<< Back to Our People
Margot Schumacher
Oriane Kets de Vries

Location:

London

Coaching Languages:

English, French

Oriane Kets de Vries is Co-founder and CEO of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI) and has played a central role in shaping the consultancy since its inception. She leads a global team (~100) of senior coaches, consultants, and educators dedicated to developing reflective leadership and building organisational cultures where individuals can thrive, find meaning, and perform at their best. Combining strategic leadership with deep expertise in organisational culture, executive development, and systems transformation, Oriane oversees key client relationships, strategic partnerships, and the design and delivery of leadership and team programmes across sectors and geographies.​

Alongside her role as CEO, she is an active consultant, coach, facilitator, and programme director, having designed and delivered bespoke leadership and culture engagements for clients including Pictet, Deutsche Bank, Mishcon de Reya, Merck, UBS, Ashoka, Atradius, Star Energy Geothermal, Qatar Energy, and Engie. She has also contributed to open-enrolment executive programmes at leading academic institutions, including Cambridge Judge Business School, Oxford Saïd Business School, INSEAD, ESCP, ESMT, and CEDEP. ​

For the past 15 years, she has co-led the ESMT/KDVI Coaching Colloquium, creating an intimate space for coaches to explore complex coaching cases and new ideas related to the profession. Her coaching work focuses on international leaders and teams striving for sustainable change and ongoing development. She has lectured and facilitated sessions at the Global Peter Drucker Forum and the International Leadership Association, and is a member of ISPSO and the Global Family Business Network.​

An entrepreneur for over 20 years, Oriane has a longstanding interest in the human side of entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation. She works closely with entrepreneurial ventures and social impact organisations and is committed to advancing female leadership. She co-founded Circle, an organisation dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs.​

Oriane’s professional background spans 13 years in the creative, media, and marketing industries. She founded and led M.O. Creatives, a London-based design and advertising agency serving international brands across photography, film, product design, music, illustration, and creative direction. She also worked in international marketing and product development at L’Oréal and was a creative director and producer in the New York fashion and music industries.​

Oriane holds a Fine Arts degree from Nykelvikskolan in Stockholm, a BA from Columbia University, and an MBA and Executive MA in Coaching and Consulting for Change from INSEAD. She has undertaken leadership development programmes at the Harvard Kennedy School with Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky, and Robert Kegan, and attended Group Relations programmes at the Tavistock Institute in London. Born in Montreal and raised in Paris, with Swedish and Dutch heritage, she is based in London, where she lives with her partner and their two daughters.​

Oriane Kets de Vries:

Oriane Kets de Vries is CEO and owner of the Kets de Vries Institute. She leads a global team of coaches, consultants and educators dedicated to developing reflective, emotionally intelligent leaders and cultivating workplaces where people can thrive. In her faculty role, she draws on extensive experience designing and directing leadership programmes for senior executives, contributing her expertise in psychodynamic coaching, organisational culture, and transformational leadership development.

Oriane has served as consultant, coach, and programme director for clients including Pictet, Deutsche Bank, Merck, UBS, Mishcon de Reya, and Engie, and she has taught on open-enrolment programmes with leading institutions such as Cambridge Judge Business School, Oxford Saïd, INSEAD, ESCP, ESMT and CEDEP. Her interests centre on the human side of leadership, particularly identity, creativity, entrepreneurship and gender dynamics. She holds an MBA and Executive MA in Coaching and Consulting for Change from INSEAD, has trained at the Harvard Kennedy School, and brings more than a decade of professional experience in creative and entrepreneurial industries into her work with leaders.

Manfred Kets de Vries:

Manfred Kets de Vries is a pioneering authority in leadership development, coaching, and organisational change. He is a founder and director of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI) and served as Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organisational Change at INSEAD. With academic credentials in economics (University of Amsterdam), management (MBA and DBA, Harvard Business School), and psychoanalysis (trained in Canada), he brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to leadership. His work bridges management theory and clinical insight, establishing him as a global thought leader in executive coaching and transformation. At INSEAD, he founded the Global Leadership Centre and led the flagship programme The Challenge of Leadership for 31 years. He also served as scientific director of Coaching and Consulting for Change, an 18-month Executive Master’s programme that has shaped over 3,000 senior leaders and executive coaches worldwide. He has advised and coached senior executives at global firms including Goldman Sachs, BP, Shell, Unilever, McKinsey, and Volvo. A prolific author of over 60 books and 400 articles, his work appears regularly in The Financial Times, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Recognised by Le Capital, Wirtschaftswoche, and The Financial Times as one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers, he is widely regarded for advancing more human-centred approaches to leadership.

Yulia Chupina:

Senior Adviser (Luminary) at Accenture and executive coach with over 12 years of board experience. Formerly a banker and McKinsey consultant, Yulia has led banking transformations in digital, agile, organisational change, and talent development. Her coaching spans the finance, tech, and consumer goods sectors, blending technological insight with emotional intelligence to guide leaders through transformation. Recently, she advised BBVA on agile methodologies and senior talent development. Influenced by thought leaders such as Manfred Kets de Vries and Gabor Maté, Yulia brings an analytical, reflective approach to leadership. She has lived and worked across the UK, Spain, the US, and Russia.

Elizabeth Florent:

Elizabeth has worked closely with Manfred Kets de Vries for many years and has served as a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at INSEAD. Her extensive background in leadership development spans organisational consulting, executive coaching, and academic research. She holds advanced degrees in Organisational Development and Clinical Organisational Psychology and is a certified Coaching Supervisor through the Tavistock Institute. Her doctoral research explored experiential domains in executive education, and she has authored or co-authored numerous academic articles, case studies, and books on leadership and organisational dynamics. Elizabeth led the development teams behind KDVI’s diagnostic instruments, including the GELM, OCA™, and ITI. Drawing on her diverse training and global experience, she brings deep cross-cultural insight to her work with leaders worldwide. Originally from California, Elizabeth has made France her home for over 30 years.