Simon Holmes

Trusted human-centric technical leader and published technical author with 20+ years driving innovation through strategic vision, problem-solving, building collaborative relationships, and cultivating high-performing teams. Proven abilities in communicating complex concepts to broad audiences coupled with a unique blend of technical and business acumen.

Co-Founder and Consultant

Is your engineering team not running the way you want it to? Chances are it's not a technical issue or a skills gap. Chances are, it's more complex - it's human.

We partner with people who believe what we believe, namely that:
1) Software engineering is a deeply human endeavour
2) Software delivery and organisational performance are predicted by the underlying engineering culture

Alongside consultancy, change management, and interim management two of our most popular services are:

1) Engineering Culture Index
Our Engineering Culture Index provides a way to measure your engineering culture, highlighting the strengths of the team and the issues holding you back.

2) Team Dependencies Matrix
Identify the hidden bottlenecks and dependencies that are slowing your team town.

For both of these we help you with the root cause analysis and corrective actions. They are often combined together into a complete actionable audit.

Anna Castaldi, MBA, GPHR

BBVA

I am a matchmaker of A Player talent to purpose driven careers.  I mix Talent Acquisition with practical psychology and a background of more than 15 years experience in banking & finance. My mission is to match people with their purpose in an engaging career that allows them to maximize their talents and share them with others.
• Lead talent acquisition efforts for Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) throughout the BBVA footprint. Highly precise hunter of talent leading with empathy, intuition and direct financial experience. 
• Serve as partner and talent advisor to senior leadership and line managers on recruiting strategies, best practices, market conditions, internal processes, obstacles to hiring, diversity recruiting, and more.
• Executive Recruiter for Senior/Corporate leadership positions for CIB.
• Expert in NLP, Psychology & Personality theories, executive & leadership coaching, enfusing empathy in corporate culture, increasing productivity and maximizing unique talents.

Talent Acquisition Manager for Corporate & Investment Banking

BBVA is consistently known as one of the best trade banks in Latin America, as well as in international league tables. 

At BBVA, I help create solutions for clients with a global vision to facilitate payments and mitigate the risks international trade.  My mission is to develop a deep understanding of what the client really needs and to use inspired action to produce a creative solution which would provide the best value for this client's importing and exporting needs. I am focused, diligent and creative in my quest to add tremendous value to the customer and build lasting rapport.

• Responsible for the sales, structuring and execution of cross-border trade finance products, assisting both the NY and Houston offices.
• Origination, structuring & execution of Export Credit Agency deals - with a special focus on US EXIM Bank - and letters of credit (LC) transactions. 
• Specialize in discovering potential trade opportunities in large corporate clients.
• Assist in spearheading the CIB GTF sales plan.
• Train and mentor LEAP associates.

Vice President - Global Trade Finance

Noble Energy

Noble Energy, Inc. is a leading global independent energy company with a diverse portfolio of high-quality assets primarily in the Marcellus Shale, DJ Basin, Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Mediterranean, and West Africa. 
• Advised any and all business units of the company on financial, operational, sovereign, regulatory and geopolitical risk pertaining to international new ventures, operating partners, vendors, and marketing customers across multiple industries and sectors
• Vetted perspective business relationships and new business ventures
• Monitored market conditions and exposure levels to inform senior management of incidents which could affect the operational and financial risks of companies with which Noble interacts
• Managed the credit risk of a portfolio of domestic and international companies and proactively seek out solutions as to where this risk can be mitigated. Negotiated contractual agreements and manage the timely renewal of letters of credit, parental and bank guaranties, prepayments, insurance, and other adequate assurance
• Trained and mentored junior analysts

Credit Risk Management

IESE Business School

IESE Business School is ranked #1 in Europe by the Economist, and 7th in the world by the Financial Times for 2014. During my tenure in the MBA programme, I learned the dynamics of cross-cultural business and management, explored leadership and managerial behavior, honed my finance skills, practised business from a sustainable stakeholder perspective, obtained the DIEN (intermediate level of Spanish for business), and developed connections and relationships with people of many different cultures and backgrounds.

MBA Class of 2009

Pala Investments AG

Pala a unique, long-term investment company focused on the mining and natural resources sector.
• Worked to develop creative financing and restructuring solutions for privately-owned businesses
• Composed buy-side valuation analyses, leveraged buyout models, and standalone 3-statement models  of private mining properties
• Vetted potential merger candidates to assist in building unique competitive advantages for clients
• Prepared a Pala Global Legal Compliance Schedule of global securities laws and Due Diligence Checklist
• Recommended public and private investments to Pala Senior Management

Summer Associate - Private Equity

Wachovia Securities

Wachovia Capital Markets is the Investment Banking arm of Wachovia Bank, the 4th largest bank holding company in the U.S. in assets, and the 3rd largest U.S. full-service brokerage firm with $760 billion in assets and 117,000 employees.
• Performed quantitative analysis including: standalone 3-statement models, borrowing base redeterminations, pro forma capital structuring and cost of capital analysis, accretion/dilution analysis, comparable company and acquisition analysis, and discounted cash flow models
• Prepared client presentations, company prospectuses, assisted with due diligence and maintained relationship with senior management of clients during live transactions
• Experience with transactions across a broad spectrum of financial products including MLP IPOs, debt and equity follow-on offerings, convertible issuances, VPPs, term loans and revolving credit facilities
• Liaised with Equity (ECM) and Debt Capital Markets (DCM), Convertible Origination and other areas of the bank to compose Capital Markets Sales Force Memoranda used to facilitate equity and debt offering transactions
• Created Credit Approval Memoranda for Wachovia’s Risk Management group, which included industry and operational analysis, and risk and mitigation factors of middle market energy clients 
• Trained and mentored junior analysts; active participant in analyst recruiting effort

Corporate & Investment Banking Analyst

McNew Pelican Fund

The McNew Pelican Fund was a speculative student-driven hedge fund based in New Orleans from 2003 - 2005 specializing in trading the EUR/USD spot market.
• Traded $250,000 leveraged position; applied Fundamental research and Western / Eastern technical analysis to currency markets to execute trading strategies; earned "Highest Single Trade Profit" award
• Wrote own trading plan, including goals, strategy and risk management stipulations
• Assisted in creating the Risk Management document for the fund
• Auxiliary Note: Wrote Econometrics paper analyzing the strength of different variables in FX trading: "Fundamental Economic Variables and the EUR / USD Exchange Rate"

FX Trader

Global Professional in HR | Coach | Mentor | Entrepreneur | Inspiring Work-Life Fulfillment & Mindfulness

Welcome to my page!  I'm Anna, the Calm Career Coach, specializing in corporate training and individual coaching for business professionals like yourself. My areas of expertise include servant leadership, work-life harmony, and mindfulness practices, all aimed at helping you become an impactful leader, live your best life, and remain authentic without compromising your career.

With nearly two decades of hands-on experience in investment banking and HR, combined with twelve years of dedicated self-study in psychology and personal development, I bring a uniquely qualified perspective to assist you in reaching higher levels of leadership, impact, and overall life satisfaction.  

My journey has taken me through the world of relentless ambition and corporate dynamics, and what I've discovered is that my most profound impact comes from embracing authenticity, mindfulness, and a service-oriented approach.

Business, like life, is only sustainable when you give more than you take. This means coming from a place of service, contribution, and adding value. Supporting your team and making sure they are taken care of so that they can take care of your clients. Being present and mindful of what people really need and offering the correct, long-lasting solutions for them. Do not forget to nurture yourself too - e.g. family, hobbies, the arts - because when you bring this energy to your work, what you create is extraordinary and unforgettable.  

A bit more about my background: I'm internationally oriented with an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, and a Global Professional in HR. My credentials also include clinical certification in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and am a Robbins-Madanes life coach. I'm a figure skater, yogi, and martial artist.

My professional expertise includes:
★ Human Needs Psychology
★ Integral Psychology & Systems Thinking
★ Big 5 Model of Personality
★ Executive & Leadership Coaching
★ Corporate Finance & Investment Banking

My specialties:
★ Mindfulness ★ Work-Life Harmony ★ Servant Leadership ★ 

I'm here to guide you, as a business professional, toward impactful and mindful leadership while enabling you to live your best life. Connect with me at www.calmcareercoach.com

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The Battle

Simon Holmes

Anna Castaldi, MBA, GPHR

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