About - Ask Maria Kelly

Nobody solves a problem like Maria

My colleagues used to say that, and I used to laugh it off. Now I’ve built a career around it.

Most of my clients come to me when something isn’t working as well as it should. Sometimes it’s the strategy: they’re growing but don’t have a clear direction. Sometimes it’s AI: they know it matters, they may have even started using it, but the team isn’t on board and nobody can quite explain why. Sometimes it’s the people: a leadership team that isn’t getting along, or a group that needs to be brought together around a shared vision.

Often it’s all three, more connected than they first appear.

I come in, make sense of what’s actually going on, and help them move forward. I make complicated simple. After twenty years doing exactly that in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world, it’s become how I operate.

The background

At 22, I had no clue what I wanted to do in life. When I bumped into my neighbour one day, she suggested I apply for a job opening at Sotheby’s. When I said I wasn’t qualified, she replied ‘If you don’t try, you’ve already failed’

So, I marched over to the auction house with my pitiful 3-line CV and somehow secured an interview on the spot.

I got the job. And that mindset, just go for it, shaped everything that came after.

Twenty years leading global teams across New York, London, and Geneva. Launching a new division with $117 million in sales in a single auction week, growing it to over $600 million in annual sales. Building teams, rebuilding businesses, and navigating the kind of change that doesn’t come with a manual.

It was all about art, luxury, global teams, high stakes, and (very) demanding High Net Worth clients, and an exceptional education in how organisations work and how people behave under pressure.

When I left corporate life to work independently, I won’t pretend it was easy. Letting go of the structure, the team, the professional identity you’ve spent years building, that’s its own kind of challenge. I had to unlearn as much as I learned. That transition shaped how I work with clients today. I know what it feels like to navigate change from the inside.

What I do now

I make complicated simple. That’s just how I’m wired.

I work with leadership teams and organisations on strategy and AI integration. I’m a verified expert on TruthWorks, a platform for senior independent consultants who qualify to work with corporate clients. I hold an ICF coaching credential, which anchors how I work with people at turning points.

I teach strategy at university level, which keeps me sharp and permanently reminded that good thinking needs to be explainable in plain language.

I lead a business community in Barcelona, because after years of working mostly online, I missed what happens when smart people are in the same room. Turns out other people felt the same way.

The person behind the work

I grew up Irish in Switzerland, which means I’ve always lived between worlds. What it gave me was the ability to read rooms I’m not native to, adapt without losing myself, and find common ground with people whose worlds look nothing like mine.

I’m fluent in French, am getting there in Spanish and drive people crazy trying to place my accent!

I’ve lived in Geneva, New York and London and love multicultural environments and working with international businesses.

I’m now based in Barcelona with my husband, Yann, and our adorable dog Cookie, who keeps us active.

Maria is one of life’s natural problem solvers. – Russell Gillett-Toone

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"Maria is one of those rare people who has true insight into the world of charities as well as business. Her ability to combine the best of both sectors has never ceased to amaze me. Maria's true ability has always been to inspire, lead from the front and empower others to be the best they can be. During the first few months of the pandemic Maria was selfless in sharing these skills to enable local groups to capacity build and successfully absorb the increased demands on their services."

Jon Meech
CEO HandsOn London

"Maria is one of life's natural problem solvers. She has an extraordinary ability to bring out the best in a team and I know her passion for mentoring and confidence building is long standing and meaningful. One of the most multi-talented individuals at Sotheby's for many years, her ability was recognised on leaving the smaller unit in Geneva for the massive challenge of a senior exec role in New York and then London. All carried off with a smile. "

Russell Gillett-Toone
Senior Management Consultant

"Maria is a talented executive leader who embodies the blend of "head and heart" needed to most effectively lead and manage people. I worked closely with her and saw her ability to identify and ignite the strengths of her staff, supporting their development and achieving improved business results. She has strong business acumen and a drive for results, an unfailingly positive attitude, and a genuine care and concern for people."

Debra Schwartz
Director of Talent Management and Development, Open Society Foundations

"Maria has that rare ability to get the best out of people, to challenge them to reach and excel. She is generous with her management, and we worked together often to help people leave her team and take their next career steps. We also worked together on extensive change, transitioning already successful teams into those ready to face the future, through the introduction of online capability, and better coordination of the complex “machinery” behind the business. Maria’s insight and resulting projects will be felt for many years to come."

Kathryn Ward
Director of People & Performance, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

"Maria is probably one of the most dedicated and reliable people that I know, with this natural ability to problem solve. She excels in making things happen in an organization and is an extraordinary multitasker. One of the biggest lessons learnt from Maria is the importance she values of mutual respect in the workplace. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to experience her professionalism."

Christa Ferreira
Finance & Administration Manager, ALAKT SA