Paul Donkers
My professional journey is a lifelong commitment to developing companies, nurturing management teams, and empowering entrepreneurs and business leaders. Over the span of 27 years, I'm dedicating myself to the pursuit of creating enduring and meaningful value in the corporate world and NGO's.
I believe that successful organisations are led by leaders who know themselves, open to rethink their business models, unlock business purpose, embrace digitization, see culture as an important enabler.
I feel privileged to have worked with hundreds of leadership teams and over 2000 individuals. I learn from them, they learn from me.
I enable our clients to unlock purpose: for companies, teams and individuals. Translating purpose into strategy. I contribute to their business as an outsider/insider. Ideas flow for me naturally.
Every week I work with our clients around the world to develop their organisation, their teams and their leaders. I deliver my contribution as an independent entrepreneur wìth deep corporate experience. My roles are: business coach, management consultant, teacher, investor and facilitator.
I started three companies. All three are still in business. Navigating them through good and through very challenging times.
Business #1
Business #1: In 2000, under the umbrella of a Fortune 500 parent company, I introduced a HR consulting firm from New York in The Netherlands. This 'intrapreneurial' venture grew into the profitable market leader within a decade, providing me with invaluable financial, commercial, and operational experience from the ground up.
Business #2
Business #2: In 2009, I left my corporate career to start my own firm. Despite the financial crisis it was time for me to move forward. Today, tèn company developed into a global coaching and consulting firm.
Business #3
Business #3: The year 2018 saw the inception of the Ikigai® Coaching Institute, a project close to my heart with dual objectives—nurturing a community of healthy coaching practicioners and enabling at least 100,000 individuals globally unlock their Ikigai.
Venturing into the realms of business coaching, management consulting, teaching, investing, and facilitating, I operate as an independent entrepreneur with a wealth of corporate insights. My journey from a senior executive at a Fortune 500 company to building independent enterprises has been transformative, with every success and mistake contributing to a deeper understanding of what it takes to thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.
Follow me on LinkedIn or on Instagram (@donkers.paul) or reach out via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Global Experience
- Founding partner of tèn company, with a global client portfolio.
- Creator of Ikigai Coaching Institute.
- Working in the Global LHH Organization in a senior management role from 1999 - 2009.
- Working as General Manager for LHH in The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg between 2006 - 2009.
- Languages: Dutch mother-tongue. English full professional proficiency. French & German advanced. Basic understanding of Italian and Spanish.
Corporate experience
- Initiated and launched American Human Resources consulting firm Lee Hecht Harrison in The Netherlands in 1999 as intrapreneur. Served as it's General Manager from 2000 - 2006
- General Manager LHH Belgium, LHH The Netherlands and LHH Luxemburg from 2006 - 2009
- Member of Executive Committee of the parent company of LHH, The Adecco Benelux group from 2006 - 2009 (size: 1 billion € in revenue)
- Member of European leadership team of Lee Hecht Harrison
Lifelong learning
- MIT Sloan Executive Program. Platform Strategy: building and thriving in a vibrant ecosystem (Cambridge, Boston, USA, 2019)
- Harvard Business School Executive Program. Leading your small business through it's lifecycle. (Harvard, Boston, USA, 2014)
- Personal Directions™ from Management Research Group (Dublin 2013)
- Hogan Dark Side Assessment™ from Hogan Assessment Systems Inc. (London 2012)
- Sales Performance Assessment™ from Management Research Group (Dublin 2012)
- Stakeholder Centered Coaching, Marshall Goldsmith Institute/Prism (Salt Lake City, USA, March 2011)
- Management Research Group (www.mrg.com): 360 degree Strategic Leadership Development, (London, UK, september 2009)
- LHH (various trainings in delivery & sales worldwide between 1999 - 2008)
- Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Brussels, Belgium, 2002)
- SHL, Occupational Personality Questionnaire (Utrecht, The Netherlands, 1999)
- Fontys University of Applied Sciences. Human Resources & Services, graduation in 1995, cum laude, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Honors and awards
- Global coaching leadership award, World Coaching Congress, Mumbai, India, February 2016
- President's award for Exceptional team performance in 2004 (strategic team sale & delivery to Sara Lee worldwide) from Lee Hecht Harrison Worldwide, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- President's award for Exceptional Performance by a General Manager in 2001 from Lee Hecht Harrison Worldwide, Naples, Florida, USA
- 2nd prize Thierry award for best Thesis from Catholic University Brabant in Tilburg, The Netherlands in 1999
Publications
The secret of Ikigai 2021. White paper explaining the Ikigai concept and its application. Please find the digital version of this paper here.
IKIGAI™ Questions Game October 2017. Unique Card game to help people identify their daily purpose, their IKIGAI.
Master of your own destiny. e-book. November 2015. In their powerful book, global executive coaches Herman van Herterijck and Paul Donkers share the proven methodology they use with their clients around the world. Available for download via www.tencompany.eu
Regisseer je eigen loopbaansucces. ISBN 978-94-91121-02-9. Authors: Paul Donkers & Herman van Herterijck, 2014. Dutch book on how to become the master of your own career success. Pragmatic tools on how to approach your own career as a small business owner. Using proven techniques from corporate environments and integrate them into personal & professional development.
Areas of Expertise
- Start-up. Creator and founder of tèn company early 2009
- Intrapreneur serving two companies: LHH The Netherlands (created in 1999) & LHH Luxembourg (created in 2008)
- Revitalizing a company and turn around management (e.g. LHH Belgium: 2008)
- Executive Coaching - Leadership Development. I love to work with successful strong characters and I'm not shy in confronting them to enable them to become even more successful.
- Global and Multicultural Team building
- Executive leadership and board positions
- Succession and next generation leadership
- Public companies / Fortune 500
- Large family owned companies
- Board of directors
- CEO – CFO
- EVP's, SVP
- Medical Specialists (mostly in the surgery specialism)
delivering a workshop
Charity & non-executive work
Global Executive Coach - International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC (2014-present)
Executive coach for their worldwide leaders. Leaders who are selected to participate in the Red Cross' global leadership development program are entitled to some one-on-one coaching. To accelerate their development. Paul works with the Red Cross on this project since their start of the program in 2013. Paul has delivered coaching and consulting to the leaders in Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India, Afghanistan, Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Haiti, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan, Geneva Headquarters and some other countries.
Thesis supervisor Masters in Humanitarian Leadership - University of Luzern, Switserland (2020-present)
Industry and functional experience
- General Management and c-suite
- Finance & Administration
- Human Resources
- Risk Management
- Working in matrix organizations
- Fast Moving Consumer Goods
- High tech electronics
- Pharma
- Non Governmental Organisations
- Royal Philips Electronics
- Electrolux Professional
- Maastricht University Medical Center
- Zuyderland Hospital Heerlen / Sittard
- Barry Callebaut Gourmet
- Fagron
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- D.O.R.C.
- Sol Group (Vivisol)
Media
Paul's work has been been featured by several media. Please find a selection hereunder.
- The Ikigai project was featured in The Economist in November 2022 https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/10/27/what-japan-makes-of-ikigai
- Paul was on Japanese National News Television Station NHK in December 2018: https://youtu.be/0dHwZSLwZCY
- Paul interview series with Marshall Goldsmith in New York: Are you ready for coaching?: https://youtu.be/cXyKojJ4zt8
- Paul discusses the idea behind the development of Ikigai card game with Marshall Goldsmith: https://youtu.be/g-XG4U7iomw
- Follow us via our own youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCByyuBts1v1dA0BDanvnQsw?view_as=subscriber
- Paul for Dutch Hearst magazine Quote: https://www.quotenet.nl/tags/view/Quote/Overig/paul+donkers
- Paul appears for our strategic partner Management Research Group at a conference in the US early 2019.
Continue the conversation via social media:
- Connect to Paul via Linkedin
- Connect to tèn company via Linkedin
- Follow Paul on Instagram: donkers.paul
- Follow Paul via Twitter: @pauldonkers
"I worked with Paul for 1 year in an intensive coaching program transitioning from one phase of my career to the next. Paul is an excellent listener, he is always prepared, he connects, he challenges and most of all he inspired me to search for new opportunities that fit with my ambitions and me as a person. Morning sessions with Paul were always full of discussion and new ideas and have helped me to grow as a person and a leader. Paul is realistic and has a wealth of experience not only as a coach but also as an entrepreneur and business leader. I have since then asked him to work with one of my teams in need of a change with a similar good outcome!"
"I would like to recommend Paul for my personal work with him and his work with leadership teams. Paul combines a unique experience of growing up in large organizations and then starting his own practice advising people across industries. Very hands on, challenging, up to date and realistic. And important, a nice person to work with!"
Maarten Pouw
Business Leader
The Netherlands
"The leadership and wider team are in a much better place in their work, balance and optimism for the future and a significant part of that credit is down to the support and appropriate level of challenge you brought to our strategic reflections. It really made a difference."
Global Assignment for International Baccalaureate in Washington, Singapore and The Hague
Adrian Kearney
Director IB World Schools
'Paul connects easily to people, both at the individual level and in groups. With his empathic and analytical skills, he gets to the heart of the problem in a very short period of time. What is unique is that he is able to lead sessions with large groups and thereby positively influencing team dynamics.'
Local Assignment for pediatricians in The Netherlands
Doctor of Medicine & Member of the Board Liekele Oostenbrug
Zuyderland Hospital The Netherlands
'Paul has worked with our Global Leadership team to sharpen the processes of a global player in terms of business and people leadership. Real great experience to work with him, getting challenged and inspired at the same time and feeling mentally empowered after each session.'
Assigment for Global company in Italy
Esther Staskiewicz, Chief Marketing Officer
Member Global Leadership Team
Electrolux Professional
'Over the years Paul has coached several of my Management Team members towards better performance. Using robust, proven methodologies paired with his unique, personal and straightforward approach he successfully created sustainable effective behavioral changes. Step by step towards agreed development goals. You'd wish every manager has a coach like Paul.'
Ludo van der Poel
CEO Area UK, France, Ireland & Benelux, Vivisol group
“During a phase when our business was going through a crucial phase we hired Paul Donkers to work with some of our executive leadership members. Through his interventions and individual coaching we were quickly able to see results of the individual(s) involved. These interventions are very professional, fast and pragmatic with a strong feedback loop”.
Lorette Roetenberg
DCS Global HR Director
DSM
(www.dsm.com)
"Paul has made me aware of the skillful use of the different leadership styles and improved my managerial capacities. He contributed to strengthening my strategic visioning and ability to lead the change in complex environment and address human resources related challenges."
Askar Umarbekov Head of Delegation AFRICA International Committee of the Red Cross / Comité International de la Croix-Rouge
"In recent years I followed the executive coaching program which was really transformational for me. Paul is a driven and first class professional providing me very useful insights for further growth in my professional career. Besides that his personal style is very empathic and he is a great guy to work with. I would highly recommend Paul to anyone looking for very professional executive coaching."
Roel de Bijl
“Helping talented people to look at themselves in the mirror in the right perspective, lies at the heart of the coaching work of Paul. Meanwhile, in the past years, he has successfully coaching thousands of people and helping them to use their talents in a more effective way."
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.
“Paul Donkers was my executive coach, while I worked in the Netherlands. Here, he helped me to develop as a leader. Paul’s ability to listen, think out-of-the-box and communicate his advice in a smooth, yet powerful way, inspired me. It is valuable we are still in contact after my move to Norway. I can warmly recommend Paul as a business coach.”
Lars Iggstroem, CFO IKEA Norway
(www.ikea.com)
“I have experienced Paul as a very open, accessible and seasoned professional with whom it’s easy to build a strong relationship of trust. Within this context he manages to give you valuable development tools, but also the inspiration and comfort to recognize and trust your own compass and intuition. He is not afraid to confront, and does this in a very constructive and motivating way, really tapping into and guiding your potential to further grow as a person and business leader.”
Jan Boers, Entrepreneur
(jan-boers.nl)
