Aesara Partners 

At Aesara Partners, our mission is simple: enable you to be the best version of yourself. We offer a range of focused services that unlock the potential of people, teams and cultures to maximise business performance. 

Collectively our Partners and Associates have decades of experience both in executive coaching and as board level leaders themselves working in multiple sectors across global markets.

Partner & Executive Coach

Doshisha University

Professor of Strategic Management, Global MBA Program

The CFO Coach K.K.

The CFO Coach K.K. is a boutique executive coaching firm specializing in developing High-Performance​ Financial Leaders and Teams.

Founder & Executive Coach

Kansai Gaidai University

•	Awarded President's Global Education Award (Teacher of the Year).

Professor of Leadership & Management

Benesse Holdings, Inc. (USD 4.5B; Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 9783)

•	Member of the Board of Directors for Berlitz Corporation; Benesse Corporation; and Benesse Style Care.  Chairman of Audit Committee for Berlitz Corporation. Member of Benesse Holdings Pension Committee.
•	Global CFO covering all 40+ Benesse group companies
•	Championed and supported multiple cash generation initiatives including a CFO led "Save to Grow" initiative to improve Company Financial performance and to identify significant savings for business reinvestment
•	Enhanced Finance bench strength and hired a high potential team to start financial business consulting
•	Implemented several process and capability best practices to move group companies towards global standards

Global Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Senior Vice President

McCann Worldgroup Holdings

• Overall Responsibility for Operations (Finance, IT, Legal, and Administration - 10 legal entities) 
• Successfully turned around long term loss making lead agency by delivering double digit margin improvements within two years
• Delivered double digit margin improvements for all six MWG Group companies 
• Built a new Finance team and moved from Scorekeeping to Business Partnership and improved business performance
• Major projects within last two years include: 
  - Shared Service center creation/migration
  - New Financial System Migration
  - Acquisition & Divestiture
  - Business Turnaround
  - Retirement Plan consolidation/change
  - Office relocation/rent reductions

Group Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, and Member of The Board

Becton, Dickinson and Company

• Led Finance, Procurement, General Affairs, and Rebates teams (43 staff) to deliver multi-million dollar cash and profit performance improvement for first year and beyond. Exceeded all budget expectations.
• Engaged Japan Management Team and Global Finance Leadership Team on company objectives to deliver best outcome (Finance Transformation initiative, Sales effectiveness improvement, Key Account Management, Business Continuity plan, and strategy/selection of backup distribution center).  Led process for 2012-16 Business Plan development
• Developed and executed Finance department strategy and vision to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Implemented job rotation program and hired several high potential employees to improve bench strength.
• Championed multiple Finance and Procurement initiatives including definition and implementation of new 401k Retirement Plan; divestiture of non-core business; change of primary banks (reduced bank fees by over 30%); vendor reduction process, and new travel expense management system 
• Taught New Manager Essentials program and selected as leadership trainer for PEPFAR program in South Africa to teach Leadership and Change Management to African Health Ministry officials

Finance and Administration Director

Avon Products Inc.

•	Implementation project leader for Avon Sales Leadership Framework (ASLF) – Highest priority project for the Company to adapt to a new Sales Model.  Completed project implementation in record timing.  Awarded regional award as part of ASLF Team. Only person in Asia recognized for both Top-line and Bottom-line contributions in the same year.
•	Defined and executed new vision and mission and led Sales Support department to complete over 40 initiatives (within a six-month period) as part of Team’s new journey towards field motivational excellence. Incorporated new processes to deliver high impact incentives, and to create Sales energy and momentum for sales turn-around.    
•	Achieved highest employee engagement scores with Sales Support Department significantly exceeding country results in over 95% of categories.  Previously had also led Finance department to highest employee engagement scores.
•	Global Project leader for a high potential, multi-functional, multi-national team to study and recommend actions to improve Global Sales Incentive management/spending process.
•	Oversaw execution of a variety of Company and Public/Media events ranging from Sales Conferences to Philanthropic events including Annual Awards to Women, and Pink Ribbon Campaign support.

Executive Director and Member of the Board

•	Responsible for Financial policy making/implementation and reporting for Avon Japan as a public company (including statutory/public, and Board Meetings). All year-end financial documents audited with no comments/exceptions.
•	Defined and executed new department Vision and Mission, and recruited, trained and developed a completely new Finance team (80% new hires within a six month period) to move from scorekeeping to business partnership. Finance team formed core of country high potential list.
•	Consistently over achieved profit performance commitment under adverse conditions of sales decline by aggressively managing strategic business needs with cost cutting; Delivered zero overhead growth during all years; Japan winner of regional awards for best cost management performance, and for boldest transformation strategy.
•	Provided leadership and support for critical decisions and strategy development as Japan Leadership Team Member.  Actively led change management process within company.
•	Consistently achieved best internal control results in Asia-Pacific/Avon over a period of eight audits.  Japan one of only two countries with highest audit rating. Outstanding performance generated support to remove Japan from list of High Coverage countries.
• Co-developed strategic/financial business case, and obtained approval for number of campaign reduction in 2006 making Avon Japan only country ever in Avon to undergo campaign reduction. 
• Independently analyzed and provided strategic direction for Plant study which challenged and reversed previous recommendation by outside consultants on plant closure.
• Provided leadership in several restructuring initiatives by providing an achievable plan to achieve 12% people related cost reduction.  Played lead role in this study representing Finance, Supply Chain and HR 
• Consistently achieved highest performance rating and nominations to several high potential programs
• Elected (and re-elected) to Board of Directors

Executive Director, CFO and Member of the Board of Directors

Delphi

• Prepared Asia-Pacific regional messages / presentations for Delphi Strategy Board, and for Delphi Board of Directors.
• Supported development and implementation of critical Asia-Pacific strategies.  Performed competitive intelligence and other special studies to identify risks / competitive threats and outlined regional / corporate response.
• Provided Miller Heiman strategic selling process training to Asia-Pacific personnel to improve value propositions and increase sales effectiveness.

Director Asia-Pacific Planning

• Management responsibilities for Finance, HR, General Affairs, and Six-Sigma.
• Active member of the Japan Strategy Board and Japan management team.  
• Six-Sigma Deployment Champion for Delphi Japan.

Delphi Japan – CFO & Administration Director

Country Responsibilities:
• Managed all finance functions including accounting, budgeting / forecasting and treasury.
• Lead development of cross-functional and cross-divisional Internal Control Review Board.
• Lead and supported strategic initiatives including venture development support, site enhancement, competitive analysis, transfer pricing, and cost reduction studies.
• Represented Japan in Asia-Pacific Financial Task Team.

Regional Responsibilities:
• Coached country CFO and staff to implement common financial reporting processes.
• Supervised and provided training for engineering / commercial / plant / site analysts.  Coordinated regional financial training programs for the sector in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Coordinated the regional budget, business plan, and capital management process.
• Supported development of common financial practices among ventures including:  Loan monitoring, F/X and cash management, compliance with accounting principles, report submission, etc. Provided regional oversight of venture risk exposure.

Asia-Pacific Senior Finance Mgr.

Executive Coach | MBA Professor | Ex-Global CFO

I help senior leaders master complexity, elevate strategic impact, and lead with authentic authority.

I bring over 25 years of C-level and boardroom experience as a former Global CFO for a $5B publicly traded company, combined with a deep commitment to human-centered leadership development.

Today, I coach global executives, CEOs, and leadership teams — specializing in executive transitions, strategic leadership, high-performance teams, and Asian leadership development.

I am also an MBA Professor of Leadership and Strategic Management, blending research-driven frameworks with boardroom-tested insights to develop transformational leaders.

Based in Kyoto, fluent in English, Urdu, and Japanese.

Connect with me: arif@thecfocoach.jp

Website: www.thecfocoach.jp (please sign up on my mailing list to receive future announcements and newsletters)

Arif Iqball

HR & Change Consultant | I help Executives succeed at organisational change, saving MILLIONs in lost time, money, and talent | Delivered £68M in savings in 2024 | 30+ years of global experience | Ex-Big 4

For consulting and commercial enquiries, contact: hayden@arellahr.com

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Hi, I’m Hayden – I help HR leaders and businesses make HR work smarter through HR operating models, organisation design, change management, and training.

With 30+ years of global experience, I’ve worked with some of the world’s leading organisations, from Big 4 consulting to professional services, retail, and tech, helping them simplify complexity, scale effectively, and build high-performing teams.

Thought Leadership
I’m passionate about HR transformation and regularly contribute to industry panels, leadership forums, and global conferences. My work on change management, and HR effectiveness has been featured at events.

If you’re tackling big HR challenges and need practical, no-nonsense support, let’s connect.

Hayden Swerling

She stood at the edge.
82 years old.
500 feet above the ground.

The instructor asked if she was ready.

"I've been ready for 60 years," she said.

Then she jumped.

At 82, she finally did what she'd wanted to do since she was 22. The thing everyone told her was "for young people."

The thing she told herself she'd do "someday."

Here's what hit me:

She didn't wait for permission.
She didn't wait for the "right time."
She didn't wait for her age to make sense.

She just went.

We build entire careers around "someday."

"I'm too old to start over."
"I'm too senior to change industries."
"I'm too established to take that risk."

Meanwhile, our real goals sit untouched.
Getting smaller each year we ignore them.

That thing you keep postponing?

The business idea that excites you but feels "unrealistic"?
The creative project you abandoned when work got busy?
The career move you researched but never pursued?

It's still there.
Still valid.
Still yours to claim.

Age didn't stop her from jumping off a bridge.

What's stopping you from chasing what matters?

The dreams that felt impossible at 30 might feel essential at 50.
The risks that seemed too big at 40 might feel like regrets at 60.

She proved something at 82 that most of us forget:

Your timeline is yours to write.

What would you do if you stopped waiting for the "right" time?

Follow Hayden Swerling for insights on breaking the rules that limit us.

Weekly insights on designing the life and career you actually want: https://lnkd.in/ef5mbPrX

You're back at your desk.

That familiar knot in your stomach.
The one that whispers you're not ready.
That this year's goals are too big.
That you might fail.

Good.

That fear means you're aiming high enough to matter.

Here's what nobody tells you about legends:
They feel it too.

Every single one.

The difference isn't courage.
It's what they do while scared.

They show up anyway.
They try anyway.
They speak up anyway.
They lead anyway.

You don't lose when you fail.
You lose when fear keeps you from trying.

This year, your legendary moment isn't waiting for the fear to pass.

It's doing it scared.
Trying it scared.
Leading it scared.

Because the only real failure is staying silent when you have something to say.
Staying still when you're meant to move.

2026 isn't about being fearless.
It's about being afraid and showing up anyway.

That's how ordinary people do legendary things.

So here's your question:
What are you going to try this year that scares you?

Follow Hayden Swerling for insights on leadership, teams, and the conversations that actually matter.

📩 Weekly insights: https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

Most HR transformations fail because they're designed by consultants who've never run HR. 🎯

I've spent 15 years leading HR operating model redesigns.

Across 30+ organisations.

The pattern is predictable.

Transformation initiatives look brilliant on paper.

They collapse within 18 months. 📉

Not because of poor strategy.

Because of preventable execution mistakes.

Here are the critical errors I see CHROs repeat:

**Mistake 1: Designing the operating model before defining the operating rhythm** ⚙️

• You can't structure your team until you know how work actually flows
• Map your decision rights first
• Structure follows decisions, not the other way around
• Most teams restructure, then realize they've just moved the bottlenecks

**Mistake 2: Underestimating change management by a factor of 10** 🔄

• HR transformations fail at the human level
• Not the technical level
• Your team needs to unlearn years of muscle memory
• Budget 30% of your transformation effort for change management
• Most teams budget 5%
• Then wonder why adoption stalls

**Mistake 3: Building an HR strategy disconnected from business strategy** 🎯

• If your transformation can't articulate its impact on revenue, cost, or risk, it won't survive budget cuts
• Every operating model decision should trace back to a business outcome
• "Better employee experience" isn't enough
• Better experience that drives what business result?

**Mistake 4: Copying someone else's operating model** 📋

• The three-pillar model works brilliantly for some organizations
• It fails spectacularly for others
• Your operating model must reflect your organization's complexity, maturity, and strategic priorities
• There is no universal best practice

**Mistake 5: Treating technology as the transformation** 💻

• A new HRIS doesn't transform HR
• It automates your current process
• Good or bad
• Fix the operating model first
• Then digitize
• The most expensive mistake is automating dysfunction

Here's what actually works: ✅

Start with your most painful process.

Redesign it completely.

Prove the value.

Then scale the approach.

Transformations that try to fix everything simultaneously fix nothing. 🚫

The organizations that get this right don't just redesign HR.

They fundamentally change how the business views HR's strategic contribution. 🚀

If you're planning an HR transformation or struggling with one that's stalled, I'd welcome a conversation. 💬

Sometimes an outside perspective on your operating model challenges makes all the difference.

Follow Hayden Swerling and get in contact if you need advice on your transformation.

You thought 2022 would break you.

The setbacks. The doubts. The moments you questioned everything.

2023 didn't get easier.
It just taught you resilience you didn't know you had.

Then 2024 hit different.

Your entire perspective shifted.
What you chased before? Suddenly meaningless.
What you ignored before? Suddenly everything.

2025 brought clarity.

Not the kind you read about.
The kind that comes from surviving what almost destroyed you.

You finally know what matters.
Who matters.
Why you're really here.

And 2026?

This is where everything you survived becomes everything you needed.

The pain had purpose.
The struggle had meaning.
The years that tested you were preparing you.

You're not the same person who started this journey.

You're stronger.
Wiser.
Ready.

This is your year to show it.

Want weekly insights on turning your struggles into strength?
Follow Hayden Swerling and join the newsletter at https://lnkd.in/ef5mbPrX

What year changed you the most? 
Drop it below.

That barista who made your coffee this morning?

She just saved someone's life yesterday as a volunteer EMT.

The janitor you walked past without looking up?

He's putting three kids through college on his own.

The intern sitting quietly in your meeting?

She's building a nonprofit that's already helped 500 families.

We spend our whole lives judging people by their LinkedIn titles.

Meanwhile, we're missing the actual humans right in front of us.

I used to do this too.

Then I realized something.

Respect isn't earned by credentials.
It's given because someone exists.

That's it.

No resume required.
No title needed.
No permission slip necessary.

The CEO and the delivery driver both deserve your full attention.

You never know who's carrying weight you can't imagine.
Or building dreams nobody sees yet.

Start today.

Look people in the eye.
Learn their names.
Treat everyone like they matter.

Because they do.

Your character isn't measured by how you treat people who can help you.

It's measured by how you treat people who can't.

Follow Hayden Swerling for more insights on leadership and growth.

Sign up for my weekly newsletter 📩 https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

Who's someone "ordinary" who taught you something extraordinary?

You have no idea what's happening behind the scenes.
That colleague who snapped at you in the meeting?

Their parent just got diagnosed with cancer.

The team member who's been "checked out" lately?
They're going through a divorce and fighting for custody.

The person who declined your lunch invite again?
They're barely holding it together and can't risk breaking down in public.

We see 10% of someone's reality.
The polished LinkedIn posts.
The professional demeanor.
The "I'm fine" in the hallway.

We miss the other 90%.

The sleepless nights.
The financial stress.
The relationship falling apart.
The health scare they haven't told anyone about.

Here's what I've learned the hard way:

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

That "difficult" person isn't difficult.
They're drowning.

That "lazy" team member isn't lazy.
They're exhausted from life outside these walls.

So before you judge.
Before you complain.
Before you write someone off.

Just be kind.

It costs you nothing.
But it might save someone's day.
Or their week.
Or more than you'll ever know.

Kindness isn't weakness.
It's wisdom.

📩 Subscribe to my weekly insights and get hold of the approaches and frameworks that some consultants charge a fortune for: 
https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

The CFO just rolled his eyes at your HR update.

Again.

You saw it.
Pretended you didn't.
Kept talking about engagement scores anyway.

Here's the truth.

You're not being dismissed because they don't value people.

You're being dismissed because you trained them to.

Every time you lead with activity metrics, you teach them HR isn't strategic.

Every time you celebrate "47 training sessions completed", you prove their suspicion.

Every time you talk about programs instead of problems solved, you become background noise.

The patterns keeping you out of the room:

"Our engagement scores improved."
→ They hear: nothing that impacts revenue

"Turnover is down 3%."
→ They hear: not enough to notice

"We launched a new performance framework."
→ They hear: more HR paperwork

We default to these because they're safe.

Easy to measure.
Hard to dispute.
Disconnected from what the business cares about.

The best HR leaders I know never talk about HR.

They talk about:
• How slow hiring is costing the sales team quota
• Why manager quality predicts customer retention
• The revenue impact of role confusion

They translate people problems into business language.

Not HR language.

If executives tune out when you speak, look at what you're leading with.

Are you giving them insights that move the business forward?

Or updates they've learned to ignore?

There's a difference.

And it's costing you the seat at the table.

Follow Hayden Swerling for more People and Change insights

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You walk into work smiling.

Everyone else looks like their dog just got adopted by their ex.

You're a golden retriever at a funeral. 
And you brought tennis balls.

A number of years ago I strolled into a leadership meeting with my coffee, completely oblivious.

Dead silence.
Zero eye contact.
My CEO looked like someone cancelled his Spotify Premium.

Me: "Morning everyone!"

Turns out we'd just lost our biggest client.

I'm standing there grinning like an idiot while everyone else is mentally updating their LinkedIn bios.

I've been Big Bird on the Death Star more times than I can count.

The weirdo who walks into a dumpster fire and asks if anyone wants s'mores.

Here's the thing about being that person:

Your job isn't always to match the room's energy.

Sometimes it's to absolutely wreck it.

Not with toxic positivity or "good vibes only" nonsense.

But with the audacity to believe panic isn't a business strategy.

When everyone's spiraling, they don't need another person joining the doom scroll.

They need someone who can still see the next move.

You're not naive.
You're the circuit breaker.

Energy spreads both ways.

And sometimes the most valuable thing you bring isn't your expertise.

It's your stubborn refusal to let everyone stay stuck in the darkness.

So if you're Big Bird today?

Own it.

The Empire has enough Darth Vaders.

What it needs is someone ridiculous enough to still believe we're going to win.

♻️ Repost if you've been the only optimist while everyone else planned their escape route.

Follow Hayden Swerling for insights on leadership, teams, and the conversations that actually matter.

📩 Weekly insights: https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

The water boy stood frozen.

Geelong just won the Grand Final.
And captain Joel Selwood was walking straight toward him.

What happened next changed his life.

Selwood didn't just acknowledge him. 
He pulled him into the celebration. 
Made him part of the moment. 
Gave him a memory that'll last forever.

This wasn't about football.

It was about seeing someone. 
Really seeing them.

That water boy was a massive Cats fan. 
He'd probably dreamed of this moment his entire life. 
And Selwood made it real.

Here's what most leaders miss:

You don't need a grand gesture to change someone's life. 
You just need to notice them. Include them. 
Make them feel like they matter.

Because they do.

The people watching you right now? 
They're waiting to see if you'll lift them up or walk past them.

Who can you bring into your celebration today?

Want weekly insights on building better companies? 
Join thousands at 📩 at https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

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They want you to be the therapist.
And the enforcer.
The champion of culture.
And the cost-cutter.

You're supposed to care deeply about people.
Then lay them off with compassion.

This is the impossible job.

I've defended grieving employees in boardrooms full of spreadsheets.
I've watched brilliant people quit because we made them feel like numbers.

And I've had enough of the false choice.

You don't have to pick between people and profit.
Between heart and results.

You need all 5.

The 5 H's of Modern HR:

🧠 HEAD - Strategy and business insight
❤️ HEART - Empathy and inclusion  
🤝 HANDS - Execution that works
👂 HEAR - Real listening
⚖️ HOLD - Accountability and integrity

Most HR pros are doing pieces of this.
Just reactively.
Putting out fires. 🔥

When you use all 5 together?

You stop betraying one side to serve the other.

Your people aren't your biggest cost.
They're your most dangerous competitive advantage. ⚡

Which H are you neglecting?

—

Follow Hayden Swerling for HR that's both human and strategic.

You're choosing AI tools the same way you chose your HRIS.
Based on features, not fit.
Here's what actually matters:

The tool that works for comp modelling won't work for rewriting a redundancy letter.

The one that drafts your strategy deck won't handle your ER case review.

Most People Leaders I talk to are using ChatGPT for everything.

That's like using Excel for your entire People function.

Here's the stack that actually works:

ChatGPT when you need speed and structure.
Use it for org design options, manager toolkits, turning messy input into exec-ready narratives.

It's your thinking partner, not your writer.

Gemini when your world lives in Google Workspace.
Pull themes from engagement surveys, turn HR data into slides, analyse workforce planning at pace.

Best for synthesis, not strategy.

Claude when human consequences matter.
Policy reviews, sensitive comms, complex change impacts, ER cases.

It handles nuance. The others don't.

The mistake isn't picking the wrong tool.

It's using one tool for everything and wondering why your output feels generic.

Match the tool to the problem.
Not the problem to your favourite tool.

Want help building your AI stack for People work?

I've spent the last year testing these tools on real HR challenges.

Follow Hayden Swerling for insights on leadership, teams, and the conversations that actually matter.

📩 Weekly insights: https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

You're teaching managers how to have better conversations.
But you haven't given them anything worth talking about.

Every year, companies invest millions in manager training.
Coaching skills. Active listening. Feedback frameworks.

Then managers return to their desks and sit in 1:1s with nothing meaningful to discuss.

Because you gave them the skills but not the infrastructure:

• No clear career paths to coach people toward
• No meaningful goals beyond "do more with less"
• No succession plans that feel real
• No role clarity when everything changes every six months
• No authority to make decisions that matter

So the conversation becomes:
"How are you doing?"
"Fine."
"Anything I can help with?"
"Nope."

And both people leave feeling like they wasted 30 minutes.

Here's the truth.

Manager training isn't the problem.
Your organizational design is.

You can't coach people toward growth if there's nowhere to grow.
You can't have career conversations without career architecture.
You can't develop talent without knowing what talent you need.

Great coaching requires something to coach toward.

Direction. Clarity. Opportunity.

The best HR functions I've seen don't just train managers.

They build the systems that make good management possible:
Clear role frameworks.
Transparent progression paths.
Goals that connect to something bigger than quarterly targets.

If you want better managers, stop buying more training.

Start building better infrastructure.

What's one system your managers need that training can't fix?

Follow Hayden Swerling for more People and Change insights

taplio

The Battle

Arif Iqball

Hayden Swerling

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The Battle

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Hayden Swerling

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hayden Swerling's LinkedIn Performance

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