Arjen Bongard
Lead Consultant
Arjen Bongard brings more than 30 years experience as a senior media executive, editor and consultant to help clients develop and deliver clear and convincing messages to the media, employees and other key stakeholders. He is based in Munich.
For five years, Arjen was Dow Jones Newswires’ country chief for Germany, over-seeing coverage from Bonn. In 1992, he relocated to London as Senior Editor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa with responsibility for some 500 journalists. Arjen was editor-in-chief of Automotive News Europe from 2003 to 2009.
Arjen has a B.A. from the University of Amsterdam and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan. He also completed the Advanced Management Program in Business at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. A Dutch national, Arjen speaks fully fluent English, Dutch and German and has a working knowledge of French and Swedish.
Neil McNeil
Senior Consultant
Neil is one of Europe’s most experienced coaches in preparing senior business executives and politicians for critical appearances in front of the media, client and colleagues.
Neil has been developing communication skills of business executives for more than 15 years, having prepared more than 6,000 individuals in over a dozen countries. His clients are primarily from business. Financial clients he has worked with include Standard & Poor’s, BNP Paribas Fortis, JP Morgan Asset Management and BlackRock. He has also coached two heads of state, a Prime Minister and an astronaut.
He began his career as a reporter for BBC Radio, subsequently working as a producer in commercial radio, a newsreader-producer based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the presenter-producer of a science & technology programme on LBC Radio in London.
Neil was one of the lead presenters on BSkyB Television in the UK, hosting several news programmes, and has interviewed numerous leading politicians and celebrities. Neil has a BSc in Psychology from the University of Manchester and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Radio & TV Journalism. He is conversant in Spanish.
Jude Tavanyar
Senior Consultant
Jude is a leadership and cross-cultural communications specialist, with over 25 years’ experience working with individuals, teams and organisations.
She has coached hundreds of senior individuals, including at board level, as well as leadership teams from global businesses across a broad range of industry sectors, working in 14 European countries as well as in Africa and in Asia.
Jude has a BA in English and French from the University of Exeter, and an MSc in Systemic Consultation (Kensington Consultation Centre, London).
Jude is a native English speaker who speaks fluent French, and is conversant in Italian. A UK citizen, she has also lived in Cyprus, France and Germany.
Glenn Whitney
Lead Consultant
Glenn has over 20 years’ experience as a confidential advisor and innovative leadership communications coach. He helps leaders develop coherent decision making and works across organizations to build trust and social intelligence in individuals and teams.
Sessions with Glenn are aimed at helping senior leaders focus on mission-critical people issues and preparing for crucial conversations and high-profile presentations.
Glenn regularly consults to board-level executives and other leaders from many of the world’s most successful companies. He also works extensively with Olympic-level coaches through UK Sport’s Elite Coach programme.
Educated in the U.S. and the U.K., Glenn has an MSc. in Organisational Social Psychology from the London School of Economics, an M.A. in Counselling Psychology from City University of London (Regent’s College) and a B.A. in Psychology from Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania). He is a UKCP-registered psychotherapist and a regular contributor to the Annual Review of High Performance Coaching & Consulting and other publications. He has a special interest in Mindfulness-based leadership and writes regularly about the topic.
Glenn started his professional life as a business journalist, including seven years as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, where he was jointly awarded The Overseas Press Club Award. He has lived and worked in Barcelona, Mexico City, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, London, Toulouse and Denver, and speaks German, Spanish and French.