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High‑achieving leaders don’t hire a coach to fix what’s broken; they hire a coach because they refuse to stay on autopilot and are ready to lead at a higher level in their work, career, and life.

You have the accomplishments, the title, the experience. But you know you’re capable of more:

•greater clarity in how you think and decide when the stakes are real
•stronger confidence in who you are and how you lead, not just what you do
•more control over your time, energy, and direction, not just your calendar
•greater consistency, presence, and stability when everything depends on you
•leadership that starts from the inside, not external pressure or expectation

You’re not looking for generic leadership or career development. You want to become the most important leader in your own life, lead yourself with clarity, confidence, and control, and build a career and life aligned with your values, without fear of judgment or performance.

I work with CEOs, founders, and senior leaders who carry real responsibility — people, money, legacy, consequence. They’re capable, respected, and externally successful, but internally isolated. They make high‑stakes decisions alone, carry emotional and cognitive load without a place to put it, and over time, their self‑trust erodes.

My coaching helps them:

• think clearly under pressure, not just “get clarity” once
• rebuild trust in their own judgment, so they can decide and act from themselves
• define their personal leadership brand and vision, so they can lead with urgency and calm
• carry responsibility without carrying everything alone
• lead from self‑trust, not just performance

My coaching blends:

• executive leadership development for high‑stakes roles
• career strategy and direction at every stage
• identity and behavior change for leaders who carry real responsibility
• self‑leadership psychology (the 3 Cs: Clarity, Confidence, Control)
• strategic decision‑making in complex, ambiguous environments

This is deep work delivered in a grounded, practical, leadership‑ready way. It’s not motivational or abstract. It’s the leadership and career work most leaders avoid, and the work that compounds over time.

Leaders partner with me when they’re ready to:

• lead themselves with more intention and discipline, not just competence
• align their leadership with their values, not just performance
•make clearer, faster decisions they trust, even when the data is incomplete
 
If you’re ready to lead in alignment with who you are — without fear of judgment — and build a career and life that are truly your own, let’s connect.

Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Hudson's Bay Company

▪ Lead and manage all strategic and tactical aspects of the real estate development process from inception through construction completion and project closeout. Reporting to Senior Vice President (SVP), Head of Development.
▪ Responsibilities include managing a real estate project portfolio, and indirectly managing a team of eight internally and over fifteen consultants per project, driving new innovative market opportunities, and developing and executing go-to-market (GTM) plans. 
▪ Oversee and manage day-to-day project operations, including initial analysis, exploration, and roadmap development, market research, project financing, due diligence, budgeting, financial modeling, zoning entitlement, environmental, design and construction, leasing, property management, tenant relationship, partnership, vendor, and consultant management.
▪ Directly involved in leasing, marketing, property management, market and trend data, and federal, state and community-focused public relations.
▪ Advise senior management and C-Suite on decision making and market opportunities, identifying and recommending strategies with significant economic impact.
▪ Promoted from Senior Director, Real Estate Development July 2023

Divisional Vice President, Real Estate Development

▪ Served as the right-hand of the Chairman, Chief Development Officer (CDO), and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Streetworks Development (HBC P&I). Collaborated on high-level strategic opportunities and projects with leadership.
▪ Worked cross-functionally to support, drive, and improve key operational, strategic, and financial initiatives across all business areas of Real Estate Development (i.e., Development, Design, Investment and Market). Indirectly managed and directed over 35 team members. 
▪ Owned the execution of Real Estate Development initiatives, responsible for OKRs (objectives and key results) reporting, operations, strategy group finance and budgets, and action planning. 
▪ Responsible for identifying, analyzing, and presenting key growth opportunities to senior leadership, including geographic expansion and new partnerships.

Chief of Staff, Director of Real Estate

▪ Key player in the creation, finalization, and implementation of the retail startup's European expansion business plan for the launch of Saks OFF 5TH. Reported directly to the President and collaborated with the Executive Management Team.
▪ Identified and evaluated potential locations for new stores for alignment with brand standards and market potential. Established and maintained strong relationships with landlords to secure prime locations for the business.
▪ Partnered strategically with the SVP of Store Planning, Design, and Construction, optimizing capital and resource allocation while driving the development and alignment of store planning teams and merchants across Europe and North America.
▪ Oversaw store set-up and roll-out, managing real estate, strategy, and operations, design and construction, resulting in the successful launch of 8 Saks OFF 5TH stores and 15 Hudson’s Bay NL stores, totaling over 2 million square feet and +$500MM in capital projects.

Senior Manager, Business Operations, and Real Estate (HBC Europe)

Saks OFF 5TH

▪ Developed and executed strategic sales plans for approximately eight new stores annually, including Business Operating Plan (BOP) targets, and monthly flows, driving consistent growth and expanding market presence. Collaborated with Senior Vice Presidents (SVPs) and Merchant teams.
▪ Led special projects and created business plans to enhance the performance of underperforming stores, leveraging a deep understanding of market dynamics and operational efficiencies.
▪ Mastered the product allocation process to ensure optimal distribution and maximize sales, significantly contributing to inventory efficiency and profitability.
▪ Managed the Open-To-Buy (OTB) process, optimizing inventory investment to consistently meet and exceed sales goals. Developed and implemented a growth strategy for Small Leather Goods (SLG) within the Handbags division, significantly increasing market share and profitability.

Associate Planner, New Store Growth

▪ Created and maintained a strategic project tracking and reporting model, ensuring transparency and progress towards key initiatives, and coordinated cross-functional projects to drive key growth initiatives.
▪ Provided strategic project management support and partnered directly with the Governor, Executive Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Analyst, Office of the Chairman

Lord & Taylor

▪ The ETP at Lord & Taylor consisted in 3 rotations: Merchant, Marketing and Finance areas. 
▪ This program offered  an overall understanding and focus on the major and critical areas of the retail business, working closely with leadership and contributing to decisions.

Executive Training Program

Divisional Vice President and Chief of Staff with 12+ years of experience in strategic global retail and real estate development, portfolio and project management, operations and strategic market expansion. My main areas of focus and expertise are in strategic leadership, project management, opportunity analysis, market growth capitalization, and strategic relationship management.

I'm driven by new ideas and approach opportunities with an entrepreneurial mindset. I constantly seek to push the envelope and strive to take smart measured risks for outstanding performances. Equipped with the desire to create a positive global and local community-based impact, I'm focused on innovative retail and real estate development initiatives.

If you catch me outside of the office, I am most likely with my family and friends, reading, playing sports or traveling, visited over 15 countries and counting. In addition, as part of my character, I am very curious about new trends and the future, especially in the Tech world with AI, Blockchain, Web3 and Crypto. If my background interests you, feel free to reach out and start a conversation.

Key accomplishments:
▪ Partnered with the COO of Real Estate Development to integrate the acquired Street-Works Development; established the strategy, processes, organizational framework, and roadmaps for a new division. Developed a 5-year budget forecasting $151M in revenue and $110M in costs, yielding a $41M profit with a 27% gross profit margin.
▪ Led and managed the entitlement process of multiple high-profile projects. Including the Hudson’s Bay Montreal project, an iconic landmark site in downtown Montreal, Canada. Doubled existing building size to over 1.1M square footage for a mixed-use development; and the Lord & Taylor Eastchester project, +220,000 SF from retail to a mixed use of office, medical office and retail; currently +50% leased.
▪ Oversaw store set-up and roll-out, managing real estate, strategy, and operations, design and construction, resulting in the successful launch of eight Saks OFF 5TH stores and 15 Hudson’s Bay NL stores, totaling over 2 million square feet and +$500MM in capital projects in Europe.
▪ Project Lead, from inception through construction completion and store openings for the two newest Saks OFF 5TH locations in Eastchester, NY, and Stamford, CT, with a total of over 70,000 SF. 

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Industries: Real Estate, Real Estate Development, Commercial Real Estate, Retail, Luxury Retail, Strategic Consulting, International Business Development, Retail Expansion and Development.

Languages: English, Spanish

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Dr. Benjamin Ritter

Jose Maria Olmo Gonzalez

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