3+ Year Engagement, with ongoing advisory support

The momentMy client’s command, directness and high standards were significant leadership strengths. She wanted to broaden her range by bringing greater empathy and storytelling into her communication, creating stronger engagement across a global team.

The partnershipI helped her examine how her leadership was experienced and identify where adapting her approach could strengthen engagement without diluting her authority.

The impactShe has developed a more conscious and adaptable leadership style. Her engagement scores have lifted, and she is now recognised as her boss’s successor, while being engaged by competitors and sector-adjacent organisations.

FocusLeadership adaptability · Global influence
Stakeholder strategy · Team engagement

Clients across 46 countries, spanning global, MNC, local, start-up and scale-up businesses in financial services, professional services, consulting, hospitality, telecommunications, mining, law, media, retail, technology, property, art and culture, government, insurance, construction, fashion and regulatory bodies.Read all fourteen partnership stories

The clarity and confidence I have is invaluable.
Gwen L. · Head of HR, Asia

Janine challenges your thinking while showing compassion and commitment to your growth.
Nicole G. · CEO, Business Services

Watch out world, I’ve got Janine in my corner!
Dianne B. · CEO, Public Relations

Janine reads me like a book, it’s scary!
Emma B. · Senior Sourcing Leader, Retail

I am now a much more confident leader and individual who aligns my actions to my values.
Angelle L. · Art Director, Art & Culture

Janine is a giant reset button in human form.
Angela C. · Managing Director, Media

Janine leaves me feeling strong, empowered, and ready to conquer the world.
Jessica J. · Managing Director, Financial Services

She’s very solutions focused, so each session you always come away with an action plan.
Rebecca D. · Partner, Management Services

Working with Janine was one of the most powerful experiences of my life!
Christina T. · Founder, Coach & Consultant

Meet Janine

18years of global experience partnering with founders and executives
46countries coaching, consulting and facilitating next-level success
15years of international marketing, public relations and senior leadership experience, including leading teams of up to 500 people
1600client engagements that have built clarity, confidence, credibility and capacity

Certification as an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach (ICF PCC).
Certification as a Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach.
Specialist training as an Imposter Syndrome-Informed Coach.
Deep expertise in leadership confidence, strategic visibility, executive reputation, communication and influence.
A substantial collection of proven strategies, models and frameworks that can be applied to the realities of senior leadership, business growth and career expansion.

Insights

career

Visibility is career protection.

Right now, visibility is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s career protection.

Read

confidence

What if today is the day you decide to back yourself?

Not waited. Not overthought. Not checked with five other people first. Decided.

Read

confidence

Don’t want it, but know you need it (visibility, credibility, gravitas)?

Let’s be honest. The phrase “personal brand” can make even the most seasoned professionals cringe.

Read

Read all insights

FAQs

Is this coaching, consulting or strategic counsel?

It is a tailored combination of all three. Depending on what the situation requires, I may help you uncover your own answer, offer an independent perspective, challenge your thinking, share practical advice or work alongside you to shape the next move.

Who is this partnership designed for?

This is for executives and founders navigating greater responsibility, complexity, visibility or change, and who value a trusted, independent person with whom they can think honestly and strategically.

Why is the initial commitment six months?

Meaningful change takes more than one good conversation. Six months gives us time to build trust, understand the broader context, address immediate priorities and support you as decisions, opportunities and challenges unfold. A lot of my clients expand their partnership with me at this point, others choose to take time to embrace their new insights, knowledge and resources themselves, knowing I am always there to support them when they’re ready.

What happens if I need support between our scheduled sessions?

Between-session access is built into the partnership, with the level and format clearly outlined in your agreement. You can reach out when something important arises rather than waiting until our next scheduled conversation.

Is everything we discuss confidential?

Yes. Confidentiality is fundamental to the partnership and creates the space for you to speak openly about situations you may not be able to discuss with your board, team, investors, colleagues or family. Any legal or ethical limits to confidentiality will be clearly explained in your agreement.

All questions

Clarity for the decision. Conviction for what follows.

Everything changes the moment you back yourself.

But you don’t have to do it alone. Let’s begin with a confidential conversation about what you are carrying, where independent perspective could create movement and whether this is the right partnership for you.

You do not need to arrive with a perfectly defined goal. Bring the decisions, dynamics or opportunities taking up the most space. We will start there.

Book a Confidential Partnership Conversation

Or begin with a private readiness check

What happens next

45 minutes, private, by video or phone.
No preparation and no obligation.
If it is the right fit, I will outline how the partnership would work and send you a written summary.