Leesa Tongoulidis

Leesa is a highly experienced executive coach, organisational development specialist and strategic advisor with over 10 years experience leading and supporting organisational transformation, leadership development and workforce capability across the public and private sectors. Her career includes senior leadership, organisational development and strategic people roles with major Australian and international organisations, including Suncorp Group, QBE Insurance, Canon Oceania, Study Group and icare NSW. She has led enterprise-wide initiatives spanning organisational design, culture, talent, leadership capability, workforce strategy and change, working closely with executive teams to align people and organisational priorities with business performance. Leesa's broader advisory and consulting experience spans government and statutory authorities, healthcare, education, financial services and other highly regulated industries. She brings first-hand understanding of the challenges facing leaders navigating complexity, competing stakeholder expectations and significant organisational change. An IECL-accredited Executive Coach with over 4,000 hours of professional coaching experience, Leesa combines strategic organisational insight with a deep understanding of leadership behaviour, adult development and the conditions that enable individuals and organisations to thrive. Her approach is perceptive, pragmatic and appropriately challenging, helping leaders strengthen their judgement, expand their perspectives and translate insight into purposeful action.

Leesa's coaching practice integrates developmental and systemic coaching, organisational psychology, neuroscience-informed approaches, strengths-based development and contemporary leadership research. She works with executives, senior leaders and emerging talent to explore the assumptions, behaviours, relationships and organisational dynamics influencing their effectiveness. Leesa establishes a trusted and confidential coaching partnership, creating space for meaningful reflection, constructive challenge and exploration of new perspectives. Her approach helps clients develop greater self-awareness, recognise patterns, navigate competing demands and strengthen their capacity to lead through complexity and change. Drawing on extensive organisational leadership experience, she supports clients to connect individual development with broader strategic, cultural and operational realities. Leesa incorporates validated leadership assessments, stakeholder feedback and practical experimentation where appropriate, helping clients translate insight into sustainable behavioural change and measurable professional outcomes.

Leesa has coached, advised and developed more than 250 executives and leaders across corporate, government and public-purpose organisations. She achieves particularly strong results with executives, senior leaders and high-performing professionals navigating leadership transitions, organisational transformation, complex stakeholder environments and increased strategic responsibility. Her experience includes supporting leaders moving from operational or technical expertise into broader enterprise leadership, as well as established executives seeking to strengthen their influence, judgement, adaptability and effectiveness. Leesa is particularly skilled at helping clients recognise the interaction between their own leadership behaviours and the organisational systems in which they operate, enabling them to identify opportunities for both individual and collective improvement. Her coaching supports stronger strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, executive presence, stakeholder relationships, decision-making and the capacity to lead effectively through uncertainty.

Leesa has coached leaders across major Australian and international organisations, including Suncorp Group, QBE Insurance, Study Group, icare NSW, Canon Oceania, Thiess, JP Morgan, NSW Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Bupa. Her coaching experience also extends across government and regulatory bodies, statutory authorities, and social impact and community-based organisations.