Helen Kirkwood
Expertise: Helen is an experienced, multilingual Project Manager. She is agile, organized and team-oriented, calmly solving problems along the way.
Accomplishments: Helen has successfully led large, complex, as well as smaller projects at PeopleSmart in a virtual, in person or hybrid setting. Examples include Veepee (FR), Thales (FR), OECD (FR), Tesa (D), Alcon (CH), Manor(CH), both in the private and public sectors. Helen is able to smoothly onboard new clients and consultants, paying attention to key stakeholders.
Approach: Helen takes time to ensure the smooth running of projects. Her level-headed approach guarantees the success of projects from the perspective of clients and consultants. She cares about the team, objectives and outcomes.
Experience: Helen has lived and worked in a number of European countries and can easily relate to PeopleSmart’s international clients, participants and consultants. She has always worked (or played sports) in teams, collaborating with a variety of nationalities and age groups.
Client Focus: Helen builds solid client relationships and is open and authentic in her communication style. Helen listens attentively to her clients, acting as a sounding board, as well as a source of practical advice. Her partnership with clients is truly collaborative.
Team Collaboration: Helen brings energy and enthusiasm to teams. Her collaborative nature is appreciated by other players in the team
Certifications: Helen holds a Level 5 Diploma in L&D from the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and is certified to debrief Facet5 Personality Profiles, as well as Genos EI reports. Helen is fluent in English, Dutch and German with an understanding of French. Helen holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Modern European Studies (UK) and Education (NL).
Meet our consultants
Cyril Bizot
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Cyril Bizot
Languages: English, French
Career Path: Cyril has managed French and international teams for over 25 years, including 17 years as a member of Executive Committees, in roles such as Commercial Director, IT Director and Transformation Program Director, where he led numerous mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, and managed teams of over 200 people. With more than 7500 hours of individual and executive team coaching, he specializes in senior talent and executive individual coaching, somatic coaching, team coaching, systemic constellation, systemic co-development, organizational coaching, and facilitation of leadership programs and participative seminars. He is recognized for combining approaches in emotional, body, systemic, energetic, and intellectual dimensions to enhance the power of transformation and thus boost growth, fulfilment, and the joy of being fully oneself.
Sectors: Pharmaceutical Industry, Hospitality, Management Consulting, Insurance, Energy, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, IT, Life Science, Industries, Retail, Car Industry, Cosmetics.
Motto: “Be Yourself, everyone else is already taken”. – O. Wilde
Alla Poedie
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Alla Poedie
Languages: English, French, Russian, Ukrainian
Career Path: After years of building professional experience as a consultant and interpreter with the United Nations and other international organizations, Alla has specialized as a consultant in leadership development and leadership as well as cross-cultural team management.
Sectors: Automotive, Armament, Institutional, Ministry of the Interior, High Technologies and Metallurgy.
Olivier Courtois
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Olivier Courtois
Languages: English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish
Career Path: With over 35 years of international experience across five continents, Olivier is an executive advisor, certified coach and keynote speaker and the author of “The 7 Dysfunctions of Leaders”.
Sectors: Financial Services, IT/Telecom/Tech, Manufacturing, Lifesciences/Biotech, Utilities, Public Organisations, Consulting/HR, Marketing/FMCG/Retail.
Motto: “Trust is a greater compliment than love” – George MacDonald, Scottish author, poet and minister.
Danijel Bićanić
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Danijel Bićanić
Languages: English, German, Croatian
Career Path: Danijel Bićanić began his professional career in 1998 in sales and management roles within the German and Croatian hospitality industries. In 2003, he transitioned into business education, focusing on training and coaching. In 2007, Danijel became a sales trainer and coach, and over the next 16 years, he worked with over 400 companies on improving sales operations across Europe. Danijel has participated in thousands of B2B and retail sales conversations and has trained over 10,000 sales professionals. He is the author of three sales-related books and is a certified trainer for several internationally recognized programs, conducting trainings in both German and English.
Sectors: Pharmaceutical Industry, Hospitality, Management Consulting, Insurance, Energy, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, IT, Life Science, Industries, Retail, Car Industry, Cosmetics.
Motto: “Learn the way and find your own way”. – JetLi