Belina Raffy, Global Captain & Co-Founder
Hi! I’m Belina. I am an organisational transformation consultant, a world expert in Applied Improvisation, the Empress of Maffick (www.maffick.com – a UK-based consultancy), a Smile Fairy, and an amateur stand-up comedian. My superhero talent is designing and delivering inspiring, practical, embodied experiences that help people align HOW they do things with WHAT they stand for – on both a daily basis and as part of their strategic vision. In particular, my passion is in enabling people in organisations to engage with each other and the world in ways that support optimal delight and optimal performance, as they help life on the planet to thrive.
For over 10 years, my work has focussed on the shift away from operating in the ‘business is a machine’ metaphor and towards ‘business is a living organism,’ using approaches that help us to embrace the unknown, adapt to emerging circumstances, and co-create joyfully and effectively. This work has involved collaborating with biologists, biomimicry experts, organisational development experts, transformation consultants, architects, top business schools, world renowned improvisers, top service designers, sustainability experts and more.
I’m a Board Director of the Applied Improvisation Network. I have an MBA and an BSc (Hons) in Management. Before my MBA, I worked as a cross-functional project manager for Citigroup. In 1996, I started studying with some of the top improvisers in the world with a keen interest in learning and developing activities which can be applied to business situations.,
It’s easiest to say I’m from Earth. I grew up moving around the US, Mexico and Canada. In terms of nationality, I’m half-American, half-French and lived in England for 15 years. This seems to make me effectively Canadian, which is convenient, since I’ve been spending a lot of time in Canada recently to collaborate with the amazing Michelle Holliday.
Michelle Holliday, Co-Founder & Advisor
I am a facilitator and organizational strategy consultant with 20 years’ experience, much of which has focused on brand strategy and employee engagement. Through my company (Cambium) and through collaborations with others, I love bringing people together and helping them discover ways they can feel more alive, connect more meaningfully with each other, and serve life more powerfully through their work. My favorite part of my work is helping pioneering, visionary organizations craft a bold manifesto and then design the ways they will live into it.
In all, my work centers around thrivability – the intention and practice of aligning organizations with how living systems thrive and how people thrive. I regularly share perspectives about thrivability on a blog called The Solarium. And my research over the past ten years is summarized in an online slideshow called Humanity 4.0, which has had over 27,000 views.
Earlier in my career, I was a partner in a small organizational development consulting firm in Washington, DC. Before that, I was Brand Manager for the Coca-Cola brand for Russia, Moldova and Kazakhstan, and I was one of two expatriates responsible for establishing H.J. Heinz in the former Soviet Union.
I’m from the US, though Montreal has been my home for nearly ten years. Before coming here, I lived in 19 cities, including Washington DC, Moscow, Paris, London, New York, and a small town in Scotland.
