Aesara Partners 

At Aesara Partners, our mission is simple: enable you to be the best version of yourself. We offer a range of focused services that unlock the potential of people, teams and cultures to maximise business performance. 

Collectively our Partners and Associates have decades of experience both in executive coaching and as board level leaders themselves working in multiple sectors across global markets.

Partner & Executive Coach

Doshisha University

Professor of Strategic Management, Global MBA Program

The CFO Coach K.K.

The CFO Coach K.K. is a boutique executive coaching firm specializing in developing High-Performance​ Financial Leaders and Teams.

Founder & Executive Coach

Kansai Gaidai University

•	Awarded President's Global Education Award (Teacher of the Year).

Professor of Leadership & Management

Benesse Holdings, Inc. (USD 4.5B; Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 9783)

•	Member of the Board of Directors for Berlitz Corporation; Benesse Corporation; and Benesse Style Care.  Chairman of Audit Committee for Berlitz Corporation. Member of Benesse Holdings Pension Committee.
•	Global CFO covering all 40+ Benesse group companies
•	Championed and supported multiple cash generation initiatives including a CFO led "Save to Grow" initiative to improve Company Financial performance and to identify significant savings for business reinvestment
•	Enhanced Finance bench strength and hired a high potential team to start financial business consulting
•	Implemented several process and capability best practices to move group companies towards global standards

Global Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Senior Vice President

McCann Worldgroup Holdings

• Overall Responsibility for Operations (Finance, IT, Legal, and Administration - 10 legal entities) 
• Successfully turned around long term loss making lead agency by delivering double digit margin improvements within two years
• Delivered double digit margin improvements for all six MWG Group companies 
• Built a new Finance team and moved from Scorekeeping to Business Partnership and improved business performance
• Major projects within last two years include: 
  - Shared Service center creation/migration
  - New Financial System Migration
  - Acquisition & Divestiture
  - Business Turnaround
  - Retirement Plan consolidation/change
  - Office relocation/rent reductions

Group Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, and Member of The Board

Becton, Dickinson and Company

• Led Finance, Procurement, General Affairs, and Rebates teams (43 staff) to deliver multi-million dollar cash and profit performance improvement for first year and beyond. Exceeded all budget expectations.
• Engaged Japan Management Team and Global Finance Leadership Team on company objectives to deliver best outcome (Finance Transformation initiative, Sales effectiveness improvement, Key Account Management, Business Continuity plan, and strategy/selection of backup distribution center).  Led process for 2012-16 Business Plan development
• Developed and executed Finance department strategy and vision to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Implemented job rotation program and hired several high potential employees to improve bench strength.
• Championed multiple Finance and Procurement initiatives including definition and implementation of new 401k Retirement Plan; divestiture of non-core business; change of primary banks (reduced bank fees by over 30%); vendor reduction process, and new travel expense management system 
• Taught New Manager Essentials program and selected as leadership trainer for PEPFAR program in South Africa to teach Leadership and Change Management to African Health Ministry officials

Finance and Administration Director

Avon Products Inc.

•	Implementation project leader for Avon Sales Leadership Framework (ASLF) – Highest priority project for the Company to adapt to a new Sales Model.  Completed project implementation in record timing.  Awarded regional award as part of ASLF Team. Only person in Asia recognized for both Top-line and Bottom-line contributions in the same year.
•	Defined and executed new vision and mission and led Sales Support department to complete over 40 initiatives (within a six-month period) as part of Team’s new journey towards field motivational excellence. Incorporated new processes to deliver high impact incentives, and to create Sales energy and momentum for sales turn-around.    
•	Achieved highest employee engagement scores with Sales Support Department significantly exceeding country results in over 95% of categories.  Previously had also led Finance department to highest employee engagement scores.
•	Global Project leader for a high potential, multi-functional, multi-national team to study and recommend actions to improve Global Sales Incentive management/spending process.
•	Oversaw execution of a variety of Company and Public/Media events ranging from Sales Conferences to Philanthropic events including Annual Awards to Women, and Pink Ribbon Campaign support.

Executive Director and Member of the Board

•	Responsible for Financial policy making/implementation and reporting for Avon Japan as a public company (including statutory/public, and Board Meetings). All year-end financial documents audited with no comments/exceptions.
•	Defined and executed new department Vision and Mission, and recruited, trained and developed a completely new Finance team (80% new hires within a six month period) to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Finance team formed core of country high potential list.
•	Consistently over achieved profit performance commitment under adverse conditions of sales decline by aggressively managing strategic business needs with cost cutting; Delivered zero overhead growth during all years; Japan winner of regional awards for best cost management performance, and for boldest transformation strategy.
•	Provided leadership and support for critical decisions and strategy development as Japan Leadership Team Member.  Actively led change management process within company.
•	Consistently achieved best internal control results in Asia-Pacific/Avon over a period of eight audits.  Japan one of only two countries with highest audit rating. Outstanding performance generated support to remove Japan from list of High Coverage countries.
• Co-developed strategic/financial business case, and obtained approval for number of campaign reduction in 2006 making Avon Japan only country ever in Avon to undergo campaign reduction. 
• Independently analyzed and provided strategic direction for Plant study which challenged and reversed previous recommendation by outside consultants on plant closure.
• Provided leadership in several restructuring initiatives by providing an achievable plan to achieve 12% people related cost reduction.  Played lead role in this study representing Finance, Supply Chain and HR 
• Consistently achieved highest performance rating and nominations to several high potential programs
• Elected (and re-elected) to Board of Directors

Executive Director, CFO and Member of the Board of Directors

Delphi

• Prepared Asia-Pacific regional messages / presentations for Delphi Strategy Board, and for Delphi Board of Directors.
• Supported development and implementation of critical Asia-Pacific strategies.  Performed competitive intelligence and other special studies to identify risks / competitive threats and outlined regional / corporate response.
• Provided Miller Heiman strategic selling process training to Asia-Pacific personnel to improve value propositions and increase sales effectiveness.

Director Asia-Pacific Planning

• Management responsibilities for Finance, HR, General Affairs, and Six-Sigma.
• Active member of the Japan Strategy Board and Japan management team.  
• Six-Sigma Deployment Champion for Delphi Japan.

Delphi Japan – CFO & Administration Director

Country Responsibilities:
• Managed all finance functions including accounting, budgeting / forecasting and treasury.
• Lead development of cross-functional and cross-divisional Internal Control Review Board.
• Lead and supported strategic initiatives including venture development support, site enhancement, competitive analysis, transfer pricing, and cost reduction studies.
• Represented Japan in Asia-Pacific Financial Task Team.

Regional Responsibilities:
• Coached country CFO and staff to implement common financial reporting processes.
• Supervised and provided training for engineering / commercial / plant / site analysts.  Coordinated regional financial training programs for the sector in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Coordinated the regional budget, business plan, and capital management process.
• Supported development of common financial practices among ventures including:  Loan monitoring, F/X and cash management, compliance with accounting principles, report submission, etc. Provided regional oversight of venture risk exposure.

Asia-Pacific Senior Finance Mgr.

Executive Coach | MBA Professor | Ex-Global CFO

I help senior leaders master complexity, elevate strategic impact, and lead with authentic authority.

I bring over 25 years of C-level and boardroom experience as a former Global CFO for a $5B publicly traded company, combined with a deep commitment to human-centered leadership development.

Today, I coach global executives, CEOs, and leadership teams — specializing in executive transitions, strategic leadership, high-performance teams, and Asian leadership development.

I am also an MBA Professor of Leadership and Strategic Management, blending research-driven frameworks with boardroom-tested insights to develop transformational leaders.

Based in Kyoto, fluent in English, Urdu, and Japanese.

Connect with me: arif@thecfocoach.jp

Website: www.thecfocoach.jp (please sign up on my mailing list to receive future announcements and newsletters)

Arif Iqball

The Leadership Shift: From Overwhelmed to Empowered.

Leadership can feel like a lonely and exhausting journey.

You might be:
• Putting out fires instead of focusing on strategic impact.
• Navigating cultural dynamics in a team that doesn’t quite gel.
• Feeling like you have to "perform" rather than lead authentically.

I coach executives and teams to turn these challenges into leadership strengths by focusing on emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and effective leadership habits.

With over 25 years of experience across 30+ countries, I’ve supported leaders at Cisco, Oracle, Salesforce, BNP Paribas, and ambitious startups navigating hypergrowth. 

Whether you’re scaling fast or feeling stuck, I help you:
• Lead with clarity and confidence, even in uncertain times.
• Build cohesive, high-performing teams across cultures and continents.
• Reconnect with your authentic leadership style and your purpose - so it feels good and performs even better.

The result? Less stress, more impact.
Stronger teams, stronger leaders.

✨ Ready for that shift? Let’s start the conversation.



Looking for a keynote speaker on topics around or related to
• How to tackle challenges faced by startup founders, 
• How to tackle your large team when you are manager of managers, 
• Unconscious bias Impact, 
• Keys to Leadership of the future, 
• Women in leadership 
• Emotional intelligence at the heart of any transformation.

Please contact keynote@wellbeingmatters.com


Trusted by Leading Global Brands, startups and small companies
• Cisco Systems, Oracle, Salesforce, EPSON, ServiceNow, Workday, Computer Centre, Computer Associates, BT, Vodafone, Murex, 
• Daspren, Malizen, PeppySport, Ochy, OLOE
• Axa, BNP Paribas, Société Générale.
• Diageo, Nike, Somfy, Tate and Lyle, Fosroc, SNCF Energie, Jones Lang LaSalle
• The African Development Bank, OECD, some United Nation NGOs spin-offs
• CHAS, Women & Health, 60000 Rebonds

Florence Divet ☀️

8 hours of sleep won’t fix your exhaustion.

Most people think rest equals sleep. But that’s only part of the story.

You can sleep 8 hours and still wake up tired. 
Why? Because your body, mind, and soul need seven types of rest.

When one runs empty, sleep can’t refill it.

Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith, physician and author of Sacred Rest, explains this life-changing truth:

Rest means restoration.  
Not just pausing.  
Not just collapsing on the sofa.  
But giving back to the parts of you that are drained.

I see it often in leaders: their body rests, but their mind doesn’t.

The 7 types of rest your body, mind, and soul crave are:

1️⃣ Physical Rest  
More than lying down. Two kinds: passive (sleep, naps) and active (stretching, yoga, massage, walking).  
➠ Exhausted from back-to-back meetings? A walk outside restores better than coffee.

2️⃣ Mental Rest  
Your brain can’t run 20 tabs at once. Mental fatigue feels like replaying conversations or forgetting why you entered a room.  
➠ Write unfinished tasks before bed. Take short breaks to breathe or doodle. It frees your mind.

3️⃣ Sensory Rest  
Screens, notifications, noise, light. Our senses are overwhelmed.  
➠ Turn off non-essential alerts. Step outside without headphones. Sit in silence. Let your nervous system breathe.

4️⃣ Creative Rest  
Feeling stuck? Your imagination needs beauty, novelty, and awe to recharge.  
➠ Visit an art gallery. Walk by water. Listen to stirring music. Play with a child. Creativity flows from wonder.

5️⃣ Emotional Rest  
Exhaustion from wearing a mask, pretending to be okay. Giving without releasing.  
➠ Talk honestly with someone you trust. Journal. Say, “I’m not fine today.” Authenticity restores your emotional core.

6️⃣ Social Rest  
Some people drain you, others restore you. Social rest means choosing the latter.  
➠ Spend time with friends where you can just be you. If you’re drained, say no to invitations.

7️⃣ Spiritual Rest  
A deep need for purpose and belonging. Feeling connected to something bigger than yourself.  
➠ Pray, meditate, volunteer, or reflect: “How does my work matter?”

Rest isn’t one-size-fits-all.  
You can’t Netflix your way out of burnout.  
You can’t sleep off emptiness in your soul.

But when you give the right rest to the part of you that’s empty, life feels lighter, brighter, possible again.

True rest isn’t just a pause between productivity.  
It’s a sacred act of remembering you’re human, not a machine.

Sometimes, doing nothing is the most powerful way to become whole again.

Which type of rest are you neglecting right now?👇

♻️ Repost to help your network breathe again.  
➕ Follow Florence Divet ☀️ for more on leadership, career, and mindset.  
📌 Get my weekly insights → https://lnkd.in/ePitBSZv

Leadership & Team Coach. I help Leaders and Teams lead with clarity, confidence and purpose. Follow for insights on Leadership, Career and Personal Growth.

Most leaders want to be respected. 
But somewhere along the way, many start chasing something else: being liked.

Nobody likes to be disliked.

But in leadership? It’s inevitable.

If you’re doing your job right, you will upset someone.
→ The colleague who wanted you to approve a half-baked idea.
→ The team member who preferred silence over uncomfortable truth.
→ The executive who wanted harmony more than progress.
→ The friend at work who expected loyalty over integrity.

Leadership isn’t a popularity contest.
It’s a responsibility.

One sentence captures this better than anything I’ve read.
Brené Brown nailed it:
“Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice your values rather than simply professing them.”

Here’s the paradox:
The higher you rise, the more visible you become.
And the more visible you are, the more opinions people will project onto you.

Some will admire you.
Some will resent you.
Some will misunderstand you.

And if you try to please them all?
You’ll end up exhausted and invisible.

So what do you do when the fear of being disliked creeps in?

1️⃣ Anchor in your values.
If you know what you stand for, criticism loses its sting. People may disagree, but they can’t accuse you of being fake.

2️⃣ Choose respect over likeability.
Being respected for your integrity beats being liked for your compliance. Every. Single. Time.

3️⃣ Normalise discomfort.
Leaders who sugar-coat or avoid tough conversations aren’t protecting people. 
They’re paralysing them.

4️⃣ Build the right inner circle.
Surround yourself with people who tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear.

5️⃣ Reframe criticism.
Not all negative feedback is equal. Some of it reveals bias or resistance. Some of it reveals blind spots you can grow from. Learn to tell the difference.

The brutal but liberating truth:
If everyone likes you, you’re not leading - you’re performing.

The leaders I admire most aren’t the ones with universal approval.
They’re the ones who had the courage to stand in the storm: calm, clear, and committed.

Because leadership worth having will never please everyone.
And if honesty costs you a few “friends”?
It’s almost always the wrong ones leaving.

👉 When did standing by your values make leadership harder, but worth it?

♻️ Repost to help more leaders get the difference.
➕ Follow Florence Divet ☀️ for leadership insights that grow you.

Credit for Inspiration: Monica Federico. Her posts are worth a read.

taplio

The Battle

Arif Iqball

Florence Divet ☀️

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The Battle

Arif Iqball

Florence Divet ☀️

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Florence Divet ☀️'s LinkedIn Performance

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