FOUNDERS
Our lives of learning science and growing up in a global workplace, has developed our insights about how technology and finance can enhance or derail the quality of our humanity and relationships.
Emilio Titus
Shirleen Titus
Emilio Titus
“My life of growing up in a transforming South Africa, and then traveling, living, and working abroad has developed my passion for people, cultures and truly valuing differences in others.”
Qualifications
Chemical Engineer, Behavioural Economist, Organisation Development Practitioner, Registered Analytic-Network Coach
- BSc Chemical Engineering (1985)
- BCom Hons Financial Management (1993)
- MCom (2020) in Behavioural Economics (UCT) focused on solving Socio-economic Dilemmas and Governing Dynamics in Groups/Teams
- Registered Analytic-Network Coach
- Certified Prosci Change Management Practitioner
Career & Life Experience
Emilio was born in Port Elizabeth and is married to Shirleen Kieswetter, with 2 children, Marco and Larissa.
Emilio’s strategic insights and his ability to translate this into sustainable business results and effective organisations, is what defines him as an impactful change leader and coach. His purpose is embedded in his leadership philosophy which is, “Success happens through building authentic collaborative relationships grounded in fairness, rather than self-interest.” He is a strong advocate of group decision-making in a way which ensures critical and independent thinking, yet harnesses the wisdom available in diversity of capability. The foundation for his management and leadership experience is grounded in a 30 year technical, finance, business and consulting career, both locally and abroad. This was honed through leading and managing diverse teams across many sectors including strategy, organisational development, financial services, manufacturing and logistics, marketing, sales and trading.
Key areas of expertise include amongst others,
Design and implementation of Organisation Development, building Change Management Capability (Prosci-grounded), and leading change initiatives for individuals and teams in the financial services and pharmaceutical sectors.
- As Senior Executive, leading growth in Sales and Marketing business teams in the Global Aviation and Manufacturing sector
- Finance Advisor for investments in Property Fund, Pension Funds and Risk Assurance in Asset Management and Employee benefits
- Coaching senior executives, middle managers and team leaders using a combination of ontological and analytic-network approach to effect sustainable personal growth
- Management Consulting in business turnaround, implementation of new strategies, acquisitions and divestitures in oil products businesses in Africa and Latin America
Emilio’s change management philosophy is “Making change visible from a human-centered perspective”. He has led technical process improvements and organisational change from within the business. He has led the People Change Readiness for Digital Transformation in two Financial Services companies between 2016 and now. He also led the design, development and deployment (including the change management plan) of Coaching2 Greatness programme at in a Financial Services Company, and the collaboration with partners in behavioural coaching, as an enabler for self-discovery and resilience. His key strength is integrating his business capability with how he relates to and leads individuals and diverse groups, using grounded research-based behavioural practices. In this way, he inspires trust with functional and organisational leaders, so that they can respond to business and team opportunities in more sustainable ways. He is a Business Change Strategist, former Global Aviation Manager of a Multinational company, Behavioural Economist and MD of HeartLinc, a Consulting Business.
Emilio maintains a work-life balance, through active involvement in schools’ governance and community sustainability programmes to solve social dilemmas associated with poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Shirleen Titus – Industrial Psychologist
Shirleen is co-founder of HeartLinc®, a Behavioural Insights and Organisational Development Company established in 2005. She has provided Individual, Team and Organisational Development Services to clients in various sectors. Her work experience and expertise are grounded in the behavioural, economic and social sciences. Shirleen is a registered industrial and organisational psychologist who has several accreditations in her field, including psychometric, development and culture assessments. She is both a certified ontological coach endorsed by the International Coach Federation and an analytic network coach using psychodynamic techniques which is particularly useful in groups. In her practice she draws on both quantitative and qualitative approaches to diagnose development needs. Her learning solutions are designed, primarily focused on a strengths-based approach and positive psychology to help clients reconstruct the way they see the world and to stimulate a sustainable development response.
Shirleen finds her creative energy within organisations that have an appetite for innovation, i.e. looking at new ways of doing things, embracing the people needs for 4IR, and building on functional strengths to align it with human capital development. She believes that the competitive edge to sustainable growth in organisations is through investing in their social and psychological capital. Her people-centered and logical approach to her work allows her to deal with complex and dynamic organisational environments. It is through the art of collaboration that she establishes vibrant business partnerships based on trust and appreciation of the network dynamics which exists in diverse settings. Shirleen believes that unlocking organisational growth is best done through reciprocity and optimal use of all resources available in the context of economic, human, technological and social capital development.
Shirleen has spent seven years as an active board member for the Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychologists (SIOPSA) in various executive roles, namely, Marketing and Communications, CSI, Secretariat and President. Amongst several of her achievements, she has been awarded with life-long and honorary membership in 2019. She spends her down time engaging in her doctoral research, running, hiking and nurturing endearing relationships.