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

Coaching product and engineering leaders to build aligned teams that perform at their best without burning out | ex VMware & Pivotal Labs

Most leaders I meet are insecure overachievers. They carry expectations that are heavier than they look.

When alignment breaks, even the most capable teams lose momentum.

I help product and engineering leaders fix what is really breaking their teams. Misalignment. Together we restore clarity, alignment and momentum so their teams perform at their best without burning out.

What I know about you:
→ You are a senior product or engineering leader with commercial responsibility
→ You are solving harder problems with more eyes on you than ever
→ You are juggling strategy, speed and stakeholder alignment
→ You want to lead with clarity and confidence while staying grounded

How I help tech leaders and their teams:
→ Build high performing, product led organisations
→ Develop leadership skills that grow their team and influence
→ Strengthen trust, alignment and effective ways of working
→ Navigate transitions such as reorgs, promotions or new leadership roles

Whether you are stepping into a new role or levelling up where you are, I help create the clarity and headspace you need to lead with intention.

Clients often say I help them pause and reflect, focus on what matters, and move forward with clarity and purpose.

I bring a mix of product leadership, coaching expertise and experience leading through high stakes transitions. I have helped teams grow through ambiguity, pressure and change.

A bit about my experience:
→ Helped more than 100 tech leaders navigate challenging transitions
→ Ranked #1 for Product Management and #3 for Management & Leadership on LinkedIn in the UK (Favikon)
→ Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), trained Positive Intelligence Coach, ICF Member
→ Ex Pivotal Labs leader who guided teams through an IPO and two major acquisitions, first into VMware and later into Broadcom
→ International speaker and facilitator across Australia, the UK, Europe and the USA

Curious if I am the right fit for you or your team? Send me a message.

Liam Darmody

Simon Sinek's brutal truth about phone addiction.

A visible phone says. You are not my priority.

A silent phone still sends a message.
On a table it tells people they come second.

What to do:

1. Phone off the table. Face down is not polite.
2. Airplane mode. Put it out of sight.
3. Morning rule. Partner before phone.
4. Dinner rule. Only one phone between you.
5. Client rule. Keep it in your bag.
6. Home rule. Do not carry it room to room.
7. Build the habit. Small reps beat willpower.

The aim is not to hear the words.
It is for people to feel heard.

Remove the cue and presence gets easier.

♻ Repost to help others set this norm.
➕ Follow Liam Darmody for more.

Alignment is the hidden reason most leaders fail. I help them fix it for good.

“I’ll never trust anyone again.”

What happened next changed how I think about trust.

Brené Brown recently told this story on The Diary Of A CEO.

Her daughter came home from school devastated.
She’d shared something vulnerable with two friends.
And they told everyone in her class.

Kids laughed and pointed.
And in that moment, she shut down.
Her world had shrunk to a single conclusion.

As a parent, it’s tempting to protect.
To tell them who they can and can’t trust.
But Brené chose to teach instead.

She explained trust through the marble jar.

Every time someone keeps something confidential, checks in, remembers something important, or makes space for you, they earn a marble.

And when you need to share something vulnerable, you look for the people whose jars are full.

Her daughter immediately named two friends.
And the “marbles” were beautifully small.

Someone sliding over so she had a seat at lunch.
Someone remembering her grandparents’ names.
Someone checking in when she was off school.

Nothing big.
Just small acts of kindness that made her feel seen.

And here’s the leadership lesson:
Trust at work is built the same way.

Not through a big announcement.
Not through a crisis moment.
Not through authority.

Trust grows in the quiet, human interactions most leaders underestimate.

When you ask how someone really is before meetings.
When you remember something they shared weeks ago.
When you notice a change in their energy.
When you stay steady as others escalate.
When you follow through.

These are the marbles.

Leaders who earn them early don’t need to demand trust when things get hard. Their teams already know who they’ll follow.

The crisis doesn’t build the trust.
It reveals how full the marble jar already was.

What’s one small marble you could earn today?

♻ Repost to hep more leaders rethink how trust is built.
➕ Follow Liam Darmody for more.

Culture shows up long before anyone writes it down.

You can feel it on Sunday evening.
And again on Monday morning before the first standup.

If people feel anxious, unseen or unclear, you will see it in how they show up.
If they feel seen, supported and trusted, you will see that too.

Culture is built through small, everyday signals.
Leaders shape those signals more than they realise.

In my coaching work, the leaders who build cultures people look forward to all focus on the same fundamentals.

Here are seven of the most reliable ones.

1. Notice the work people give their energy to
↳ Teams feel seen when their effort lands.
↳ Acknowledge the specific actions that made a difference.
↳ A genuine acknowledgement can lift the energy of a whole week.

2. Listen with curiosity and genuine interest
↳ People open up when they feel heard.
↳ Stay present and set distractions aside.
↳ Curiosity turns tense conversations into honest ones.

3. Support growth in the flow of work
↳ Create space for people to stretch their skills in real projects.
↳ Growth builds confidence, and confidence builds momentum.
↳ Momentum strengthens culture more than any perk ever could.

4. Create a sustainable pace for the team
↳ Teams do their best product thinking when the pace is sustainable.
↳ Help people set boundaries they can rely on, and honour those boundaries yourself.
↳ A stable pace protects clarity, creativity and trust.

5. Bring clarity to decisions and priorities
↳ Unclear decisions drain energy.
↳ Explain how choices are made and what principles guide them.
↳ Predictability reduces friction and increases focus.

6. Hold yourself steady when things get difficult
↳ Your emotional state becomes the environment people work in.
↳ Stay grounded, especially during uncertainty.
↳ Your steadiness shapes how people feel coming into the week.

7. Give people a reason to care
↳ Connect the work to the impact it creates.
↳ Help the team see where they fit.
↳ Meaning brings life back to Monday mornings.

Culture is a living system.
You shape it in every interaction, planned or unplanned.

Reflection question:
Which of these seven would shift the energy of your team the most?

♻ Repost to help another leader.
➕ Follow Liam Darmody for more.

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The Battle

Arif Iqball

Liam Darmody

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The Battle

Arif Iqball

Liam Darmody

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);}Liam Darmody's LinkedIn Performance

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