Executive Coach & Advisor — Amsterdam
I help leaders navigate
the hard moments —
in their companies
and in themselves.
Ex-VP of People JetBrains. I know what breaks. I ask the questions others won't. And I'm always on your side.
Who I work with
Company outgrew itself. Culture, structure, and your own role need rethinking. You need someone who's been inside and will tell you the truth.
New role, new scope — the old playbook stopped working. You're figuring out what kind of leader you want to be at this level.
Building a function, shaping culture, defining what kind of company this wants to be. Without much support for yourself.
HR audit, culture assessment, building a people function from scratch, or ongoing advisory for a group of companies. We scope it together.
How I work
The business request
is rarely the whole story.
Behind every business problem is a person making decisions. I work with both - what's visible and what's driving it beneath the surface.
Not theory. I've built teams, navigated org changes, and sat with founders through the moments that kept them up at night.
The higher you go, the fewer people tell you the truth. I do - in a way that lands without breaking the relationship.
Investment
30 min · Free
We talk. I understand your situation. Together we decide if working together makes sense and in what format.
5 sessions · €1,000 | 10 sessions · €1,900 | 12+1 sessions · €2,500
Sessions of 60 min, every 2–4 weeks. Format and pace we agree together based on your goals.
On request
HR audit, culture assessment, building a people function, board advisory. Scope and terms discussed individually.
12 sessions · €2,100 excl. VAT · We are in contact between sessions if you need me
For leaders navigating a significant transition: new role, growing team, hard decisions, or a moment of professional rethinking. Four months of sustained work.
About
I've worked in tech HR since 2002 - first 7 years consulting for Microsoft, Dell, Nokia, Alcatel, and others. Then 14 years as VP People at JetBrains, building the people function from scratch as the company scaled from 100 to 2,500 people across 10 countries.
I was the person the CEO called when something wasn't working and the real issue wasn't obvious yet. I've conducted over 10,000 interviews, built leadership teams from engineers, and navigated every kind of organisational transition.
Now I work independently through Core Lane - as an executive advisor, coach, and thinking partner for founders, leaders, and HR teams at inflection points.
INSEAD Executive Coaching Certificate. Psychodynamic supervision training, Amsterdam. Fluent in English and Russian.