About Donna
Donna Aldrich is a certified professional coach with expertise in Executive and Leadership coaching. She works with both current and aspiring leaders to develop their skills so they can lead from where they are confidently. Her specialty is partnering with her clients and providing tools to create action oriented plans that drive their careers forward in a decisive manner while they maintain integrity, professionalism and their authenticity. Donna is a member of the International Coach Federation New England Chapter. Her clients include those from large companies such as Bank of America, Philips Electronics, XPO, Straumann, and many startups.
She is the author of the book, “First Time Managers Start Here, Building a Solid Foundation for New and Aspiring Managers.” Donna has presented “Women and Negotiations” as part of Innovation Women’s Speaker Series. She was also selected to present “Claiming Your Place with Confidence and Authenticy” at the Women’s International Networking conference in Oslo, Norway.
Previously Donna was the Vice President of Operation for North America at Philips Healthcare, and has over 25 years experience in the Corporate space including Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. She has a proven track record of developing and leading people while achieving business results. Donna was awarded both the Most Inspiring Leader award in 2014, as well as the CEO Leadership Award in 2006. During her tenure at Philips Healthcare Donna was the Cochair of the Professional Women’s Network in the East where she led activities to drive confidence in women, and to bring visibility for women leaders within the organization.
EDUCATION
Certified Professional Coach from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (Accredited Coach Training Program with the International Coach Federation)
Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner
Bachelor of Arts, University of Massachusetts
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
2014 Most Inspiring Leader
2006 Philips CEO Leadership Award recipient
2005 Philips Pinnacle Board recipient
2000 Agilent Technologies Achievers Club recipient
Testimonials
"I think you are a true leadership role-model and I learned a lot from our interactions. Your focus on people, your clarity and always keeping an eye on what is right for the business are benchmark to me." Vice-President, Royal Philips
"I have had the pleasure of working with Donna for the past 8 years. During that time I have watched her influence and shape the lives of dozens of professionals within our organization. Her powerful coaching style draws from a blend of deep personal knowledge and a passionate conviction to help others. She is a consummate professional and I would welcome her into any organization." Vice-President, Sales and Marketing Operations, Philips Healthtech
"She is a gifted mentor. She challenges her clients. In 20 minutes she can change your understanding of an impasse or open your eyes to a new and achievable important goal. I highly recommend her." Sr. Director, IT Business Partner at Philips Lighting
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM ONE OF DONNA’S CLIENTS
Dear Donna,
As part of my goal for International Women's Day this year, I have decided to pause and reflect each day of March and appreciate those that have inspired, helped, encouraged, partnered, or propelled me in my career or personal life. You have done/been/are/excelled in all of those areas for me. Today I want to thank you for, well, being you!
By now you probably already know that I believe you to be one of the best leaders I have ever had the privilege of working with. You are insightful, thoughtful, kind, assertive in a way that gets things done but is still pleasant, and fun to be around. I have learned more about my own leadership style by watching you excel as a leader than I could ever learn from any book. One thing that sticks out to me is how much you knew about each and every single person you worked with. Whether it was a pet’s name, remembering the town someone was from, or a vacation someone had gone on, you could speak to and do speak to everyone, no matter where they were in the organization. To you, as it should be, everyone mattered. Knowing how crazy a day can get and how our meetings and agendas often dictate the day and our focus, your connection to your large organization still amazes me. You advocated for your team, even if they didn’t know it. You were not afraid to speak up even if you assumed the answer would be no. You taught me that no is not the end of the world, but the start of a conversation.
As I reflect on my own stubbornness when confronting a difficult leader who leads me to retreat and put walls up, you coached me in a way that made me want to move past it. You listened, you understood, you let me vent and you gave me time to be angry and sulk. Then you told me to snap out of it. And not in a scolding way but in a way that said, you can do better, I believe in you. That made me want to do better and be better (and it dramatically improved the leader relationship too). You are in the exact right job for you – a coach. You are a coach in everything you do, everything you see, everything you hear, and everything you say. But above all, it’s your style that really brings it home in a comfortable way that allows for vulnerability, self-reflection, self-forgiveness for mistakes and encourages courage and action. Thank you for all you do! I appreciate you!
Thank you,
Leanna Dinsmore
Director of Human Resources
On her training "Leveraging Your Personal Brand"
"On behalf of the Philips Talent Acquisition team, I want to extend sincerest thanks for your superb delivery of "Leveraging Your Personal Brand". The feedback from the team was amazing! Everyone, without fail, commented on how much they enjoyed the program and are looking forward to incorporating the work immediately." Sr. Manager, Philips Talent Acquisition