ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate! 

STRATEGIC SUCCESSION PLANNING AND CEO READINESS DEVELOPMENT FOR C-SUITE EXECUTIVES  

Boost CEO readiness in your executive team so you can manage the risks and costs associated with CEO succession planning, eliminate silo thinking, enhance enterprise leadership, and increase your company’s resilience in a world in permanent reinvention.   

Program in a Snapshot:

Imagine your company having a strong and diverse CEO talent pool ready to take over the top job at a moment’s notice. Everyone in your C-Suite thinks like a systems-minded enterprise leader, is collaborative, trustworthy, and ready to drive transformation for your company.

This is precisely the mission of ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate – to support you in mastering strategic CEO succession planning by developing the CEO readiness of the people in your top executive team. Together, we assess your talent pool, coach your executives across numerous dimensions of CEO readiness, and support your shareholders in making the best possible decision when the time comes to welcome a new CEO to lead your organization. 

Consider ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate When …

FOR WHOM IS THIS PROGRAM?

ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate is a strategic organization development program. It combines strategic advisory, leadership assessment, and executive coaching focused on developing CEO readiness in the C-Suite. 

You should consider this program when: 

  1. Your company is facing a planned CEO transition. It takes a minimum of two years to develop a complex and robust CEO talent pipeline and manage a planned CEO transition successfully. Underestimate this process at your own peril.  
  2. Your company is facing an unexpected CEO transition. Accidents, shareholder pressure, and sudden departures happen all the time. They also put your company at risk. If your CEO talent pipeline is not ready for a sudden CEO departure, that’s precisely when you need qualified support to select the best possible next CEO wisely so you can reduce executive transition risks and protect your company as much as possible.  
Is your company facing a CEO transition within the next two to three years?

Companies I Serve

WHERE DO MY CLIENTS WORK?

Over the Last 16 Years I Served…

LET THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES 

Your Success Is My Success!

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

Learn how I partner with top executives and their companies across post-communist and post-Soviet countries to help them navigate major milestones in succession planning and executive career management.

From strategic succession planning and CEO readiness development to CEO onboarding and executive transition, from success during the first year in the role to sustainable success throughout the CEO mandate, and from regional promotions to corporate exit, I support CEOs and C-Suite executives in managing their careers and succeed sustainably and without suffering.

My mantra is: Once a client, always a client.”

Read what my clients and lifelong business partners have to say about my work.

  • If you are looking for a mentor/coach to guide you through the journey of finding your true vision and navigate smartly in this complex world, Cristina is definitely the right choice. Cristina is a natural coach and facilitator. She is patient, intuitive, and wise beyond her years. And she has a masterful knack for knowing when to invoke these various skills to bring out a clarity of purpose and desire that is often hard to pinpoint on your own. She has a way of repackaging your own, sometimes confusing, thoughts in a way that adds meaningful direction. I’m very grateful to have worked with her during a challenging period professionally throughout 2019 and the result is remarkable. Thank you Cristina for joining me into my “big leap”!

    Ling Hong

    Executive Director, Goldman Sachs Asset and Wealth Management Netherlands

  • I started working with Cristina in a period of multiple changes in my work and private life. I needed to identify my values and key priorities. With Cristina I was visiting different areas of my work and private life step by step. During our sessions we discussed topics ranging from business, philanthropy, and my personal life. I was able to name and describe the challenges and consequently decide for my concrete steps and actions. Cristina is able to help with a wide scope of questions starting with personal daily routines to hiring strategies, PR and communication, target setting, embracing diversity etc. With her great questions she helped me find my own answers. Cristina is more than a coach; she is a psychologist, a communication specialist, a lifestyle advisor, and a friend.

    Kateřina Zapletalová

    Board Member, MOSER a.s. Czech Republic

  • Cristina had a great impact on my communication style and my emotional intelligence during an important development time in my life. She helped me get to the next, higher level in my professional and personal life. She was extremely patient and flexible while serving my needs. Cristina opened my “analytical mind” and broadened my perspective to include the importance of seeking to understand. Cristina can point very sensitively to all the aspects that need improvement or focus in your communications and she can fully respect your personal needs at the same time. Emotional intelligence and psychology is a very abstract science to me, yet Cristina managed to change my perspective on the importance of improving these skills.

    Miroslava Stodolicová

    Director Future Finance Fit, AbbVie Global

  • It takes a rare gift, outstanding knowledge of the media world, and the skill of a coach to teach a person to craft a message both interesting to journalists and memorable to the reader. Cristina Muntean does an outstanding job of teaching you to be a media-savvy CEO while still being yourself.

    Ivana Goossen

    Ex-CEO, University of Pittsburgh - Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Europe

  • Just have to rave about The Elevator coaching program with Cristina! The way it started was a pure accident (read: luck)☺️ As part of an Accelerator that I joined the Vornica – The CEO Elevation Circle community and thanks to my active participation I won an exclusive 6 week coaching program with her. And I’m really glad I did it, because least to say, it came at the right moment😉

    The established safety made me feel I can talk about anything, without judgement. The best part – Cristina is this amazing mix of being totally honest, pushing you to think outside the box, asking all the right questions (to many I had no freaking clue!) and giving exact, practical tips (differentiating her from others, really☝️). Plus, she is fantastic listener. She helped me improve my “growth mindset” (which in other way just means, feeling pumped to tackle anything).

    My favorite quotes I took from it:

    • “Realize your own size in the system…”
    • “Nurture your energy and direct it where it serves.”
    • “Be patient, this is part of their development, not yours…”

    I can only but recommend this program, even if you think you’ve got it!😎 Thank you, Cristina🌸

    Emel Idriz

    Business Strategy and Operations, PriceFX Czech Republic

  • Cristina has the talent to tune in to a specific group or individual and to design a program according to very specific needs. She creates relationships based on trust that are a good basis for the development of individuals or groups. Her language skills and multicultural experience are also an added value. Cooperation with Cristina is very rewarding and at the same time very pleasant. Cristina will not push anyone to achieve their goal; everyone must find the will to develop within themselves. Yet she will gently accompany and support you in this whole process.

    Ivana Martiňaková

    CEO, dm-drogerie markt Romania

  • Cristina demonstrated a wide experience leading communications during our common projects. She supported the generation of creative ideas and concepts that contributed to our success. Cristina also managed and maximized the company’s social media presence by facilitating interviews and providing regularly published content on select media outlets. Above all, it was a pleasure working with her.

    Beatrice Radu

    Ex-CEO, Avon Cosmetics Czech Republic and Slovakia

ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate Program Content

HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER

When you decide to engage me to deliver ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate for your organization, here is what you can expect: 

  1. Strategic advisory. Together, we will identify, assess, and determine how best to develop your CEO talent pipeline. 
  2. Premium executive coaching and mentoring. My CEO readiness framework was designed for C-Suite executives who strive to develop an enterprise leadership mindset, advanced communication skills, and trustworthiness across the entire business ecosystem so they can be considered for the next CEO role with full confidence.   
  3. A tailor-made approach. I treat each client with white gloves. We partner throughout the whole process to create a powerful container of rich and relevant support for your leaders. Expect tailor-made assessments, reports, tools, checklists, and other artefacts designed to help your leaders develop in the direction you choose.  

ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate is provided primarily in English. Yet, should you so choose, we can also work together in Czech or Romanian. 

Before / After

Let’s take a look at how you, your organization, and your leaders experience CEO succession planning before and after ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate.

IMAGINE YOUR ORGANIZATION WITH HEALTHY CEO SUCCESSION PLANNING IN PLACE

Before ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate

  1. 1.You either don’t have a strategic CEO succession plan in place or you do, but you don’t take it seriously.
  2. 2.You don’t know when you will face your next CEO transition. Worse – few CEOs last more than two years at the top of your organization.
  3. 3.You don’t have the respect of your key stakeholders – owners, investors, or regional management. This prevents you from influencing CEO succession planning in your organization.
  4. 4.You don’t know who in your C-Suite is true CEO material.
  5. 5.You don’t have a clear idea of who belongs in your CEO talent pool – or why they are there.
  6. 6.You rely excessively on executive search to supplement your lack of internal investment in CEO succession planning and CEO readiness.
  7. 7.Your C-Suite executives don’t have clear career development plans. This reduces their visibility and appetite to learn and grow as leaders.
  8. 8.Your C-Suite executives operate in silos. A lack of investment in their CEO readiness reduces their capacity for enterprise thinking and leadership. This is significantly slowing down your cross-company transformation initiatives.
  9. 9.Your CEO succession plan is something people gossip about in the hallway rather than something clear, transparent, and shared with everyone long before the next CEO is appointed to the role.
  10. 10.Your lack of strategic CEO succession planning leaves your company exposed to systemic risks: sudden senior leadership departures, impulsive promotions, favoritism, and potential corruption.
  11. 11.Your attitude towards strategic CEO succession planning sends a strong signal about your culture. People think: If the CEO is treated this way, imagine how we will be treated?!
  12. 12.You’d like to do things differently, but you don’t know where to start. You need to talk to someone to gain perspective, shape your communication strategy, and redesign your processes. You don’t know what to do first or what should come next.

After ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate

  1. 1.You have a crystal-clear CEO succession plan in place. The plan is shared with everyone in the C-Suite and on your board of directors, and everyone takes the succession plan seriously.
  2. 2.You know exactly who is in your CEO talent pool – and why they are there.
  3. 3.You know exactly when your next CEO transition will take place. You may not know who your next CEO will be yet, but you know you’re fully ready to support them before and after their appointment to the role.
  4. 4.You have an impeccable personal brand that your stakeholders trust. You, the CHRO, are well-known and trusted by your owners, shareholders, investors, and regional leaders.
  5. 5.You leverage your partnership with executive search companies to fill the gaps and expand your pool with fresh talent, but you know that if the market doesn’t produce the right candidate, you will be successful with an internal promotion.
  6. 6.You revisit your CEO succession plan at least twice a year. You speak about it regularly at your executive team meetings.
  7. 7.You are ready and willing to invest in the CEO readiness of your executive leaders. You know that CEO readiness is about so much more than getting the CEO job – it’s about developing an enterprise leadership mindset and supporting your C-Suite executives to align, speak with one voice, and drive real transformation for your organization.
  8. 8.Your C-Suite executives have clear career growth pathways. They are open to learning new things because they can see the future benefits. Clarity helps your C-Suite executives become real role models for the people in your company.
  9. 9.You enjoy more stability, collaboration, and co-creation in your C-Suite – and across the entire organization.
  10. 10.You are ready for sudden top leadership departures. You have a risk mitigation plan that strengthens your organization’s resilience.
  11. 11.Your transparency eliminates gossip, favoritism, and accidental promotions into top leadership roles.
  12. 12.Your company culture is defined by your strategic efforts to select and develop your next CEO well in advance. You trust your vision and your plan for the future.
Would you like to explore how to assess your CEO talent pool, expand the CEO readiness of your top leaders, and become better prepared for your next CEO transition?

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

This program is for strategic CHROs who:

  • Understand the importance of strategic CEO succession planning – and take the job seriously.

  • Think strategically and understand the fundamental role they play in developing and selecting their next CEO. 

  • Understand the value and importance of assessing their CEO talent pipeline regularly and investing in the CEO readiness of their C-Suite executives.

  • Have sufficient leadership influence and impact locally, regionally, or globally. 

  • Find the budgets and are ready to invest strategically in CEO readiness executive development.

  • Are ready to be a real partner for their external coach during strategic succession planning and the CEO readiness development process. 

This program is NOT for CHROs who:

  • Don’t understand why they should invest into CEO succession planning – or take CEO succession planning seriously in the first place. 

  • Don’t realize the long-term strategic risks associated with poor CEO succession planning.  

  • Choose the role of an order taker and task executor rather than that of a strategic thinker and real business partner.

  • Haven’t built sufficient visibility, influence, and impact at the regional level so they can have a say in the selection of their next CEO. 

  • Don’t seem able to build the business case for investing in strategic CEO succession planning, or for measuring the return on investment of such an endeavour.  

  • Are not ready to engage an external partner to support them in mastering strategic CEO succession planning and developing CEO readiness in their C-Suite. 

Let’s Talk Money

Your Return on Investment

ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate is priced to reflect my 16+ years of strategic advisory and executive coaching and mentoring experience helping senior leaders and their organizations succeed through and beyond CEO transitions. 

My pricing also reflects the level of seniority of my clients, the value of my corporate clients’ reputations, and the expected return on investment following this program.   

The price of one 12-month individual CEO readiness program is € 20,000 (VAT not included). This program involves complex services such as 360° and leadership personality assessments, strategy sessions, executive coaching and mentoring sessions, rich individual and company feedback, and tailor-made artefacts designed to help the client grow throughout the program. 

The overall price of your entire ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate program can exceed €20,000 when you book strategic advisory services focused on mapping your current CEO talent pool and when you enroll several C-Suite executives in CEO readiness development programs. 

Make no mistake: this program is not a cost – it’s a strategic investment. My clients who invest in the CEO readiness of their executive leaders experience far more collaboration in the C-Suite, stronger enterprise leadership, faster and more reliable transformation, astute risk management, and savings on external executive search costs thanks to internal promotion readiness.  

Here is what you gain when you choose ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate to develop the CEO readiness of your top leaders:

  1. 1.Crystal clarity on your CEO succession plan. You know exactly what will happen when and why. Thanks to your strategic approach, your company can navigate risks with more ease.
  2. 2.More collaboration and co-creation in your C-Suite. Paradoxically, developing CEO readiness helps your C-Suite executives become more empathetic with your current CEO.
  3. 3.Cost savings. You save on external executive search services because your internal CEO pipeline is rich, ready, and diverse. You also save on repeated CEO onboarding and executive transition services when your CEO remains in the role for more than a year.
  4. 4.Stability and responsible risk management. You strengthen your company’s resilience by making sure CEO succession takes place in an orderly fashion.
  5. 5.Bonus: A trustworthy reputation and more influence and impact for you, the CHRO. When you become a kingmaker, your influence in your organization expands. This can advance your own career – and future CEO ambitions.
I am happy to calculate a tailor-made price and ROI for you so you can make a fully informed decision regarding the value of your investment in CEO readiness and strategic succession planning in your C-Suite.

The Difference Between ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate and Other Options

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO NOTHING?

Here is what happens when you choose ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate versus other generic executive development programs and versus doing nothing (on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 is the maximum):

IMPACT DOING NOTHING / TRYING IT YOURSELF GENERIC EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT ACE®: ASSESS, COACH, ELEVATE
Access to best practices from other organizations 0-1 0-1 10
Rapid identification of your blind spots and relevant CEO succession planning priorities 0-1 0-1 10
Robust professional advice on how to select and nurture your CEO talent pool 0-1 0-1 10
Professional CEO readiness, leadership, and personality assessments 0-1 3-4 10
A tested framework to develop CEO readiness through executive coaching and mentoring 0-1 0-1 10
Professional support from a specialized executive transition coach 0 0 10
Professional support in communicating about CEO readiness with your C-Suite and key stakeholders 0 0 10
Access to specific market intelligence and a solid network of experts in succession planning 0 0 10
Advice from a former business journalist with 12 years of media experience 0 0 10
Greater confidence about what to do next 0-1 4-5 10
TOTAL 0-6 7 - 13 100

With Whom Will You Work?

Hi, Cristina Here!

Hi! Cristina here 😊.

I am a multiply certified senior executive mentor and coach specializing in executive transitions, strategic communications, personal branding, and career acceleration for CEOs and C-Suite executives. If you want to learn more about me and my specific qualifications, visit the page ABOUT ME.

During our program, we will work together – no exceptions. This is how you can tap into my 12+ years of business journalism experience and my 16+ years of executive coaching and mentoring experience gained while serving over 100 companies and developing over 500 senior leaders since 2010.

The program you are considering, ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate, is the embodiment of my own purpose and positive contribution to our world. This is why I’d be honored if you chose me as your strategic succession planning advisor and executive coach for developing CEO readiness in your C-Suite.

About Me

You’ve got this. As scary as CEO succession planning can feel right now, you’ve got what it takes to drive one of the most significant transformation processes in your organization.

I am here to support you all the way in your efforts to develop CEO readiness in your C-Suite and in selecting the best possible next CEO for your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions I receive regularly from potential clients. Take a look, clarify your next steps, and let’s talk. 

  • How does one get access to ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate?

    ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate is a tailor-made strategic advisory and executive development program that you can book for your company whenever you want to gain clarity on your CEO succession planning. I recommend engaging my services a minimum of two years before your next CEO transition.

  • Exactly how much does the program cost?

    ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate is priced to reflect my 16+ years of strategic advisory and executive coaching and mentoring experience helping senior leaders and their organizations succeed beyond CEO transition.
    The price of one 12-month individual CEO readiness program is €20,000 (VAT not included).
    The overall price of your entire ACE®: Assess, Coach, Elevate program can exceed €20,000 when you book strategic advisory services focused on mapping your current CEO talent pool and when you enroll several C-Suite executives into CEO readiness development programs.
    You will receive a detailed tailor-made price and ROI calculation during the proposal presentation call so you can make an informed decision.

  • Is the program online or in person?

  • Are my information and data safe?

    Absolutely. All tools and platforms are set up to protect the privacy and confidentiality of my clients under all circumstances.