The Cognitas team
Laura has been researching and working in the field of personal and organisational performance for over 20 years. Her early neuroscience research looked at how the brain makes complex decisions and manages change. She then spent six years at McKinsey & Co as a strategy and organisation consultant, and co-founded McKinsey & Co's leadership practice in Europe. She co-founded The Cognitas Group in 2008 in order to help leaders thrive, perform, and build powerful organisations. She has recently co-authored The Performance Curve with Cognitas colleague Vanessa Dietzel, published by Bloomsbury in Autumn 2021.
Laura works as a partner to CEOs and other senior executives to drive the change they are seeking in their teams and organisations. She brings transparency and structure to help teams get aligned on what they are trying to achieve and address roadblocks. She provides support and encouragement to help clients have honest conversations and repair trust. She gets into the mechanics of how individual leaders, teams and organisations operate day-to-day, to make sure that people are using their time well and making decisions productively. She is the lead faculty for several long-running leadership programmes for senior executives. Laura is known for being determined to help her clients get the result they seek and for challenging with a smile. Her clients say she “brings something special to every meeting, particularly in how she engages with very senior people” and “has a great capacity to bring structure out of confusion”.
Laura has worked all over the world, with dozens of multi-national teams and organisations. She works in English and French.
Laura has a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from Cambridge and an MA in Physiology and Psychology from Oxford. She’s a voracious learner and has trained in many individual and group development techniques.
She is passionate about education and career access for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. She was Chair of Governors at Haverstock School in North London for many years, and she has worked with several other education organisations.
Laura loves running, hiking, winter sports, and learning languages. She used to work as a ski teacher for the Swiss Ski School, but now spends her mountain time pottering downhill on the nursery slopes with her young daughter, or uphill on the occasional ski trek.
Shani is an executive coach and leadership advisor with over fifteen years' experience in working with dozens of organisations, leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. She believes that in order to execute effectively and get the results they want, leaders need a clear sense of purpose and vision, pragmatic tools to implement it, and the self-awareness to evaluate and adjust their impact.
Shani combines business expertise with a natural ability to unearth and demystify mindset patterns and relationship dynamics to help leaders create the impact they want. With her firm challenge and coaching, leaders learn to anticipate and respond effectively to the complex and evolving challenges they face. Shani has coached and advised individual leaders and leadership teams in blue chip companies, family-owned businesses and startups alike. She has also designed and delivered several large scale leadership programmes for some of the world’s most respected brands.
Her clients value her ability to “get to the heart of the problem and understand underlying motivations and dynamics”. At the same time, she “allows analytical people to open the door to their emotions” and challenges clients with “very honest feedback” delivered with “power and grace, compassion, kindness and strength”.
Shani works with clients across five continents and in multiple languages including English, Italian, Spanish, French and German.
Shani brings a unique blend of skills and talent acquired as a consultant at McKinsey & Co, as an investor and portfolio manager in private equity, and through extensive training and experience as a coach. As a result, she understands both the commercial realities and the human dynamics of organisations.
Shani holds a B.A. (Summa cum Laude) in Economics, Geography and International Studies from the University of Miami, an MSc (with Distinction) in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and a Certificate in Corporate Finance from the London Business School. She has been training as a coach for over a decade, including in ontological and somatic coaching and uses various other coaching and psychometric techniques and tools.
Shani currently spends as much of her spare time as possible with her two young children hoping to pass on her love of outdoor sports, nature and music to them. She is also enjoying introducing her children to adventure travel and continuing her goal of visiting most countries in the world over the next few decades.
Marci is highly experienced in working with senior leaders to create sustainable change and build their signature leadership style. She has a strong foundation in business, having worked in global marketing communication companies and in board level executive search for blue chip companies. She has coached numerous senior individuals and teams, often in the context of wider organisational change programmes. She works across sectors and geographies. She has an MBA from the Wharton School, is an accredited ICF coach and has extensive coaching and leadership credentials. Marci loves people and builds strong relationships that form a basis for deep personal and team change.
Christina has worked in global roles across HR and leadership development for magic circle law firms (most recently with A&O Sherman) for over 19 years, both in continental Europe and the UK. She enjoys working with leaders, teams and individuals to make sustainable changes and build cultures that support people and organisations to thrive. Christina has a particular interest in organisational development, coaching and working somatically through the body-mind connection. She is trained in a range of psychometrics (e.g. ESCI and MBTI) and as an Integral Development Coach. She is known for her warmth, paired with an ability to help individuals and organisations get unstuck from unhelpful mindsets and conditioned habits. She is fluent in German and English.
Nic is a specialist in coaching, and in coach and organisation development. He has a strong reputation for working with organisations, individuals and teams. He works in a wide range of sectors, including professional services, pharma, healthcare, FMCG, retail and financial services.
Prior to becoming a full-time coach, Nic worked for PepsiCo in developing the people side of their restaurant businesses and was HR Director for Costa Coffee, playing a central role in acquiring and establishing the brand both in the UK and overseas. As L&D Director of Whitbread Restaurants, he was responsible for leading the development of over 20,000 people across ten distinct brands.
Nic Is a member of the faculty at Henley Business School, developing the next generation of accredited 1-1 and team coaches. He holds ICF accreditations at PCC level for both individual and team coaching. He loves his sport and his music and has a passion for studying wine at close quarters! He is based in North London.
Liz began her career as a physiotherapist before progressing into leadership roles within the NHS. She transferred into the Pharmaceuticals industry before moving into consultancy with HayGroup for over 10 years. She has had her own consulting practice for over 15 years, focusing on executive coaching and leadership assessment and development. She is a pragmatic coach who has a supportive and challenging style. She encourages her clients to challenge their limiting beliefs and push their boundaries resulting in them having more open and receptive mindsets. She has coached at all levels from first line supervisors to CEOs. Liz has an MBA from Henley Business School and an MA in Coaching and Mentoring. She is an ICF accredited coach and team coach. She is registered to use a wide variety of psychometric instruments and is BPS Level A and B certified. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors; hiking, skiing, running and cycling. When not keeping active she enjoys cinema and theatre and getting ready for her next travel adventure.
Vanessa has over ten years' experience of working with senior executives and all layers of management on a wide range of business issues, including strategy development, organisation design, operational improvement, leadership effectiveness and implementing change programmes. She has recently co-authored The Performance Curve with Cognitas colleague Laura Watkins, published by Bloomsbury in Autumn 2021. Vanessa is highly skilled at helping senior leaders improve their effectiveness at how they lead, both as individuals and groups, and also coaches individuals in achieving their professional and personal goals. She started her career in consulting with The Boston Consulting Group in London and Sydney, where she served clients across multiple industries. Vanessa graduated with a BSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. She is a qualified therapist, yoga teacher and mindfulness practitioner and has trained in various personal and group development techniques including Systemic Constellations. She is fluent in German, English and French. Vanessa is warm, empathetic and organised, and puts clients through their paces with a great sense of fun and partnership.
Caty Everett develops extraordinary leaders and high-performing teams. With over 20 years of experience, she specialises in executive coaching, high performing teams, leadership training and facilitation services. She works with dynamic and fast-growth companies across diverse industries including technology, retail, finance, biotech, media, and hospitality. She previously built and ran an internal consulting team at Google. Caty has a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard and a M.A. in Social Psychology and Organisational Behaviour from Columbia University, and has worked at both the Harvard and Columbia Business Schools to research and teach coursework on group dynamics and leadership effectiveness. Caty’s empathy and keen insight enables her clients to challenge pre-existing assumptions and move forward with fresh perspective and motivation.
Valerie is an executive coach with 20+ years of experience in high growth and high-tech firms in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. She partners with leaders and their teams to help them maximise their performance and work brilliantly with others, both within and beyond their organisations. Valerie provides one-to-one coaching, team development facilitation, and group coaching on leadership development programmes. She has managed large, complex global teams in supply chain, manufacturing production, business operations and HR. Valerie has a BS in Human Development from the University of California. She is a certified coach (CPCC) and has numerous specialty certifications. Valerie lives in Sonoma County, San Francisco with her family, loves to travel and is an avid reader.
Sandeep is a dynamic executive coach and leadership transformation facilitator with over 15 years of corporate experience in human capital consulting. Drawing from diverse backgrounds as a consultant, psychologist, coach, and therapist, Sandeep excels in guiding clients through complex personal transformations. She has spearheaded transformative initiatives for multinational organizations, emphasizing the courage, humility, and commitment required for successful change. Sandeep employs a versatile toolkit including neuroscience, psychotherapy, and systems theory to tailor her approach across diverse development programs. She holds degrees from Leicester University, City University London, and Middlesex University in Psychology, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, and Integrative Counselling Psychology, respectively.
In 17 years working as a leadership coach and trainer, Jane has coached and advised more than 800 leaders. Jane brings a unique blend of skills and talent acquired as a senior leader at the BBC and through extensive training and experience as a coach. Her passion is to help leaders be their best, professional, authentic selves.
Her first career was in journalism. She was a reporter, producer, and television editor. Recent coaching assignments include designing and running a global senior leadership development. She is an AC Accredited Coach and is currently co-authoring a book on compelling communication. Outside work, her current obsession is training for her first and last London Marathon.
Hector is a strategy and communications consultant with extensive experience in the Health, Pharmaceuticals, Agrochemicals, Telecoms and Financial Services industries. He is also a bestselling author and publishing entrepreneur. Following an African upbringing and a first class biology degree from Oxford University, Hector began his career at Gemini Consulting. He was awarded a Dean's List MBA at INSEAD. He is one of the world’s leading practitioners of storytelling in business. His smart questions, valuable structure and rich insights help clients build clarity and alignment and communicate powerfully.
Louise is a seasoned leadership and organisation development professional with solid practical business experience as an entrepreneur and in a large variety of corporate settings. She has worked at senior executive levels in client organisations to bring about strategic change, influence organisational culture and develop strong leadership. She is known for her ability to make the link between personal aspirations, team relationships, organisational culture and business realities. She holds a degree in Industrial Relations and a diploma in Adult Education, and studied Organisational Learning and the Action Science methodology with the late Chris Argyris, professor emeritus at Harvard University. Louise is based in Montreal, Canada, and speaks fluent English and French as well as conversational Spanish. Louise combines an infectious warmth with insights about what makes people tick and how to drive change.
Liz is a learning and performance improvement specialist with over 25 years’ experience driving large- scale cultural change, leadership, management and organisational development programmes. Liz is a highly skilled team coach with particular expertise in people development, cultural change, mindsets, behaviour change, leadership, sales, service and team development. She has held senior positions in both consulting roles and industry. A business graduate, Liz has a Master diploma in Systemic Team Coaching, is a PCC qualified coach and supervisor, is trained in using psychometrics and is currently the Programme Director of the ICF accredited Team Accelerator Coaching Programme. In her spare time, Liz has three teenage daughters and keeps sane and fit through Pilates, meditation and walking with the family dog Hector. Fluent in Spanish, Liz is currently enhancing her skills as an embodiment coach and facilitator.
Kevin is a leadership consultant and executive coach. His superpower is helping leaders cultivate a growth mindset, elevate their communication, and improve the stakeholder relationships which matter most to their success.
He is known for being a deeply intuitive and staggeringly perceptive coach. His style is grounded, practical and vitalising. His keen empathic awareness helps him quickly identify precisely where leaders are stuck as well as the modality of coaching that will suit them best. Due to his gift for rapid bonding with leaders at all levels, he can champion their talents and successes, while also challenging them more boldly to manifest greater performance.
Kevin has a B.A. in English from St. Joseph’s University and has been training as a coach for over ten years. He worked as a Director for Stand & Deliver, the global leadership communication firm and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Kevin also has a creative career as an award-winning playwright and actor and has worked as a teaching theatre artist with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He is certified in the Instinctive Drives assessment tool and the Immunity to Change model from Minds at Work.
Jeremy specialises in helping clients to succeed in challenging conditions, such as those that are changing, sensitive or with high stakes. He is a trained individual and team coach with a deep background in organisational psychology, psychotherapy and somatic coaching. He has lived in the UK, France, Bahrain, Kenya, Germany and the Caribbean, and works in North and South America, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Previously, Jeremy co-founded a multi-million pound top 3 lobbying and strategic communications consultancy, was a special forces trained soldier, combat medic, ski guide, yacht crew and army scholar sponsored by the Parachute Regiment. Jeremy builds strong relationships with his clients and works hard to help them question, change and grow. These days, when he isn’t travelling, he enjoys a quieter life; living in a wood in a house he built with his wife, two sons and two terriers, though in truth the terriers weren’t that much help.
Deborah Thomas is an executive coach with some 20 years' coaching experience in demanding business contexts. She loves to help talented people build on strengths, deepen self-awareness, and realise their full potential, and has completed over 3,500 hours’ coaching, and designed and delivered leadership development programmes, for individuals and teams in blue chip companies, professional services firms and third sector organisations. Deborah brings to her work an understanding of individual and organisational dynamics drawn from wide-ranging business experience in 19 years at McKinsey & Co. She complements this with deep coaching expertise, having first trained as a coach in the early 1990s. She also trained in humanistic psychotherapy, gaining an RSA certificate in counselling skills. Clients appreciate the combination of her warm and supportive style with her intellectual rigour and incisiveness.
Lisa Thomas is an experienced business consultant, trainer and executive coach. She has direct experience managing businesses at Board Level, as well as working with organisations as a consultant, in private, government and non-profit sectors. Lisa started life as a zoologist, with an MA and PhD from the University of Cambridge. She spent a number of years at McKinsey & Co. as a strategy consultant. She is a Visiting Fellow at the New College of the Humanities and is also a qualified Master Practitioner in NLP. Lisa brings a first-rate ability to analyse situations and structure solutions, and is a strong organisational change driver.
Audrey works with senior leaders and teams to strengthen communication, influence and collaboration. She helps clients translate strategic priorities into practical behavioural shifts, build trust across stakeholder groups, and lead with clarity in complex environments. Her style combines analytical rigour with a warm, human approach that supports leaders to think more deeply and act with greater confidence.
Before becoming a coach, Audrey spent sixteen years in investment banking — first with UBS and later as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank. Her commercial background gives her a grounded understanding of high-pressure, fast-paced organisational cultures and the realities of senior leadership.
Audrey holds an MA in Physiological Sciences from the University of Oxford, where she specialised in neuroscience, psychology and neuropharmacology. She has been coaching for over thirteen years and is credentialed as a Master Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation. She is also an experienced team coach, working with boards and leadership teams to improve alignment, cohesion and collective performance.
Audrey is part of the coaching faculty for London Business School on their Executive Education programmes and serves as a Non-Executive Director for Bold Voices, an organisation focused on gender equality and culture change in education.
Outside work, Audrey is a mother to four teenagers, does a lot of cooking and a keen skier and traveller.