From senior manager to executive and team coach

As I was preparing to leave the EBRD at the end of 2021, finishing up a 21-year career there that took me from Senior Political Counsellor to Managing Director for External Relations and Partnerships (with several other stops along the way), I had one abiding thought: what’s next?

I felt proud of what I had achieved and felt prouder still to be working for an institution that offers its people an opportunity to do so much good in the world. I wanted to find my next location, something that would draw on what I had learned as a manager of teams ranging in size from 20 to 200, and as a leader in a dynamic organisation working in an ever-changing and expanding region.

I felt that, as a guiding principle, I should transition into a field that would continue to give my life meaning, have a strong sense of purpose and fundamentally be about developing the potential of others.

These are the values that served me throughout my career in academia, think tank management and development finance. I decided to complement my decades of experience leading people and teams in New York, Moscow and London with formal training in executive and team coaching.

I wanted to help current and future leaders navigate challenges and opportunities they face at work, and to support teams as they seek to manage change, strengthen team dynamics and engagement, and become greater than the sum of their parts.

Since completing my training, I have been working with senior and mid-career high-potential leaders in a wide range of industries, including finance, sustainable development, law, communications and media, technology and advertising.

I have been fortunate to be able to apply my deep knowledge of the EBRD, its regions of operations and unique culture while working as a coach with some of the Bank’s senior leaders, mid-career professionals stepping up into management roles and a team going through a transformation process. What I enjoy most about this work is the sense of partnership that develops between myself and the people I’m working with, the trust we build together and the satisfaction in seeing people find their own answers and path forward.

All the work I do as an executive and team coach is rewarding, but having the opportunity as an alumnus to remain closely involved with the Bank, and to continue developing its people, has special significance for me.

Alan Rousso
Executive and team coach and international development consultant at Rousso Consulting
Former EBBRD Managing Director for External Relations and Partnerships