SUPPORTING HIGH PERFORMING LEADERS AND COMPANIES
EVOLVE
MULTI-TIME CEO, COACH AND OPERATING ADVISOR
(AND A DOWN TO EARTH HUMAN BEING)
ABOUT ME
I had the privilege of being a CEO three times. Twice as a public company CEO and once as interim CEO within a private equity context. I have led global companies with over $5 billion in revenues with operations in over 60 countries and 20,000+ talented employees.
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I’ve dealt with a wide range of business opportunities and challenges. From M&A through capital raising (debt and equity) through complex business model transformations and messy restructuring and turnaround situations. I also sit on public company, private equity-backed, and private boards in the US, France, Australia and Canada.
These all contribute to a wealth of experience that I can bring to my clients in two areas:
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CEO and senior executive coaching
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Private equity/private credit Operating Advisor.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
CONFIDENTIAL*
CEO
Global Software Company
“Gerrard is an inspiring coach.
He challenged and helped me better understand my motivations, along with areas that have limited my leadership at times. I now lead more effectively, and have a deeper sense of what success means for me"
* Further details available on request
JOHN JANSEN
Incoming CEO, Advanced Technology International (ATI) and retired Lieutenant General of the US Marine Corps
"I am deeply grateful for your many layers of support and coaching.
I don't think there is a single person who has understood the contour lines of my journey's path more than you. Thank you"
BRYAN WATERS
Former CEO
Luminator Technologies
"I highly recommend Gerrard. Your coaching and counsel was always on point and value added. You made me think differently, better and smarter. Your style and know-how is perfect and top of class in this field
CEO AND LEADERSHIP COACH
WHAT I Do:
MY STYLE AND APPROACH:
Help CEOs and senior leaders develop the skills and mindsets to become higher performing leaders, so that they’re able to extend their positive impact to others around them.​
My sweet spot is working with senior leaders in mid to large scale global companies
My clients tell me that, beyond my experience as a CEO, they value my direct yet caring style, and my willingness to challenge their own belief systems and hold them accountable.
WHY I CAN RELATE TO YOUR JOURNEY AS A LEADER:
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I have walked along that same path - three times as a CEO, in three different countries
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I know the loneliness of being at the top, and the weight of leadership responsibility
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I understand the importance of decisiveness as a leader, and the challenge that sometimes offers in bringing a team along
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I have felt the uncertainty we face with some decisions we need to make​​
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I have struggled with the all consuming nature of work while trying also to be the husband and father I wanted to be
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I know the struggle in getting genuine candid feedback from across the company
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And I've experienced the highs of the successes, and the lows of my mistakes
MY PHILOSOPHY ON LEADERSHIP AND GROWTH
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Every coaching engagement is unique, but there are some common elements. Change requires work and time. I am committed to working with you to support you in your own unique journey.
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I believe that today’s most effective leaders need a wide range of skills. Some that we have already developed, and others that are still incubating, or have yet to develop.​
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Yes, business know-how on how to be an effective CEO or senior executive are important table stakes. And yet I’ve experienced that these skills don’t serve us particularly well in dealing with complex issues that today’s leaders are expected to address. Nor are they helpful in guiding our own growth and evolution as leaders. We know with certainty now that leaders have to evolve to keep abreast of the pace of change. Regardless of whether those changes are macro shifts, or technology changes like generative AI or other changes.
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​As a CEO I dealt with a range of issues that have now become the “norm” for CEOs. Beyond the drumbeat of quarterly earnings cycles I have had to consider some unique challenges. Including employing a para-military convoy to support our employees in Kiev during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an employee kidnapping in Mexico, and dealing with a wide range of Covid-related crises (including diverting oxygen from a manufacturing facility to a hospital in Brazil that needed oxygen supplies for patients); and a wide range of social issues.​
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As a leader for many years I've had my successes and my mistakes. Through that journey I’ve developed a deep sense of my own value as a leader, my own biases and beliefs that both accelerated my journey as a CEO, and where those beliefs held me back. Through my own journey of growth I’ve developed a deep passion in personal growth and the appetite to support others in their own journeys.
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I approach coaching from a belief that we are all a work in progress. Coaching is about continuous change, perpetual learning, and capacity building - it is not about any one person having all the answers.
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As leaders around the world have a disproportionate impact on society I believe that we have an opportunity, and an obligation, to evolve for better outcomes for society. ​
​....I look forward to having an exploratory discussion with you.
OPERATING ADVISOR
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Multi-time CEO
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High-performing global teams and operating systems
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M&A and deal integration
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Digital transformation and business model transformation
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Technology - SaaS, enterprise software, Services and hardware
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Restructuring and turnaround situations
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M&A and deal integration
AREAS OF EXPERTISE:
BACKGROUND
I have both led and supported public and private-equity backed companies operating globally. I bring a wealth of corporate operating experience to my clients in supporting their efforts to unlock value in their investments.
Public: I've been a public company CEO twice, leading global companies in the FinTech sector with revenues over $5 billion and operations in over 60 countries. I also sit on public boards listed in the US and Australia.
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Private equity/Private credit: I have been involved in a number of transactions in the private equity/private credit space including:
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Interim CEO and Board member of a $1B+ French-based payments company
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Chair of the Board of a US transportation technology company
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Supporting due diligence in a number of PE transactions
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