Helping business leaders run further and faster.
“…like having a GM in your pocket”
Business Coaching
I help service-based businesses build muscle across their commercial activities, i.e. developing and implementing pricing policies, market growth strategies, and portfolio planning.
Leadership Capability
I can work in your team to inject leadership where it’s needed.
I can also work with your team to grow their leadership capability (coach the coaches).
Strategic HR
For more than fifteen years I have managed people and teams. I really enjoy helping develop ways of working that allow teams to flow, people to grow, and businesses to reach their goals.
Governance & Advisory
A member of the Institute of Directors, I have sat on three boards to date. The areas of governance I enjoy most are risk management, strategic planning, and developing leadership capability within the business.
Business Sitting
It can be tricky when a business owner or leader needs to take a break. I have developed an approach where I can step in and business-sit. It’s a delicate thing to do and critical that you find someone who takes the job as seriously as you do.
Experience Design & Empathy
I enjoying working with business leaders to assess the current experience that either their team or customers have to help find ways to optimise the experience. This in turn helps my clients attract and retain their most valuable assets.
I’m Donna Maxwell, the Director of Running Mate. Can I help?
This is the first question I ask before taking on a new project or role - it’s my key criteria.
It’s important for you to know that I don’t use a specific methodology for projects, nor do I enter a workplace with a template to implement. Instead, I work with business leaders to help identify what’s needed, from risk mitigation strategies to leadership development to galvanising a team to deliver on goals.
The clients I gravitate to are those that are open to change, growth, and partnership.
Helping business leaders is my favourite thing to do.
“…there is that sense of ‘why can’t we’ that comes across as playful and adventurous - but also very seriously, and underpinned by good commercial acumen. And, it’s trusted by others, you create this safe zone...”
— from Simon, who referred me for a Business Sitting gig.
Case studies
