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At 24, Irene was standing in front of senior executives at BI Norwegian Business School. Teaching them about leadership.

Not shadowing someone. Not assisting. Teaching.

A career built on belief

That moment set the tone for everything that followed, a career built on the belief that people can grow beyond what they think is possible, if someone creates the right conditions for it.

Irene has spent 30 years doing exactly that. Through roles at KPMG, MindUp, and Coriander. Through navigating the 2008 financial crisis alongside banking clients who didn't know which way was up. Through COVID, which hit her own business hard enough that she had to fight to save it.

She didn't just survive those experiences. She learned from them.

"What drives me is learning and growth, not just for myself, but for the teams I work with."

What resilience actually looks like

That's not something you say because it sounds good. That's something you say because you've lived it. Irene has been through enough real organisational turbulence to know that resilience isn't a buzzword. It's a practice. It's built in the moments when the plan falls apart and someone has to hold the team together anyway.

What she brings to Canoe

What she brings to Canoe is rare: the depth of someone who has spent decades working inside complex organisations, combined with the warmth of someone who genuinely believes in people. She doesn't consult from a distance. She works alongside teams. Listens carefully. Challenges the assumptions that everyone else has stopped questioning.

Her expertise spans leadership development, learning and development, and organisational design. She's worked with organisations navigating transformation, not by telling them what to do, but by helping them understand who they are and what they're capable of becoming.

"I want my work to be relevant and beneficial for both organisations and individuals."

That's the standard she holds herself to. It's also the standard she helps others find.

Learn more about Irene here.