I am Afsheen Ismail-Wey, a leadership and people operations expert with 20+ years’ experience partnering with senior managers across global pharma, FMCG and advisory contexts. I help organisations navigate performance management, employee development, change management and culture in complex, multi-country environments. As founder of The Phoenix Coaching Co., I design and deliver manager effectiveness, employee experience and talent strategies, and I have led large-scale PM and L&D initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. I’m passionate about coaching, capability building and unlocking leadership potential to drive measurable business impact.

Afsheen Ismail-Wey

I am Afsheen Ismail-Wey, a leadership and people operations expert with 20+ years’ experience partnering with senior managers across global pharma, FMCG and advisory contexts. I help organisations navigate performance management, employee development, change management and culture in complex, multi-country environments. As founder of The Phoenix Coaching Co., I design and deliver manager effectiveness, employee experience and talent strategies, and I have led large-scale PM and L&D initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. I’m passionate about coaching, capability building and unlocking leadership potential to drive measurable business impact.

Available to hire

I am Afsheen Ismail-Wey, a leadership and people operations expert with 20+ years’ experience partnering with senior managers across global pharma, FMCG and advisory contexts. I help organisations navigate performance management, employee development, change management and culture in complex, multi-country environments.

As founder of The Phoenix Coaching Co., I design and deliver manager effectiveness, employee experience and talent strategies, and I have led large-scale PM and L&D initiatives across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. I’m passionate about coaching, capability building and unlocking leadership potential to drive measurable business impact.

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Language

English
Fluent
Urdu
Fluent
German
Intermediate
Arabic
Intermediate

Work Experience

Founder, Leadership and HR Advisor at The Phoenix Coaching Co.
January 1, 2016 - Present
Built a leadership advisory and HR coaching practice serving multinational organisations across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Developed a repeatable operating model with a globally distributed facilitator network; partnered with Diageo, Takeda, Novartis, Total and Kenvue to design manager effectiveness, employee experience and talent retention strategies.
Talent and Organisation Consulting Leader, EMEA at Abbott Laboratories
September 1, 2014 - November 30, 2015
Provided coaching and advisory to HR Division Leads and business leaders across 30+ countries on performance management, policy application and change management. Restructured Talent and Organisation function and improved talent retention by 8-10% across 11,000+ employees; managed multimillion-dollar EMEA budget.
Manager, Talent and Organisation Effectiveness, EEMEA at Mondelez International
January 1, 2010 - June 30, 2014
Led advisory and implementation of redesigned global PM process post Kraft Foods/Cadbury merger; applied root-cause analysis to address recurring quality issues; facilitated 500+ manager workshops; redesigned L&D organisation and launched a global coaching programme with external partners; built regional succession planning.
Manager, Talent Acquisition and Development, MEA DM and GCC at Mondelez International
January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009
Managed talent acquisition and development across 2 business units and 2 manufacturing units spanning 450 employees; implemented succession planning, engagement programmes and performance management processes.
HR Business Partner, Commercial and Organisation Development Manager at Mondelez International
September 1, 2007 - January 31, 2009
Served as HRBP to 3 business units (MEA Developing Markets, Saudi Arabia, Gulf); translated business strategy into people plans and led the EEMEA HR admin outsourcing initiative.
Supervisor, Human Resources, MEA DM and GCC at Mondelez International
May 1, 2005 - August 31, 2007
HRBP to Finance, Supply Chain and Manufacturing at area headquarters; established the first HR organisation infrastructure in the Saudi Biscuit Manufacturing plant.
HR Manager at CNBC Arabiya
October 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005
Managed HR operations and people initiatives during the channel's early growth phase; developed and implemented HR policies and procedures to support organisational effectiveness.
Assistant Manager, People Advisory Services at KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co.
August 1, 2002 - October 31, 2004
Supported HR consulting assignments across multiple clients in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in talent acquisition, capability building and HR process and policy audits.
Senior Manager, L&D Solutions, MEAP and Turkey at Abbott Laboratories
July 1, 2014 - September 30, 2014
Led capability-building, change management and organisation effectiveness for the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan during a period of transition.
Manager, Talent and Organisation Effectiveness, EEMEA at Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods)
January 1, 2010 - June 30, 2014
Led advisory and implementation of a redesigned global performance management process post-merger. Used root-cause analysis to address recurring quality issues. Delivered the most successful regional rollout globally, reaching 7,000 employees with improved completion rates and higher-quality performance conversations. Facilitated manager capability workshops for 500+ managers across Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. Redesigned and executed the regional L&D structure, implemented the 70-20-10 framework, built specialised learning centres and launched a global coaching programme with external partners. Also improved regional succession planning and talent acquisition; acted as HRBP to the EEMEA Insights team during organisational transition.

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business
January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2002
Bachelor of Science, Marketing at Greenwich University
January 1, 1996 - December 31, 1999
Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2002
Bachelor of Science, Marketing at Greenwich University, Pakistan
January 1, 1996 - January 1, 1999
MBA at Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2002
BSc in Marketing at Greenwich University Pakistan
January 1, 1996 - January 1, 1999

Qualifications

Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
January 1, 2016 - April 19, 2026
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
January 1, 2016 - April 19, 2026
PROSCI Change Management Professional Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
HBDI Certified Practitioner
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessor
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
AQAI Adaptability Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
LEGO Serious Play Certified Facilitator
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
January 1, 2016 - April 19, 2026
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
PROSCI Change Management Professional Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
HBDI Certified Practitioner
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Assessor
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
AQAI Adaptability Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
LEGO Serious Play Method Certified Facilitator
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
Professional Certified Coach (PCC), ICF
January 1, 2016 - April 19, 2026
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Co-Active Training Institute
January 1, 2016 - April 19, 2026
PROSCI Change Management Professional Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
HBDI Certified Practitioner
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
MBTI Assessor
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
AQAI Adaptability Certification
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026
LEGO Serious Play Method Certified Facilitator
January 1, 2023 - April 19, 2026

Industry Experience

Healthcare, Life Sciences, Professional Services, Media & Entertainment, Education, Consumer Goods, Manufacturing