Simona Gherasim

Hi, my name is Simona. Nice to meet you!

Simona Gherasim

Here's my secret to success: there are no miracles!

It's the consistent, relentless work, despite setbacks, that drives my clients forward.

I primarily work with senior leaders facing significant challenges or aspiring to achieve ambitious goals. Our coaching sessions often explore topics like navigating uncertainty, power dynamics, shaping organisational structures, managing tricky transitions, building stronger teams, managing various relationships, prioritising self-care, and addressing midlife challenges.

While I primarily coach senior leaders, your job title isn’t the deciding factor. I seek clients who are responsible for shaping the culture within their team, business unit, or organisation and who see coaching as a way to enhance this process. Witnessing the ripple effect of coaching is one of the greatest joys of my professional life.

How I work

Your Agenda

It's entirely up to you to decide what you want to focus on during our coaching engagement. Your agenda is at the heart of our coaching sessions.

You determine the topics we address in each session and over the course of our work together. I’m here to help you keep track of these topics and prioritize them as needed. If I notice something important that might be overlooked, I’ll bring it to your attention. However, the ultimate responsibility for the agenda remains with you. I’m here to support you every step of the way, no matter what you choose to work on.

Your Answers, My Questions

My expertise lies in building meaningful coaching relationships. While I’m not the expert on you or your leadership aspirations, I excel at listening, reflecting back, and asking questions that prompt deep reflection and insight. I don’t come with ready-made answers because I believe the best solutions come from within you. My goal is to earn the right to ask the questions that will guide you toward your own success.

Having coached since 2007, I have developed a keen perspective on what great leaders do and how they continue to grow. However, instead of providing a one-size-fits-all solution, we work together to uncover the answers that are uniquely suited to your needs and circumstances.

My Style

Care is at the foundation of my work, even when I challenge you. My communication style is direct and ranges from fast-paced discussions to more reflective approaches, adapting to what I believe the conversation requires in that moment. I always check with you to ensure it suits your needs.

When I challenge you, it’s with your best interests in mind. Elegance is present, ensuring our interactions are both respectful and thoughtful, even during sensitive conversations. It’s crucial that we discover the style that works best for us as coaching partners. You should always feel heard and respected, and real communication should never be hindered by mere politeness.

My coaching beliefs

I believe that nothing exists in isolation. Human growth is also inherently relational, and the coaching relationship is the cornerstone of effective coaching.

Coaching is a process. Alongside coaching relationship and my own self, the coaching process is one of the most powerful tools I have. I trust the process to foster both short wins and long-term sustainable results if the client consistently engage with it. 

Identity is the biggest motor for change. How we see ourselves determines our behaviours. My clients face struggles as human beings that reverberate in their roles as leaders. My role is to accompany them in redefining how they see themselves in order to take different actions and fully step into whatever is next for them.

In a world where anyone can call themselves a coach, I’m proud to be among the professionals.

As a Master Certified Coach (MCC), I hold the highest credential awarded by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). This certification reflects my dedication, rigorous training, and extensive experience, placing me among the top 5% of ICF-certified coaches globally. I also hold the Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC), I am ICF registered mentor coach, and coach supervisor. My clients can be assured they are partnering with a professional who adheres to the highest standards of coaching excellence.

My journey into professional coaching began in 2007 with Alain Cardon at Metasysteme Coaching. Since then, I've been continually expanding my skills through various coaching programs. From the transformative experiences of Integral Coaching in London and San Francisco, the insightful 7P program from The Gottman Institute in Singapore, to the inspiring courses at The Centre for Supervision Training and Development in Bath, and Systemic Team Coaching and Team Supervision with Prof. Hawkins, I am always dedicated to refining my craft to better serve my clients.

In terms of formal education, I hold an EMBA from Bled School of Management, a BA in Finance-Banking from A.S.E. Bucharest, and a BA in Law. One of the most enriching formal learning experiences of my life was the Master of Religious Studies (non-confessional) classes at the University of Bucharest.

When you partner with me, you also gain the benefit of my corporate experience. My resume includes roles as Communication and Public Affairs Director and Board Member for two of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Romania (Sanofi and MSD), Senior Business Development Executive in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department of Rompetrol.

I believe that I coach the way I am, which means my personal development, alongside my professional growth, deeply influences my coaching effectiveness. To be the best coach I can be, I am committed to ongoing personal development. I’ve been through personal therapy, I regularly participate in various personal development events, and I am also a constant coaching client myself. This commitment ensures that I continue to grow and evolve, bringing my whole self to my coaching practice.

Your questions answered

Curious about who I am beyond my professional credentials? After asking several leaders what they'd like to read on About me page, I discovered they also wanted to know more about me also on a personal level. Here are my candid answers to their questions, offering a deeper glimpse into who I am.

Do you pump your own gas? It depends. If there’s an attendant at the station, I let them do it. If no one is around or they’re busy, I’ll do it myself.

Do you know how to change a car tire? No.

Do you cook? I don't think so, though my daughters might disagree. I prepare dinner most evenings and I prefer oven cooking because it's easier. 

What do you appreciate most about your friends? That I can be myself around them and that they genuinely celebrate my successes.

How much time do you spend with your kids? Increasingly less as they grow older. My eldest daughter is turning 18 soon and is often out and about. With my younger one, we still have our routines like school runs, homework, girls talks....Dinner is our time to reconnect. 

Given the choice of anyone in the world, from any time, whom would you want as a dinner guest? My younger self.

Do you have a favorite football team? I don’t have a favorite football team, but I do have an interest in a coach introduced to me by a client: Guardiola.

What has stayed with you from the last movie you watched? The pleasure of watching it and an idea that resonated with me; “You can learn a lot about a society by how individuals talk to each other. Language shapes being” (from "Star Trek: Discovery").

What’s the best joke you know? I can’t say it’s the best, but a recent one that amused me goes like this:
"Prince Charming goes to the fountain of living and dead water. There, a dragon awaits. They fight, and at one point, Prince Charming cuts off one of the dragon’s heads. After another tussle, he cuts off another head. The dragon steps back and asks:
-Prince Charming, why are you here?
-To drink water!
-Then why ******* aren’t you drinking the water?"

Voices of Leadership

  • “Simona was getting into the issues and coming to the crucial points immediately. Also she helped me to find a viable approach for my team challenges and coached the implementation successfully. She is highly experienced allowing to adopt to changing circumstances very quickly. It was a fun & great experience working with her”
    Senior VP, Head of Corporate Structured Finance&Capital, Germany
  • "I always tease Simona that I have made zero progress. However, I have been working with her for the past seven years, and our coaching process has become essential to me. It keeps me grounded, prevents me from going off track, and moves me forward. What I love most about the process is the authenticity, the magic, and the new perspectives it brings. I would never recommend her to anyone, just to ensure she still finds time for me :-) "
    Commercial Director, Romania
  • “Simona is an extremely effective and inspiring coach. She helped me overcome challenges in role transition. I now have great insight and tools to work with and feel well prepared and confident in my role and in facing any future challenges. I can’t think of anyone I would recommend more highly for those presently in a transition or rethinking their life direction.”
    Business Unit Manager, Middle East
  • “What I value most about working with Simona is her remarkable ability to quickly uncover hidden dynamics and reveal the entire system at play. Our coaching sessions have enabled me to see both myself and the system I am part of, transforming my approach to leadership, my professional life, and beyond. I am deeply grateful for her presence, warmth, and insights.”
    Managing Partner, Consultancy Group, London

Trusted by Industry Leaders

  • Unicredit
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