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Donna Conforti

Senior Executive Coach
Goodstone Group LLC
Summit, NJ
Email:  dc*******@************up.com
Phone: 908 229-0836

Education and Professional Affiliations
  • B.A., Organizational Behavior/Marketing, Temple University
  • A., Rhetoric and Communications, SUNY at Albany
  • Certificate in Leadership Coaching, Georgetown University
  • PCC certification, International Coaching Federation
  • Completed MGP/Blaqwell Developing Lawyers as Leaders training
  • Certified in The Leadership Circle 360 Profile and Culture Survey, MBTI, Hogan suite of assessments, CCL’s Benchmarks 360, Workplace Big Five, FIRO Business, Accompli Team Coaching
  • Adjunct Faculty, Center for Creative Leadership

Professional Experience

Donna works with clients who want to strategically lead individual and organization change; build empowered, engaged teams; and enhance their executive impact by honing skills in communication, collaboration, and influence.

Donna brings 20 years of high-performance, front-line leadership at General Electric and Johnson & Johnson.  She joined J&J as a member of a start-up team to commercialize and launch J&J’s health and wellness business. In this entrepreneurial environment, she led the national consulting team to build the corporate market for these services. In subsequent years, she played key roles in marketing, technology licensing and strategic business development for the managed care market.

Her work with senior leaders—often in roles with global scope— spans a broad array of industries, including banking, financial services, manufacturing, technology, professional services, pharmaceutical/healthcare, media, not-for-profits, and retail. She also coaches C-level and other senior executives for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and EMBA and MBA students as part of Columbia University’s program for social intelligence.  Her clients have said they value her solid grounding in business, her sincerity, warmth and wit, along with her pragmatic, collaborative, and highly-personalized approach.

Recent Coaching Assignments

  • Chief Investment Officer of a global financial services firm to strengthen relationships and communicate more effectively with his CEO, global team and peers
  • SVP of Global Client Operations at a global financial services firm to temper his commanding communications style, and build more effective relationships with his peers and the executive committee. He was subsequently promoted to a C-level position.
  • CEO of newly restructured, fast-growing hedge fund to lead the firm’s shift to a post-entrepreneurial environment
  • Fast-tracked “Gen Y” VP for a global financial services company to accelerate her executive growth, and to define and demonstrate her leadership disposition. She was subsequently promoted to SVP.
  • Hedge fund CFO to increase his executive impact by developing a “voice at the table” and honing his influence skills
  • Chief Merchandising Officer of a national retail apparel company to become more collaborative with her peers and direct reports
  • VP/MD of global pharmaceutical company to increase his influence; enhance collaboration with peers; and confidently contribute in Executive Team interactions
  • SVP of Operations for a global financial services company to develop her strategic skills and to expand her executive impact and influence. She was promoted in a subsequent reorganization.
  • HR Head of a professional services firm to accelerate successful transition to her new role. Coaching focus areas: strategic thinking, leading with influence and impact, effectively delegating and building bench strength.
  • Managing Director/Head of business unit for a global financial services firm to lead and contribute more strategically; to advocate for his business broadly across the company; to collaborate with peers; and to be more direct and constructive in his communications
  • Executive Director of Compliance, Quality and Training of a global pharmaceutical company to lead strategically, and with influence, in an international, highly-matrixed organization
  • CEO of a subsidiary of a global conglomerate to advance his team’s agenda at the most senior level of the enterprise; and to elevate morale after a major reorganization
  • Managing Director/SVP of Sales for a global consulting company to lead effectively as interim EVP /Executive Committee member, and prepare him to compete for the role
  • Managing Director for global bank to lead with influence and confidence with the firm’s most senior executives
  • Attorney in VP role at major pharmaceutical company to develop her communication style and relationships so as to be perceived as a partner, not an enforcer, to the business
  • Executive Director, subsequently promoted to VP-Global Head of Legal for the firm’s largest business segment, to lead more strategically and to demonstrate executive disposition in challenging interactions and high stakes meetings
  • Partner at global professional services firm to be groomed for viable candidacy as CEO successor
  • Managing Director, Business Unit Head at a professional services firm to accelerate his successful transition to newly created leadership role with significant financial and personnel challenges

Career History

Independent executive coach (2006-present)
Donna provides a range of executive assessment, development, training and consulting services to senior leaders and their teams.

Independent consultant/mediator/adjunct college professor (1997-2005)
Held various part-time roles while raising three children.

Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc., (1987-1996)

J&J, Director, Business Development (1993-1996)
Identified, analyzed and negotiated terms to license healthcare services and technologies for the managed-care and employer markets.

  • Board Member, Management Committee
  • Negotiated exclusive rights to breakthrough healthcare technology; assembled and led a cross-functional team to commercialize the technology; launched the product within budget and head of schedule; consistently achieved sales forecast; implemented national direct marketing and public relations programs

J&J, Marketing Director (1990-1993)
Directed all business-to-business marketing initiatives for consulting services and health/fitness products including strategy and product development, market research, pricing and sales training. Managed company-wide marketing and communications.

J&J, National Director (1987-1990)
Managed team of consultants serving over 40 Fortune 1000 corporate clients.  Consistently achieved or exceeded department forecast for new business and contract renewals.

General Electric (1981-1987)

GE, Human Resources Manager, Eastern Region GE Medical Systems (1985-1987)
Provided human resources leadership for region with $400 million sales, 1100 employees in 30 field locations. Consultant to senior management on organizational design, compensation, staffing, training and succession planning.

  • Led the human resources team in the successful acquisition and employee assimilation of new medical venture
  • Designed an incentive compensation and performance management system integrating sales and service objectives and customer satisfaction measures

Averted union organizing campaign of field service engineers