Maria grew up in Lagos Nigeria, has lived and worked in various countries, and while operating globally is based in the UK, where she is the founder of The Leadership Psychology Institute. She has 25 years of experience in partnering with senior teams (Middle-level Managers, Management Teams, Boards and CEOs) for several multi-national organizations.
As a Professional in the field of Organizational Development she specializes in providing Organizational Solutions that answer to today's ever increasing business needs around leadership, managing change and increasing both individuals' and teams' effectiveness through the implementation of bespoke Leadership Programmes, Group Dynamics workshops, Executive Coaching. Coming from a multi-cultural background herself and having to negotiate her own path in the corporate world for 13 years in organizations like SCA Hygiene, Johnson & Johnson, Henkel-Ecolab and Diageo, allows her to provide an insight into an organization that is practical, pragmatic and challenging. Her achievements include the effective leading of various HR initiatives, the successful introduction of various HR & organisational initiatives and action as a catalyst for organisational change, as well as leading multi-cultural leadership programs in Greece, Germany, South Africa, Eastern Europe and Turkey.
She has a BA in Management and Organizational Behaviour, MA in Human Resources Management and an MSc in Psychology. Her Doctorate in Leadership Psychology at William James College (former Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology) in Boston gave her the opportunity to specialize further into Leadership Teams and to break new grounds in measuring trust. She holds the Henley Business School Certificate in Coaching and is an accredited (PCC) Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). At the same time, she is accredited by The Kantor Institute (MA, USA). She is certified in various psychometric instruments (e.g. MBTI, FIRO-B, CPI, 16PF, etc.) by the British Psychology Society and has also been a tutor in Management courses at The American College of Greece and other Academic Institutions, and delivering workshops, seminars and training programmes to Executives since 2002. Her professional affiliations include the British Psychology Society (BPS) Chartered Psychologist, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Institute of Leadership and Management (UK) Ð Fellow Member and the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) Ð Registered Member.
Maria has co-authored the book ÔUnder Pressure Ð understanding and managing pressure and stress at the workplace', published by Marshall Cavendish International (UK). The book has been released in English, Portuguese and Chinese - authored ÔFactions of A Mind - Understanding the physical and psychological effects of caring' and ÔGroup Dyna-Mix - Investigating team dynamics, from leaders to corporate gatekeepers'.
