“Ambition alone won’t get you to the top. It has to be matched with talent, experience, and resilience.”

Dr. Maria Angela Capello and Dr. Liz Coffey sit down with Kate Grussing, CBE, founder of Sapphire Partners and a leading voice in executive search and leadership diversity. Kate shares her insights from decades of working with CEOs and boards, exploring what it really takes to rise to the top, the pitfalls that derail leaders, and the importance of resilience and adaptability. From ambition and communication to succession planning and diversity, this conversation provides practical wisdom for both seasoned executives and ambitious professionals preparing for leadership roles.

Key takeaways

• Effective leaders know when to step back, mentor successors, and avoid the trap of overconfidence.

• Strong communication is essential, not just in speeches or media but in everyday interactions that build trust and credibility across the organization.

• Diversity and inclusive leadership are not optional – they are essential for building strong, future-ready organizations.

Next step: Reflect on your leadership journey and ask yourself: Are you building the skills, networks, and resilience needed to thrive at the top?

About Kate

Kate Grussing is the Founder and Managing Director of Sapphire Partners, a leading executive search firm she established in 2005 to champion greater diversity in senior leadership and board roles. With deep expertise in CEO, CFO, NED, and Chair searches, she is recognized as a thought leader in human capital, diversity, inclusion, and equality, and was awarded a CBE for services to business in 2022.

Uplevel Your Career

• Connect with MAC at https://www.redtreeconsultingllc.com/.

• Connect with Liz at https://www.sparkleadership.co.uk/.

About the Hosts

Dr. Maria Angela Capello (MAC) is the President of Red Tree Consulting LLC and a distinguished leader in the energy sector. She spearheads initiatives in sustainability, diversity and inclusion (D&I), and geosciences.

MAC has held prominent roles at Kuwait Oil Company, Halliburton, and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The Italian Government has honored her with the “Star of Italy” knighthood, and UNESCO has endorsed her work, publishing her report “Geosciences in Action – Advancing Sustainable Development.”

MAC was recently conferred the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Lifetime Achievement Award for Diversity and Inclusion. Author of more than 107 technical articles and four books, Capello earned her PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Plymouth (UK) in 2024, an MSc in Geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines (USA), and a BSc in Physics from Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela).

Dr. Elizabeth Coffey (Liz), Founder of Spark Leadership Ltd, is an internationally recognized leadership expert, lecturer, and author who develops CEOs, CEO Successors, and Board Executives of FTSE 100 and Global 500 companies. She has coached CEOs and their successors in a wide range of businesses and sectors.

Previously a Senior Partner in Korn Ferry’s Leadership and Talent Consultancy, Liz held senior positions with Mercer Delta Consulting and The Change Partnership. In 2022-23, she was a Distinguished Lecturer for SPE, speaking to thousands of leaders across the energy sector in more than 50 countries about “How CEOs Lead for Success.”Liz has written several leadership books, including McGraw Hill's “10 Things That Keep CEOs Awake – and How to Put Them to Bed” (2002), Deutsche Bank's “The End of Tolerance?” (2001), and “The Changing Culture of Leadership – Women Leaders’ Voices” (1999). 

Liz has received many awards over the past two decades, including an Honourary Doctorate (2024), Woman Super Achiever (2018), Mentor of the Year (2007), and the European Woman of Achievement Award (2001). She has worked in more than 40 countries, including extensively in several GCC countries.