Leadership & Coaching · Track 02

The ceiling you're hitting
is not about
your skills.

You are technically capable. You deliver results. And yet something is stopping the next level from arriving — a promotion, a role change, the kind of presence that commands rooms and earns the right seats. That gap is not a skills problem. It is a visibility, narrative, and influence problem. And it can be worked on.

Credentials
ICF PCC Professional Certified Coach
EMCC SP Senior Practitioner
Hogan Certified Assessor
Solutions Academy Team Coach
Doina Popa
Doina Popa
ICF PCC · Executive Coach · Leadership Developer
C-Suite Background
CTO · CIO · Global Teams
Coaching Credential
ICF PCC · EMCC SP
Team Size Led
250+ globally
Training Hours
15,000+
Former CIO · Barclays
CTO · Capgemini
Led 250+ person global teams
Earned My Seat
Women in Tech Leadership
Dedicated program strand
What's Actually in the Way
"Most capable leaders are not held back by what they don't know. They are held back by how they are seen."

In tech and professional services, the path to senior leadership is rarely blocked by a skills gap. It is blocked by things that are harder to name — the inability to articulate your value in a room full of stakeholders, the discomfort with self-promotion that does not feel authentic, the gap between the leader you are and the leader others perceive you to be.

Closing that gap does not require a personality change. It requires a clearer narrative, a more deliberate presence, and the kind of strategic positioning that turns competence into recognised leadership.

🪞
Invisible despite results
You deliver, but you are not being seen for it at the level that matters. The work speaks for itself — except when it doesn't.
🗣️
Presence that doesn't yet match ambition
You are technically credible, but in senior rooms something shifts — the authority and confidence do not land the way you intend.
🧭
Clarity about what comes next
You know you want more, but the next move — the role, the positioning, the narrative — is not yet clear enough to act on confidently.
🤝
Navigating complex stakeholders
Senior stakeholder dynamics require a different kind of intelligence. Getting the right people aligned behind your ideas and your career is a learnable skill.
Momentum that does not sustain
Clarity arrives in moments — a good session, a great book — but does not compound into lasting change without structure, accountability, and reflection.
Not frameworks. Lived experience.

She has been in
the rooms you are
trying to get into.

Most executive coaches are trained to ask powerful questions. Doina does that — with ICF PCC rigour — and she also brings something most coaches cannot: she has held the roles her clients are working towards.

As CTO Salesforce at Capgemini and CIO Salesforce at Barclays, she led global distributed teams of 250+ people across complex enterprise programs. She has navigated board-level stakeholder dynamics, led through organisational change, made the career transitions from deep technical expert to recognised executive — and felt every moment of friction that comes with it.

That experience does not replace coaching methodology. It sharpens every question she asks — because she knows what the rooms look like, what the politics feel like, and what it actually takes to earn a seat at the table and keep it.

ICF PCCProfessional Certified Coach
EMCC SPSenior Practitioner
Team CoachingSolutions Academy
HoganCertified Assessor
VIACharacter Strengths
Early
Senior Salesforce Architect & Consultant
Deep technical delivery across complex enterprise environments. Building the Salesforce expertise and consulting skills that would underpin everything that followed.
2014
Salesforce Certified Technical Architect
3rd female CTA in the world · First outside the US · 28 Salesforce certifications
Global
Senior Principal Program Architect — Salesforce
Top EMEA Advisory Services performer FY16 · Led major enterprise advisory programs globally
CTO
CTO Salesforce — Capgemini
Global distributed team leadership · Enterprise-scale delivery · Executive stakeholder management across major client organisations
CIO
CIO Salesforce — Barclays
250+ person global team · Board-level technology leadership · Major transformation programs · Full C-suite operating context
Now
Founder & CEO — InnoTrue Hub
ICF PCC · EMCC SP · Salesforce WFD Partner · Active CTA Review Board Judge · Salesforce Certified Instructor (Architecture track, Trailhead) · 15,000+ training and coaching hours delivered globally
What Shifts

From capable professional
to recognised leader.

Coaching with InnoTrue changes not just what you do, but how you are seen — and how you see yourself in rooms that used to feel too senior.

🔴
Before
You deliver strong work but struggle to make it visible to the people who matter for your next role or project
In senior rooms, you feel your presence does not yet match your capability — something in the room does not land right
You find it hard to articulate what makes you distinctly valuable — your narrative sounds like everyone else's
Negotiation, conflict, and political dynamics with senior stakeholders feel like a separate game you were never taught
You have clarity in sessions, read the right books — but the change does not compound into lasting momentum
You wonder whether self-promotion is compatible with the kind of leader you want to be
🔵
After
You have a deliberate visibility strategy — your work is seen by the right people at the right moments, without feeling inauthentic
Your presence is calibrated — you know how you land, and you have the tools to adjust it consciously in different contexts
Your leadership narrative is clear and differentiated — you can articulate your value in one sentence that actually lands
You navigate stakeholder complexity with confidence — you know how to build influence, manage resistance, and get alignment
Insights turn into action with accountability structures that compound over time into real, measurable progress
Self-promotion feels grounded — you know the difference between visibility and vanity, and you own the former fully
Breakthrough Accelerator

Three phases.
One transformation arc.

An integrated journey that builds on itself. Each phase deepens the last. You can enter at the phase that matches where you are — or move through all three as a continuous accelerator. Available as 1:1 and as corporate cohorts of 6–8 people.

💡

Phases are connected, not isolated. Ignite builds the positioning foundation that Elevate then uses to expand influence. Lead then translates that influence into executive-level capability and presence. Many clients move through all three as a single 6–9 month arc. Others enter directly at the phase that fits their current challenge — Doina will advise on the right starting point.

1
Phase One
Ignite
Build visibility, credibility & personal positioning
4 interactive workshops (2–2.5h each)
  • Brand narrative and positioning clarity — who you are and what you stand for, expressed with confidence
  • A deliberate visibility plan with concrete milestones, not vague intentions
  • Thought leadership strategy — how to build presence in your domain without it feeling forced
  • Foundation for everything that follows in Elevate and Lead
Optional: VIA Character Strengths Survey (+€50) — understand your signature strengths as a foundation for authentic positioning
2
Phase Two
Elevate
Expand influence & reposition strategically
4 advanced workshops (2h each) · 2 coaching sessions (1h)
  • Leadership positioning and stakeholder mapping — who you need to reach, and how
  • Negotiation and conflict management strategies that feel like you, not a script
  • Strategic visibility — how to accelerate the career opportunities you are aiming for
  • Influence frameworks grounded in real executive experience, not theory
Optional: Hogan Psychometric Assessment (+€210) — HPI, HDS, MVPI for deep self-awareness and derailer identification
3
Phase Three
Lead
Executive presence, boardroom readiness & stakeholder influence
4 Leadership Labs (2.5h each) · 3 executive coaching sessions (60 min)
  • Leadership roadmap and influence strategy — designed for where you want to be in 12–24 months
  • Executive presence and communication agility in high-stakes environments
  • Stakeholder engagement plan — built around your actual organisational context
  • Boardroom and C-suite readiness for those transitioning to senior leadership roles
Optional: Hogan Leadership Bundle (+€390) — HPI, HDS, MVPI + 360 Feedback for comprehensive leadership insight
Focused 1:1 Coaching

Not ready for a full program?
Start here.

Shorter, targeted coaching engagements for specific goals — or as a way to test fit before committing to a full journey. All sessions credited towards any program if you decide to continue.

🔄
Sustained focus & progress
Momentum Coaching
A series of 6 flexible 1:1 coaching sessions. You set the goals and topics — accountability, decision clarity, stakeholder navigation, career moves, or whatever is most pressing. Designed for leaders who need a thinking partner with genuine executive experience.
6 × 1:1 sessions · Flexible goals & cadence
Apply for Momentum
💎
Communication & presence upgrade
Executive Presence
Six targeted sessions focused specifically on communication mastery, stakeholder influence, and how you show up in senior rooms. Grounded in Doina's direct experience of what actually works at board level — not communication theory.
6 × 1:1 sessions · Presence-focused program
Apply for Executive Presence
Assessment Tools

Self-knowledge is the
foundation of real growth.

Optional psychometric tools available to deepen self-awareness, accelerate the coaching process, and provide a rigorous evidence base for your development. Never used as labels — always used as instruments for insight.

Doina is certified to administer and interpret the full Hogan suite (personality, derailers, values, 360 feedback, leadership and team diagnostics), VIA Character Strengths, and solution-focused team assessment tools — so every instrument is used with proper qualification and ethical practice.

🧠
Hogan Assessment Suite
The most widely used leadership assessment tool globally. Measures performance, derailers, and values — giving an evidence-based picture of how you lead, how you are perceived, and what gets in the way under pressure.
HPI — Personality Inventory
HDS — Development Survey (derailers)
MVPI — Motives, Values, Preferences
360° Leadership Feedback
High Potential Assessment
Leadership Experience Report
VIA Character Strengths
Identifies your signature character strengths — a positive psychology framework for grounding your leadership identity in what is most authentically you. Particularly powerful as a foundation for the Ignite phase and for leaders navigating role transitions.
Character Strengths Inventory
Strengths-Based Interventions
Leadership Identity Integration
🔄
360° Feedback Instruments
Structured multi-rater feedback that closes the gap between self-perception and how you are seen by the people you work with. Invaluable for leaders who want an honest picture of their impact, not a curated one.
Leader Focus 360
Hogan 360
High Performing Team Assessment (HPTA)
🤝
Team Assessment
For teams and cohorts — a baseline diagnostic of team dynamics, trust levels, decision-making patterns, and collaboration quality. The foundation for the Team Synergy engagements within Venture Edge and for corporate Breakthrough cohorts.
PBC HPTA Team Assessment
Solution Focused Team Coaching Baseline
Team Diagnostics & Operating Principles
ℹ️

All assessments are optional and are recommended where Doina believes they will meaningfully accelerate your coaching outcomes. They are never used as labels or for categorisation — they are instruments for insight that inform the coaching conversation. Pricing is indicated per phase in the Breakthrough Accelerator above; assessments can also be purchased standalone.

Earned My Seat

A dedicated strand for
women in tech leadership.

The barriers women face in technology leadership are not abstract. They are specific, structural, and personal — and they require a coach who has navigated them at the highest levels.

Doina was the 3rd female Certified Technical Architect in the world, and the first outside the US. She has led global teams as CTO and CIO in major enterprise organisations. She has been in rooms where she was the only woman, where her credentials were questioned before she spoke, and where the path to the table required not just competence but a deliberate strategy for visibility and credibility.

The Earned My Seat program brings that experience into a coaching context designed specifically for women in Salesforce and technology leadership — whether you are working towards your CTA, your first C-suite role, or something in between.

Explore Earned My Seat Book a Clarity Session
62%
of women reported improved career opportunities following professional coaching
ICF Global Study of Employee Experience, 2024
80%
reported improved self-confidence as a direct outcome of coaching
ICF Global Study of Employee Experience, 2024
98%
of participants in structured leadership programs reported measurably improved effectiveness
Center for Creative Leadership, 2022
Is this for you?

Coaching is most powerful
in the right context.

This is right for you if…
  • You are a senior professional — in tech, Salesforce, consulting, or adjacent fields — who is technically strong and wants to grow into a recognised leadership position
  • You feel a gap between the leader you are and how you are perceived — and you want to close it deliberately, not accidentally
  • You are navigating a transition: from technical expert to people leader, from manager to executive, from employed to founder
  • You want a coach who has genuine C-suite experience in the domain you work in — not just coaching credentials
  • You are willing to do the inner work alongside the strategic work — presence, narrative, and influence require both
  • You want accountability and structure, not just reflective conversations — you want to leave sessions with clarity and actions
  • You are a woman in tech or Salesforce who wants coaching grounded in lived experience of navigating the same landscape

Not sure if this is the right fit? A Clarity Session is the lowest-risk way to find out — one hour, no obligation, credited towards any program if you continue.

For Organisations

Leadership development
that scales with rigour.

Coaching and development programs designed for leadership teams, talent pipelines, and organisations serious about building the capability they say is their priority.

👤
Executive Coaching — CxO & Senior Leaders
1:1 executive coaching engagements for C-level leaders and senior leadership team members. Grounded in real C-suite operational experience — not observer coaching.
  • CxO coaching: decision quality, influence, operating rhythm
  • Role transition support: new executive, board readiness
  • Tandem coaching for co-founder pairs
  • Hogan and 360 assessment integration available
👥
Breakthrough Accelerator — Corporate Cohort
The Breakthrough Accelerator delivered as a group program for 6–8 people from your organisation. Tailored artifacts, shared language, and executive reporting included.
  • Cohort of 6–8 participants per phase
  • Tailored workshops and organisational context integration
  • Shared artifacts: positioning frameworks, stakeholder maps
  • Progress reporting and L&D documentation for sponsors
🔬
Culture, Strategy & Team Alignment
For leadership teams who need more than individual coaching — strategic alignment, operating principles, and the team dynamics that determine whether strategy actually executes.
  • Leadership team diagnostics and alignment workshops
  • Operating cadence and decision rights design
  • Culture and values alignment for growing organisations
  • Strategyzer-informed strategy work (via Venture Edge)
Ready to talk about your organisation's needs?
We start with a brief discovery call to understand your context, goals, and constraints — then co-design the engagement.
Request a Discovery Call
Salesforce Ecosystem

Part of a broader architect community.

InnoTrue clients join a Trailblazer Community Group connecting Salesforce architects and technology leaders across the ecosystem — a space for shared learning, peer accountability, and access to InnoTrue events and resources. Whether you're here for the CTA or for leadership coaching, you're joining a network that develops both sides.

Also preparing for CTA? Explore CTA Immersion →

Questions

Frequently asked.

Yes. Each phase is designed to stand alone if needed. If you are already past the visibility and positioning work and need to focus on expanding influence, starting at Elevate is entirely valid. Doina will advise on the right entry point after a Clarity Session conversation.
Momentum Coaching is flexible and goal-led — you define the focus for each session, and it works well for targeted needs like stakeholder navigation, decision clarity, or a specific career move. Breakthrough Accelerator is a structured transformation journey with a curriculum, workshops, and a clear progression arc. Both deliver results; the right one depends on whether you need flexibility or structure.
Yes, completely. The Clarity Session is a standalone paid engagement — one session with a written summary. If you decide to continue into any program, the full cost is credited. If not, you still leave with useful clarity about your situation and next steps. There is no pressure to continue.
Yes — we run cohorts of 6–8 people for organisations who want a shared leadership development experience. Corporate cohorts include tailored workshop content, shared artifacts, and reporting designed for L&D and talent sponsors. Get in touch to discuss group pricing and program design.
No — all assessments are optional. They are recommended where Doina believes they will meaningfully accelerate your coaching outcomes, particularly the Hogan suite for leaders going through significant transitions. They are never used as labels and always used in service of your development.
Doina holds the ICF PCC (Professional Certified Coach), EMCC SP (Senior Practitioner), and Solutions Academy Team Coach credentials. She is also a certified Hogan assessor and VIA Character Strengths practitioner. These are not course completions — they are rigorous professional credentials that require demonstrated competency, supervised coaching hours, and ongoing professional development.
Start with one conversation

Begin with a
Clarity Session.

Sixty minutes. A written summary. An honest external read on where you are, what is in your way, and what the most useful next step is. No obligation to continue — and fully credited if you do.

Or email directly: hello@innotrue.com