Metropolitan Business Association

I'm leading the Metropolitan Business Association (MBA), an organisation dedicated to developing an English-speaking business community of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Barcelona and empowering its members to achieve sustainable growth through a network built on respect, collaboration, and mutual success.

President & Co- Founder

Ask Maria Kelly

As Fractional Chief Strategy Officer, I help businesses scale with confidence by providing the strategy, structure, and skills they need to grow smoothly and sustainably.

✅ Business Strategy & Growth Coaching: Partnering with entrepreneurs to develop clear strategies that drive sustainable growth.

✅ Leadership Development: Empowering leaders to enhance team performance and navigate challenges effectively.

✅ Process Optimisation: Streamlining operations to improve efficiency and scalability.

✅ Team Training Workshops: Conducting customised training sessions to build cohesive and high-performing teams.

Founder & Principal Consultant 

North Paddington Food Bank

Implemented and managed the on-boarding and DBS vetting of 400 new volunteers to respond to the high demand of home deliveries for people self isolating or vulnerable in the wake of Covid-19. Tested and integrated a volunteer software program to manage the process going forward.

Senior Volunteer

Sotheby's

Leading the Division’s Auction & Private Sales Business. 
Consolidated the core activity of both divisions ensuring global consistency & synergies within regions and departments. 
Led the Middle East development launching the first Watches Auction in Dubai.

Global Deputy Managing Director Jewellery & Watches Division

Working alongside the Managing Director, created the  Luxury & Lifestyle Division & successfully delivered <$500 million of aggregated auction sales.

Deputy Managing Director Luxury & Lifestyle Division

Business lead for two Global Departments: Jewellery and Watches

International Division Director Jewellery and Watches

Management of the North America regional specialist departments: 
24 Departments split across three divisions: Fine Arts, Decorative Arts and Asian Arts.
Led the integration & partnership with RM Sotheby’s (cars)

Senior Vice President, Head of Regional Specialists

Management of the North America Regional Fine Arts Division
Guest Speaker at the Sotheby's Institute of Art Summer Study Program

Senior Vice President, Division Director

Led all Financial, Operational, HR & Administrative functions in Switzerland. 
•	Compliance Officer Switzerland
•	Deputy Money Laundering Officer Switzerland
Officer Promotions:
•	Senior Director 2012
•	Director 2007
•	Deputy Director 2006

General Manager & Business Director Switzerland

Lead the Swiss Administrative group, the Shipping Department, Security and Risk in Geneva. Oversaw the client experience.

Office Manager

Organised the physical movement of all Works of Art, Jewellery and Watches in and out of Geneva for annual values exceeding $ 300 million. Managed Security, Risk and Building Maintenance.

Shipping Manager

Effectively ran the administration of the Geneva Import & Export Department. Coordinated shipments of consignments and purchases of high end jewellery, watches and works of art for auction.

Shipping Coordinator

Split between the Shipping Department and the Sales Administration Department.
Assisted the Shipping Deputy on all administrative tasks, including Inventory management and SAP and invoice procurement and administered the auctions.

Sales Administrator & Shipping Assistant

CAMAIEU INTERNATIONAL

Camaïeu is a French retail clothing company which manufactures and sells its own collections of women's clothing.

Sales Assistant

EMS Eynard-Fatio  Retirement Home

Gave daily care to elderly "end of life" patients

Health Care Assistant

Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient

Museum Assistant

🚀Accelerate Your Leadership Transition in 90 days 💥Growth Strategist for Leaders Who Care 🎯Executive & Corporate Coaching 🎯Career Coaching For Frustrated Professionals Who Want to Get Unstuck

You didn’t start your business to feel stuck, stressed, and overwhelmed. But here you are, you’ve hit a wall. You’re busting your chops, yet things aren’t coming together. Your business is running you instead of the other way around

You had a vision: freedom, growth, & work that truly mattered. But somewhere along the way, things got complicated:

‼️ You’re working hard, but growth isn’t happening fast enough
‼️ Your team should be your biggest asset, not your biggest challenge
‼️ Decisions are piling up, you feel stuck & scaling seems impossible

What I Do

I work with entrepreneurs and business owners hitting a wall in strategy, leadership, or processes. I deliver a clear, practical plan so you can stop second-guessing & start scaling

No vague advice. Just clarity, confidence, and action

How We Make That Happen

✅ 1:1 Business Strategy Coaching – Get unstuck, simplify decisions, & confidently move forward

✅ Fractional Chief Strategy Officer: People | Processes | Leadership – High-level strategic support to optimise your team, streamline operations & strengthen leadership

✅ High-Impact Team Training Days – Hands-on workshops to improve communication, collaboration, & performance

What You Can Expect

✔ No cookie-cutter solutions. Just practical, tailored strategies that work
✔ A clear, actionable plan for your business & you
✔ A trusted partner to help you scale with confidence

Why Trust Me?

With 25+ years of experience in business strategy, leadership, and operations, I bring real-world expertise, a global perspective, & a results-driven approach

Key Credentials

⏩ Triple-Accredited Professional Coach
⏩ Senior Executive Leader (Sotheby’s, $500M+ in annual sales)
⏩ Co-founder & President, Metropolitan Business Association 
⏩ Member of the Professional Speakers Association Spain
⏩ Officer of 22@ Toastmasters Barcelona Club 

What Clients Say

"Maria’s insight made a tangible, emotional, & financial difference to the company." 
— Zoe Loveday, Managing Director, SSK

"Maria’s intervention was critical in accelerating awareness around opportunities ahead, resulting in significant positive change."
— Bruno Vinciguerra, CEO, Bonhams

Beyond work? You’ll find me

🤝 Speaking at Toastmasters
🌍 Building the Metropolitan Business Association 
🐶 Hanging out with my husband, Yann, & our jack-a-bee, Cookie

📞 If you’re ready to stop spinning & start scaling book a call to talk about how I can support you

Your business should serve you, not consume you. Let’s fix that!

👉 Get my best business tips in your inbox: https://askmariakelly.ck.page

Maria Kelly

This one feels like a "pinch me" moment
I’ve had something under wraps for a while, and today I finally get to share it.

Today is my first day as a Professor at CIEE Barcelona.

I'll be teaching Strategic Management to undergraduate study-abroad students, the kind of course that blends classic strategy thinking with how organisations actually make decisions in the real world.

We'll cover frameworks, yes. We'll talk about AI and how it can be used ethically and responsibly as part of modern coursework (not as a shortcut). But the real focus is on judgment, decision-making, and what happens when context, culture, and people complicate all the neat theories.

I want students to leave this course with more than good notes. I want them to build confidence in their thinking, learn how to challenge ideas constructively, and understand that good decisions rarely come from theory alone.

The group work and the conversations we'll have, that's where the real learning happens and I can't wait to see what they bring into the room.

Feeling grateful, slightly nervous in the best way, and very ready to step into the classroom.

Wish me luck!!

I'm an early adopter at heart, so when Lea 🌈 Turner launched The HoLT I was one of the first to join.

A few years in, I can only say how brilliant this community is.

I've made friends, found suppliers, connected with people to work with, and honestly? It's just been a genuinely great place to be part of.

So I'm pretty proud to announce that today The HoLT Directory launches, and I'm a Founding Member!

Ask Maria Kelly is officially listed inside The HoLT Directory - a completely free, searchable directory designed to make finding brilliant support easy.
It's packed with hundreds of trusted expert small business owners and solopreneurs, covering a full spectrum of services:

Automation pros to architects. Contract lawyers to copywriters. PR to paid ads. SEO to speakers and everything in between.

Easy to use. Free to access.
Just great services, great people, and absolutely NO KNOBS!

If you're a business looking for reliable experts you can actually trust, this is a link you'll want to bookmark.😉

Check it out here: www.the-holt.com/directory

This Christmas, I made my entire family cry.
And here’s how you can too.


➡️ I used ChatGPT to write custom song lyrics for each person, pulling in shared memories, inside jokes, and things I've always wanted to say but never quite found the words for. 

➡️ Then I fed those lyrics into Suno, chose music styles I knew they'd love, and turned them into actual songs. 

➡️ Finally, I designed lyric sheets in Canva, got them printed, and on Christmas Day, I handed them out and pressed play. 

The confusion lasted about ten seconds. Then the tears started. (Mine included.) 😅

This is another example of how you can use AI in your everyday life.

A year ago, I couldn’t have created a song in 15 minutes. The quality and range of styles are impressive. It gave me a way to express something deeply personal that I simply didn't have the skills to create on my own.
I also really had fun creating these songs.

That is the real opportunity with AI: use it to boost your creativity.

Start with an idea, then let it help you deliver it in a way you couldn’t have before and in much less time.

Have you used AI to create gifts???

I don't need a word of the year.
I need a way to stop saying yes to the wrong things.

So I'm using three words as filters instead.

➡️ Stability 

2026 needs to give me financial security and predictability. A business should support you, not keep you up at night wondering if you can pay next month's bills. I want to stay self-employed AND sleep well. I want to believe that both are possible.

➡️ Commercial 

My time, energy, and expertise have to translate into actual paid work. I'm prioritising revenue over visibility for its own sake. You know what I mean... that exposure that looks great on paper but doesn't lead anywhere concrete? I'm letting that go. If it doesn't help me earn, it's not getting my yes.

➡️ Focus 

I'm stopping the habit of spreading myself thin. This year is about a small number of activities with a clear path to income. Everything else can wait (or disappear entirely, and that's ok too).

Now every idea, opportunity, collaboration, or shiny new project runs through one simple test:

❓ Does this support stability? 
❓ Is this genuinely commercial? 
❓ Does this deserve my focus right now?

If the answer is no to any of them, it waits.

I’ve always taken pride in being available and supportive. Saying yes has felt generous and right, but I need to get my head around the fact that prioritising myself and my business is not selfish, it’s necessary.

If this is going to work long term, I have to be as intentional with my own needs as I’ve been with everyone else’s.

So if you’re a business owner feeling stuck with growth and want a clear, honest conversation about how to move forward, reach out. 
That’s exactly the work I’m prioritising.😉

Unpopular opinion: The question isn't whether students should use AI.
They already do!

The real question is whether we're brave enough to help them use it well.

At CIEE Barcelona, professors set their own AI policy. I chose to allow it, and here's why: my job isn't to police what they do. It's to prepare them for the real world.

So I encourage my students to use AI as a learning tool to:

✅ Explore ideas they're curious about
✅ Clarify concepts that feel confusing
✅ Practise applying what they learn in real scenarios

I even recommend specific tools I believe genuinely help.

Because we all learn differently. Some of us need to read it, others need to hear it, some need visuals or quizzes to make it click. Giving students the option to learn through the format that actually works for them means they're more likely to do the work.

And if Footloose has thought us anything, banning something students are already doing just encourages them to do it in secret. 

Now, I still expect them to write their own work and disclose when they've used AI. In class, we apply the learning together, individually and in groups. Because what I've learned from my own experience is that memorising content for an exam you'll forget the next day isn't learning.

What I care about is whether they understand the concepts and can use them in real situations. That's how learning actually sticks. 

AI can help them get there, or it can be misused. My role is to teach the difference.

These students are stepping into a world where AI will be everywhere. Ignoring that reality doesn't prepare them, guiding them does. Leadership in education now means adapting how we teach, not clinging to outdated controls.

If we want people who can think on their feet, make decisions, and apply knowledge in real life, then our teaching has to reflect the world they're entering.

If you're teaching, training, or leading people right now, this conversation matters. What's your take on the use of AI in school?

Stop rebuilding slides from scratch!

There's a faster, cleaner way to do this now, and I'm genuinely excited to share it.

I discovered Gamma at the end of last year and thought it was brilliant. But what changed this year is a new beta feature they just launched called Remix.
 
Why? It solves one of the biggest problems with AI-created slides: Consistency.

Here's my situation: I create a slide deck for each of my Strategic Management course at CIEE Barcelona, each class covers a different topic, but the structure and visual identity need to stay the same.

A problem you may have noticed, is that when you ask AI to recreate slides (or anything) from scratch, it doesn't behave consistently. Layouts will shift and colours change. 

You may have seen these videos going around on socials of people entering the same prompt to create a picture over and over, and the picture morphing into something completely different. 

Remix fixes that:

➡️ I start with one solid slide deck in Gamma

➡️ I prompt Remix to keep the same layout and colour structure

➡️ Then I paste in the new slide outline for the next class and seconds later, the new deck is ready

➡️ From there, I only tweak content or add a slide if needed.

And tadaa! I have a consistent slide deck for my next class.

If you create slides regularly, this is genuinely worth trying.
You'll thank me later!😉

Feeling the January pressure?
Yep, me too.

I took a proper break over Christmas with no work just rest. But coming back was harder than I expected.

Everyone’s already sprinting: New goals. New routines. Same crap.

There’s this unspoken rule that you have to “start the year strong", be everywhere, do everything, plan your next six figures before the first week’s out.

But what if you didn’t?

This week’s newsletter is about saying no to the hype, yes to your own pace and how I’m using three simple words to guide every decision in 2026.

Because you know what? January isn’t the main event; it’s just the warm-up.

WANT THE FULL READ?
Check it out here tomorrow morning:  https://lnkd.in/daTCiBhm

Nausheen I. Chen

Get clients, investments and influence by speaking confidently | Public Speaking Coach for entrepreneurs and execs | ex-Fortune 50 | My featured section has a gift for you.

You know who gets the most clients and promotions?

The person who can speak the best.

You might be an expert in your domain.
But if you don't speak with confidence, no one will trust you.

Your career and business will suffer because you struggle to speak powerfully.

Your next client will go to the person who presents better than you.
Your next promotion will go to the person who communicates better than you.
Your investor might pass because they are not convinced of your value and worth.

You’ll feel weak and powerless.

It’s crazy because you have a lot to share with the world.

But your speaking skills let you down.

Here’s the good news:
It doesn’t have to be like that.

Now imagine:
You ace sales calls and win dream projects because you speak with confidence.
You get that promotion because you present with clarity in the boardroom.
You build a powerful brand because the world listens when you speak.

I can help you get there.

I’ve helped 500+ entrepreneurs and execs become confident and effective speakers.

• Entrepreneurs like Wes, who had stage fright and went blank when he was in the spotlight.

• VPs like Sarah, whose voice shook every time she presented in the boardroom. But became a confident speaker working with me and secured 2 leads worth $350,000 for her company.

• LinkedIn creators like Jasmin Alić, Ruben Hassid, Lara Acosta, Sophie Miller, Nigel Thomas, Nicholas Boucher, and Mando Sallavanti III who now speak on big stages with credibility, authority, and influence.

I can help you become a confident, powerful speaker too.

Are you ready to stop missing opportunities and start attracting them?

DM me ‘SPEAK’ to find out how.

Who am I:
• 3-time TEDx speaker.
• Award-winning ex-filmmaker.
• Communication skills trainer at Fortune 50 P&G.
• Official LinkedIn Instructor for public speaking courses.
• Coached 500+ execs at Google, Amazon, SAP, AT&T, IBM, Twitch, European Chamber of Commerce.

I'm also a part of the @elgato professional program as well as the LinkedIn Creators program.

Public Speaking Coach for stage and camera

I coach entrepreneurs and execs on how to speak on camera with maximum impact, create a powerful brand and grow professionally.

I was adopted right out of the delivery room.

But this surprised me when I met my biological family:

I met my entire biological family 2 years ago.

(Yes that’s them in the picture).

These 5 things took me by surprise.
(and number 5 was the weirdest one).

1. We had the same feet.

It was the weirdest thing to see.
I was used to seeing feet very different from mine.
Didn’t realize family could have similar feet!

2. Things got awkward (sometimes).

Yes we had a lot to catch up on.
But we didn’t grow up together.
So at times, we had no shared history.

3. I had so much love for my nephews and nieces.

I grew up as an only child.
But now I was “introduced” to nephews and nieces.
I instantly loved them. Even though we’d just met.

4. We had to work on building connection.

Just because we were related by “blood”:
It didn’t mean there would be instant rapport.
We had to build our relationships from scratch.

5. My biological father also loves public speaking.

He loves getting up on stages.
Just. Like. Me.
But I've never lived with him.
Never been “inspired” by his speaking.

I’m not saying “public speaking” runs in the blood.
But it’s something I can’t explain.

PS Ever met anyone else who’s adopted? yes/no?

The CEO’s Public Speaking Coach • ex-Fortune 100 communications trainer • 3-time TEDx speaker • Public Speaking Professor at CEU • LinkedIn Learning Instructor • Founder, The Confidence Accelerator • Keynote Speaker

When you ask someone “Where are you from?” 

What they hear is: “You don’t look like you belong”. 

This makes immigrants feel out of place. 
(Even if you have the best of intentions). 

So instead of: 
“Where are you from?” 
Ask: 
“Where did you grow up?” 

One questions belonging. 
The other shows curiosity. 

Instead of: 
“Your English is so good!” 
Say: 
“You explain things very clearly” 

One implies surprise. 
The other shows respect. 

I made an entire cheatsheet on this. 
(Probably the first ever of its kind on LinkedIn!) 

When you make people feel welcome, 
You rise above differences in skin color or accents. 

You relate to people on a human level. 

And that makes you powerful and unforgettable. 

PS - anything in the cheatsheet surprising for you? 

PPS - and no, asking “But where are you REALLY from?” is worse!

President Obama once froze on stage. 

I know because I asked his speechwriter Terry Szuplat. 

This is what happened: 

Young Obama had delivered speeches before. 

So for his next speech, he thought “no big deal”. 
He didn’t prepare, didn’t practice. 

But this time - he was speaking to a bigger audience. 
Higher stakes. 

Midway through, he lost his train of thought. 

And froze. 

It wasn’t nerves. 
It wasn’t fear. 

It was overconfidence. 

Here’s the real lesson: 

When the stakes are high, you feel out of your depth. 

Just “confidence” won’t save you. 
Preparation will. 

PS follow Terry for amazing stories on public speaking from the White House.

I’m a brown woman with purple hair.

This is how I lead rooms of white male leaders.

You don’t need to “fit in” to belong.
You need to make your presence felt.

Do this to speak with power in any room:

1. Connect first, inform later.
Take time to connect with the audience.
Share why you matter first, deliver content later.

2. Enunciate like a pro.
Articulate every word clearly.
You’re signaling: “this is worth hearing”.

3. Lead with the headline first.
Don’t bury the lede with too much context.
Stating the point first gets quicker buy-in.

(save this post so you can revisit these points)

4. Never ramble or over-explain.
When you're done with a point, pause.
Let them ask questions to know more.

5. Watch out for weak words.
Drop “Does that make sense?”
Psychologically, they lower your authority.

When you present,
You’re not there to “deliver slides”.
You’re there to create an experience.

When you make your presence felt,
They never forget you.

PS - what are you presenting on next?

Stop procrastinating on your public speaking goals.

(This is how to tell your story in 2026):

Every day, people tell me:

“Nausheen, I want to speak on stage but…”

→ “I’m not ready”
→ “I don’t feel confident”
→ “I don’t want to disappoint”

When I got my first TEDx acceptance-
I didn’t feel ready either.

But I didn’t let that stop me.

And it helped me launch my entire business.

You can do 3 simple things to get yourself ready:

(Save this so you can remind yourself)

1. Start with low-stakes opportunities:

→ Open mic storytelling events.
→ Share a project that you worked on publicly.
→ Sign up for a career talk at your alma mater.

2. Create a “positive feedback loop”:

→ Every time you do a talk, note what went well.
→ Use that as proof for yourself that you can do more.

3. Build a “big idea” that you stand for:

→ “Systematize” your expertise to prove your value.

Every day that you procrastinate,
Your competition wins.

Don’t wait to feel ready.
Don’t wait to say yes.

Your future self will thank you.

PS - What do you want to speak about on stage?

Stop saying these 5 things to yourself in 2026.

(You’re destroying your confidence)

“I don’t want to brag” → “I’m proud of what I’ve done”
“I made a mistake, I’m dumb” → “I’ll learn from this”
“I don’t know how to sell” → “I know how to help”
“I can’t do this” → “I can experiment with this”
“I’m going to fail” → “I’m going to try this”

We are all stories that we tell ourselves.

If your story doesn’t serve you, change it.

When you change the way you speak to yourself:
You change the way you speak to the world.

→ Save this post so you can remind yourself of this.

P.S. Ever caught yourself saying any of those things?

Your ideal clients don’t know your true worth. 

(That gap is costing you revenue). 

You’re already great at what you do. 
But opportunities don’t reflect that. 

You’re chasing leads. 
Your best clients hesitate. 
Your work isn’t recognized. 

That’s not an expertise problem. 

It’s a communication problem. 

When you speak about your work, you lack impact. 

So I’m hosting a 2-day mastermind in London 
For coaches and entrepreneurs who are experts - 
but under-recognized. 

We’ll work on: 

- Turning your expertise into authority. 
- Owning any stage or room you walk into. 
- How to speak with impact, power and credibility. 

I’m co-hosting this with my own coaches: 
The team who grew my Instagram from 2k to 350k+ (Alessio Bertozzi and Bryan Fischer) 

👉 Join us: https://lnkd.in/dC2Q9wjM 

This isn’t a random event. 
It’s an investment in being taken seriously. 

PS - do you want to learn from me in person?

I’ve coached 500+ CEOs to speak with confidence.

But only one CEO’s story ended up in my TEDx talk:

Pauline:

→ CEO of a recruitment company.
→ Traumatized by freezing up on camera.
→ Sounded robotic and rehearsed when she spoke.

After 2 months of working with me:

→ She did a talk at a major industry event.
→ Smashed the talk, boosted her confidence.
→ Got 3 major leads, landed multi 6-figure deal.

In this video I show you the one question she asked -

That I did an entire TEDx talk on:
What comes first: Confidence or action?

Check out the video to get the answer.

P.S. Do you feel confident before taking action or after?

Why smart people sound less confident than they are:

(We fixed this for my Google client, she got promoted)

This is how we did it:

M was a non-native English speaker.

She felt nervous every time she did a presentation:

→ She would memorize a script.
→ She felt extreme lack of confidence.
→ She spoke too fast and stumbled over words.

BUT she knew she had to be visible to get promoted.

So we started working together.

2.5 months in, M:

→ Stopped relying on memorizing scripts.
→ Spoke to an audience of 500+ at Google.
→ GOT PROMOTED.

When you speak well, you don’t just get applause.

You get the credit you deserve for your work.

But more importantly:

Speaking well gives you a new type of confidence.

One that no one can take away from you.

P.S. On a scale of 1-10, how nervous do you feel before a big talk?

taplio

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The Battle

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