My Story

I graduated with a degree in International Relations, worked in investment banking for two decades, and ran a training firm whose clients included a number of Fortune 500 companies. For over 25 years, I’ve been applying behavioral and social sciences to help people help themselves, succeed professionally, and guide organizations to greater success by increasing employee engagement and driving effective skills and management.  

Experience

 This includes work for finance companies like Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Deloitte, and Chase Manhattan, as well as the United Nations, the MTA, and the YWCA. Ultimately, I help people succeed in professional endeavors, and I guide organizations to greater success by increasing employee engagement and building effective skills and management.  For the past tk years, I have specialized in helping technologists: Technology was once considered a support function of a business, but it is now a mission-critical part of the strategy and success of any business. Talented technologists are much sought-after key talent.

I am an avid supporter of diversity, was a founding member of several diversity networks at a major investment bank, and received a number of awards including Woman of the Year Award from TK and the invitation to ring the opening and closing bells at the NYSE and NASDAQ (see photo). I have also partnered with the YWCA for over 15 years and was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women Leaders for coaching, training, and mentoring battered women of all ages.

What bridges my private leadership or "life coaching" work with the corporate work is that everyone is a leader — we are all responsible for the lives we create internally and externally. I can help you find your leader within and lead (or walk confidently) from that place. 

My Credentials

 25+ year organizational leadership experience managing large, global teams on Wall Street  

Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC)

International Coach Federation (ICF) 

Professional Certified Coach (PCC)

Leadership Circle™ (TLC) Certified Practitioner

Experienced with building and enhancing high-
functioning cultures in organizations of all sizes

Public Speaker  

My behavioral science-based leadership development plan includes

• 360-degree assessments, tools, models,
  and research

• Results-focused exercises

• Accountability reporting

• Coaching summary document

The Force 9 Coaching Program applies a four-step approach that pinpoints what great leadership looks like, identifies the deficits in skills and beliefs (and other blindspots), closes the gaps to achieve inspiring leadership performance, gets handed over to management for ongoing development

THE MEANING QUOTIENT:
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, EPISODE 4

Women In Leadership
with Toni Cortese

This podcast explains This includes work for finance companies like Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Deloitte, and Chase Manhattan, as well as the United Nations, the MTA, and the YWCA. Ultimately, I help people succeed in professional endeavors, and I guide organizations to greater success by increasing employee engagement and building effective skills and management.  

The Balance Dilemma,
Episode 7

Taming the Wolves of Wall Street with Toni Cortese

This podcast explains Toni’s unbelievable life story, which starts with having to sneak out of the house to go to college! Then she grapples with overt harassment at her first job in investment banking, transfers to the tech department to become a computer whiz, and pivots to professional coaching, which she identifies as her true calling.

 This includes work for finance companies like Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Deloitte, and Chase Manhattan, as well as the United Nations, the MTA, and the YWCA. Ultimately, I help people succeed in professional endeavors, and I guide organizations to greater success by increasing employee engagement and building effective skills and management.  

Decoding Corporate America, Episode 3

Moving Up the Corporate Ladder featuring Executive Leadership Coach Toni Cortese

In this episode, Erica and Sashalla have a candid discussion with Executive Leadership Coach Toni Cortese on how to move up the corporate ladder.

THE MEANING QUOTIENT: WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, EPISODE 4

Women In Leadership with Toni Cortese

This podcast explains This includes work for finance companies like Barclays, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Deloitte, and Chase Manhattan, as well as the United Nations, the MTA, and the YWCA. Ultimately, I help people succeed in professional endeavors, and I guide organizations to greater success by increasing employee engagement and building effective skills and management.