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

Transformed Operational Efficiency - Optimised workflows and automated key processes, increasing productivity and eliminating operational bottlenecks, leading to improved service delivery and business growth.  

Strategic Growth & Governance - Partnered with the CEO and GLT to develop and implement high-impact strategies, ensuring alignment with long-term business goals while driving operational governance and decision-making excellence.  

Business Automation & Digital Transformation - Led a full-scale SharePoint overhaul, centralising knowledge management and introducing automation that enhanced efficiency and reduced manual workload.  

Data-Driven Performance Management - Designed and delivered operations dashboards and trackers, enabling real-time insights, KPI tracking, and data-driven decision-making across teams.  

Optimised Resource & Risk Management - Strategically allocated budgets, personnel, and technology to maximise efficiency while implementing risk mitigation strategies to ensure compliance and operational resilience.  

High-Stakes Contract Negotiation - Led contract negotiations and client onboarding with top-tier global firms, strengthening Aesara’s position on exclusive coaching panels.  

People Leadership & Culture Building - Managed cross-functional teams across London and regional offices, driving a high-performance culture, talent development, and organisational capability building.
  
Enterprise-Wide Collaboration - Fostered seamless communication and strategic alignment across global teams, ensuring execution excellence and a cohesive operational structure.

Chief Operating Officer

Its Your Turn Now

•	Leading the first of its kind in the world, a coaching consultancy focusing on effective political leadership, having coached more than 15 political leaders in 4 countries already. 
•	Founder of SIMPLE (Self Improvement Model for Political Leadership Excellence) coaching framework to speed up the self-discovery and self-development of leaders in politics.

Founder & Coach

The Workshop - Inventors of Play

•	Spearheaded operations strategy & tactics, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure operational Readiness, enhance operational risks-resilience, and fortify business continuity, resulting in a 20% decrease in operational disruptions and a 15% increase in overall operational efficiency.
•	Established teams, goals & operational KPIs to drive excellence across Product Operations, Business Operations, IT Service Operations, Customer Services Operations (including Due Diligence, Know Your Customer, Anti-Money Laundering, Responsible Gambling functions), and People Operations, resulting in a 25% improvement in internal process quality.
•	Successfully managed Operational Expenses (£2m), executed 6 Operational Projects, delivered 3 Operations Reporting initiatives, and achieved a notable 30% reduction in aged debt from customers, enhancing financial stability and liquidity.
•	Spearheaded numerous Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, fostering a more inclusive workplace culture and achieving a 25% increase in employee engagement and retention.
•	Led Partner & Vendor/Supplier Management efforts, significantly reducing unaccounted service & tools usage from 92 to 60, resulting in a cost-saving of 35% and optimizing resource utilization.

Head of Operations

Pinnacle Sports

•	Developed and implemented Regulatory Compliance Framework, Annual Audit Framework, and Certification Readiness program, ensuring 100% compliance and seamless audit processes.
•	Successfully executed £5m launch program in 2022, capturing 50% market share in regulated Italian gambling market, exceeding revenue projections.

Head of PMO

•	Oversaw Project Managers across 5 Game Studios globally, achieving the successful delivery of over 30 Instant Win and 20 Casino games annually to customers in regulated markets, resulting in increased revenue and market penetration.
•	Developed and implemented a Global Requirements Matrix for the Instant Win Product, streamlining requirements analysis for 11 major clients, resulting in a 20% reduction in project lead time and enhanced client satisfaction.
•	Implemented a Cost Tracking mechanism, resulting in a 15% reduction in the annual cost of game development, optimizing resource allocation and improving profitability.

Head of PMO, PlayDigital Casino Product at IGT

•	Successfully executed technology migration projects valued at £1.5m, transitioning legacy systems to new Remote Gaming Servers (RGS) systems, resulting in improved system performance, enhanced security, and a 20% reduction in operational costs.
•	Led the delivery of 3 lottery projects, including technical integrations and full-scale onboarding for lottery and commercial customers, leading to an 11% increase in revenue and strengthening client relationships.

Technical Program Manager

•	Spearheaded the Opportunity Review Board, evaluating new project feasibility through meticulous analysis of business cases and compelling presentations to senior leaders, resulting in a 30% increase in project success rate and a 25% reduction in resource wastage.
•	Orchestrated change management processes for all portfolio-level milestones, enhancing project transparency and communication efficiency, leading to a 20% reduction in project delays and a 15% increase in stakeholder satisfaction.

Head of Demand & Delivery (Interactive Gaming)

•	Oversaw digital agency relationships to successfully deliver a £500,000 UI/UX enhancement project for Casino, Bingo, and Poker products, resulting in a 25% increase in user engagement and a 20% boost in customer satisfaction ratings.

Senior Project Manager

Ladbrokes

•	Implemented the Self-Service Betting Terminals (SSBT) project valued at £1 million, facilitating the deployment of nearly 2000 betting terminals across betting shops in the UK and Ireland, resulting in a 40% increase in customer convenience and a 25% rise in betting shop revenue.

Project Manager, Applications Delivery

Amnesty International

•	Successfully orchestrated the development and deployment of user-generated campaign websites, social media assets, and campaigns addressing critical human rights issues such as the Arab Spring, Global Poverty, and Arms Trade, engaging over a million users worldwide to take meaningful action, driving significant awareness and advocacy for human rights causes on a global scale.

Digital Project Manager

Swisscontact-Katalyst

•	Directed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives to establish over 500 Community Internet & Information Centers across rural Bangladesh, fostering economic empowerment by creating 500 entrepreneurial opportunities, thereby enhancing access to information, education, and job opportunities in underserved communities.

Business Consultant

Director of Operations, Head of PMO | Expert in Operations, Project, Delivery Management, Operational Excellence & Strategic Leadership in iGaming, Gambling, Consultancy & Charity Sectors | Multilingual | MBA

A results-driven, multilingual leader with 15+ years of experience building and scaling Operations, PMO, and Delivery functions across the iGaming, gambling, and coaching industries. I currently serve as the Chief Operating Officer of Aesara Partners, where I blend strategic oversight with operational precision to drive performance, efficiency, and business transformation.

I am the inventor of the Troika of Operational Excellence—a framework that has helped reduce operational costs by 20%, streamline processes by 10%, and enhance communication efficiency by 40%. My leadership style is both data-informed and people-centric, consistently delivering measurable impact across diverse roles including COO, Director of Operations, and Director of PMO.

As a passionate linguist and founder of Rononiti, a language consultancy advising on language policy and multilingual education, I bring a global and culturally adaptive perspective to leadership. My work in language strategy continues to inform how I lead, communicate, and collaborate in multicultural environments.

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Core Competencies
Operations Strategy | PMO & Portfolio Management | Process Optimisation | Financial Oversight | Data Analytics | Leadership | Change Management | Coaching & NLP | Public Speaking | Workflow Automation

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Language Proficiency
Fluent: English, French, Bangla, Hindi
Intermediate: Chinese, Spanish, Italian
Beginner: Arabic, German, Turkish

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Credentials
	•	MBA – London Metropolitan University
	•	BSc IT – University of Delhi
	•	PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner
	•	ITIL4 Foundation
	•	Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

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Additional Skills
Copywriting | Voice Acting | Leadership Author | NLP Practitioner | Event Hosting | Consultancy

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Memberships & Volunteering
Affiliate Linguist – Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)
UK Director - Mother Language Lovers of the World Society 

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Note: This is a personal LinkedIn profile and does not reflect the views of my current or former employers.

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Arif Iqball

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