FAQ and Key Facts

About Mike

What does Mike do? Mike is an executive coach and leadership advisor. He works with executives, founders, teams, and boards on leadership transitions, organizational culture, personal effectiveness, and finding meaning in work.

What's Mike's background? Mike is currently a coach and leadership advisor at Egon Zehnder, completing a PhD on meaning in work, Co-Chair of the Board for the National Theatre School of Canada, and a board member and former CHRO of Simons, a leading North American retailer with roughly 5,000 employees. Before that, he founded Juniper, a leadership advisory and development firm that worked with organizations like Google and Cirque du Soleil. He was also a consultant at McKinsey & Company, founded and exited an EdTech startup, practiced as a finance lawyer, invested in private equity and venture capital, and ran a peace negotiations project in the Middle East.

What are his credentials?

• ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

• ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors)

• PhD (in progress), Meaning in Work — Concordia University

• MBA (Gold Medalist) — McGill University

• JD (Law) — University of Toronto

• MA, International Relations — University of Toronto

• BA, Political Philosophy — Concordia University

Where is Mike located? Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He works with clients locally and internationally, in person and virtually.

Working With Mike

Is Mike available for coaching? Yes. Mike works with individual executives and founders, as well as teams and boards, depending on fit and availability.

How do I work with him? Reach out directly by email to start a conversation about what you're working through and whether it's a good fit.

What does he offer?

• Executive coaching (1:1)

• Board advisory

• Team development and alignment

• Organizational culture transformation support

• Speaking and workshop facilitation

Who does Mike typically work with? Executives, founders, senior leaders, and boards — often at moments of transition: stepping into a new role, navigating organizational change, or reassessing what they want from their work and leadership.

Does Mike work with organizations, not just individuals? Yes. In addition to 1:1 coaching, he advises boards and works with teams on culture transformation and alignment, drawing on his experience as a former CHRO and organizational consultant.

Philosophy and Approach

What's Mike's coaching philosophy? "I believe we lead best when we serve — and my greatest privilege is helping clients realize their full potential, whether as individuals, teams, or entire organizations." Mike's approach blends rigorous, evidence-based frameworks with genuine curiosity about the person in front of him — he's known for asking the right questions rather than handing over easy answers.

What makes his approach different? Mike draws on an unusually broad range of professional experience — law, private equity, management consulting, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership — which lets him bring a systems-level view to individual coaching conversations. He's also completing a PhD on meaning in work, so his approach is grounded in current research as well as practice.

Does Mike have a book? Yes — Intention: The Surprising Psychology of High Performers (Wiley, 2024), which explores how to build purpose and agency deliberately, drawing on behavioral science, philosophy, leadership theory, and psychology. Order the book here.

Writing and Speaking

Where can I read Mike's writing? Mike is a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail and writes a monthly column, "Le Coaching du Réel," for Les Affaires. He has also written for Harvard Business Review and Le Devoir, and publishes regularly on his blog.

Does Mike speak at events or run workshops? Yes. He facilitates workshops and speaks on leadership, creativity, innovation, and organizational culture — for corporate audiences, executive education programs, and conferences.

Is Mike available for podcast interviews or media? Yes — he also hosts his own podcast and is open to guest appearances. Reach out via email.

Quick facts about Mike

• Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

• Professional Experience

  • Advisor and Coach - Egon Zehnder

  • CHRO and Board Member - La Maison Simons

  • Entrepreneur - Juniper, Vocaprep

  • Consultant - McKinsey

  • PE and VC Investor - Sprott, Staircase Ventures, other angel investments

  • Finance lawyer - Various

• Certifications

  • ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

  • ICD.D

• Education

  • PhD (in progress) Meaning in Work - Concordia University

  • MBA (Gold Medalist) - McGill University

  • JD (Law) - University of Toronto

  • MA (International Relations) - University of Toronto

  • BA (Political Philosophy) - Concordia University

• Published: Intention: The Surprising Psychology of High Performers (Wiley, 2024)

• Regular contributor: Globe and Mail, Les Affaires, HBR