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

If HR can’t challenge leadership, it’s not HR.

It’s Just Damage Control.

Let’s get real for a second.

Far too often HR is seen as:

🚨 Admin → a tick box exercise
🚨 Enforcer → Does the dirty work
🚨 Crisis handler → mops up after a mess
🚨 Firefighter → Putting out fires that others started

It’s why HR often gets caught in a spiral.

Being reactive and non-strategic.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth for leaders:

❌ HR can't drive impact if they're left out of strategy.
❌ HR can't boost morale if they're shut out of culture.
❌ HR can't lead change if they're not empowered to act.

Here are 5 things HR need to deliver real impact:

1️⃣ A Seat at the Table
↳ HR should be embedded in decision-making, from shaping strategy to influencing culture, ensuring people are always part of the business equation.

2️⃣ The Authority to Challenge
↳ HR must have the freedom to speak hard truths and push back when necessary, creating a space for honest, transformative conversations.

3️⃣ Empowerment to Lead Change
↳ HR needs the backing and trust to drive cultural and organizational transformation, not just manage the fallout of bad decisions.

4️⃣ Ownership of People and Culture
↳ HR must be respected as a protector of the culture, with the power to intervene before damage is done, not just after the fact.

When HR is empowered, the entire organization thrives.

Otherwise culture suffers, and trust erodes. 

💬 HR leaders, what’s one change that would empower you to drive real impact?
Let’s discuss in the comments 👇

♻️ Repost if you found this useful
✅ Follow Hayden Swerling for more

The fastest way to destroy a team?

Let management pick and choose who follows the rules.

I've seen it end careers.
Kill cultures.
Empty entire floors.

And it always starts the same way:

→ One person gets away with something.
→ Everyone notices.
→ Nobody says anything.
→ It happens again.
→ And again.
→ Until the only people left are the ones who stopped caring.

Here's what leadership doesn't realise:

Your team isn't watching what you say.
They're watching what you tolerate.

Rules applied selectively aren't rules.
They're a power game.

And the best people?
They don't play power games.
They just leave.

Quietly.
Professionally.
Without ever telling you the real reason.

The talent exodus you're worried about?
It probably already started.
You just haven't seen the resignations yet.


If you've watched this happen in silence repost this.

Someone on your feed needs to see it today.

I write weekly about the organisational dysfunctions leaders won't say out loud and what actually fixes them. Follow Hayden Swerling if you want unfiltered thinking on leadership and culture.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

Great leaders keep cheering you on.
Even after you’ve moved on.
My old manager just sent me a LinkedIn message.

We haven't worked together for 20 years.

"Saw your successful HR consultancy business. Nobody deserves it more. So proud of you."

I stared at that message for ten minutes.

Because years or should i now say decades ago, I was the person everyone overlooked.

The "potential" that never quite materialised.

I was ready to quit.

Then Jon became my manager.

First week, he pulled me aside:

"I see something in you that you don't see yet. Let's figure this out together."

He didn't just manage me.

He believed in me when I'd stopped believing in myself. 🌟

Every project, he pushed me just beyond what I thought I could do.
Every win, hhe made sure the room knew my name.

When I told him I got an offer elsewhere, he didn't guilt me.

He celebrated.

"You're ready for this. Go show them what I already know."

Here's what most bosses get wrong:

They think their job ends when you leave their team.

Great leaders know the truth:

Your legacy isn't who you managed. It's who you made possible. 🚀

That message he sent? It wasn't about my success

It was proof that years ago, he invested in someone who needed it.

Because I manage a team now.

And every day, I ask myself:

"Am I being someone's Jon?" 💭

Who was your "Jon"?

And more importantly—whose "Jon" are you being right now? ⭐

P.S. Want more stories and strategies on leadership, career growth, and human-first business? Subscribe to my newsletter:

https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

Follow Hayden Swerling  Swerling  for more people insights

It's 8pm on Sunday.

And your body already knows what your mind won't admit.

Heart racing. 💔
Chest tight. 
Breath shallow.

Monday isn't a day on the calendar.

It's a threat your nervous system is already responding to.

That's not burnout. ❌

That's your culture talking. 🚨

Culture isn't the values poster in your lobby.

Culture is how your body reacts when the weekend ends.

Right now, somewhere, your people are: 👇

Waking up with their jaw clenched tight.
Holding their breath through every meeting.
Crying in their cars in the parking lot. 😢
Taking anxiety medication to get through Tuesday. 💊

We've normalized the nightmare.
Called it "just part of work."

But resilience won't fix a broken system. 🔨

Your people don't need another culture deck.
They don't need wellness programs that put the burden back on them.

They need psychological safety. 🛡️
They need boundaries that actually exist. 🚧
They need leaders who see them as humans, not human resources. 👥

Culture isn't what you say in all-hands meetings.

It's whether your team can sleep on Sunday night. 💤

How do your people feel tonight?

---

Follow Hayden Swerling for more insights on building human-centered cultures.

Want to transform your leadership approach? Subscribe to my newsletter for weekly strategies on creating psychologically safe workplaces.

Join thousands at https://lnkd.in/eysBEU_k

taplio

The Battle

Arif Iqball

Hayden Swerling

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The Battle

Arif Iqball

Hayden Swerling

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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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Performance ScoreHayden Swerling's LinkedIn Performance