Over the summer, we are introducing the individuals who make Calderon Search & Advisory what it is, sharing their career stories, passions, and the work they’re doing to support our clients and their leadership goals. After introducing Dagmara Kruczkowska, Harco J. Leertouwer and Cathy Miller recently, this week with we introduce Anne Ferretjans. Anne is one of our Executive Leadership Coaches, with over 20 years of experience in the talent industry, where she helped organisations identify and grow people. Today, she works with founders and leadership teams to build trust, cohesion, and purpose-driven cultures that scale sustainably. Passionate about aligning personal authenticity with collective impact, Anne empowers leaders to step into their roles with clarity, courage, and a vision for long-term, sustainable progress.
Anne, your journey into leadership coaching is rooted in years of experience in the talent industry. What were some pivotal moments that shaped your path?
I spent more than two decades in the talent industry, advising companies on how to attract and grow people with potential. Over time, I became increasingly drawn to deeper questions of purpose, both at an individual and an organisational level. What truly drives us? How do personal ambitions connect with a collective direction that matters beyond quarterly results? That exploration began while I was at a-connect, where we started working more intentionally with purpose as a leadership lens. Around the same time, I joined the executive coaching program at IMD, which gave me the frameworks, tools, and confidence to work with leaders in a much more direct and meaningful way. Coaching didn’t feel like a departure from my career, it in fact felt like a natural evolution.
What kind of work do you do today, and with whom?
Today, I primarily work with founders and leadership teams of growing SMEs: organisations that are scaling rapidly and want to remain true to who they are as they grow. These companies often face a critical tension: how do you expand while preserving authenticity, culture, and values? My work focuses on trust, cohesion, and communication, three elements I believe are essential for sustainable leadership. I blend individual coaching with team facilitation and leadership development, often using strengths-based approaches. What excites me most is witnessing that moment when someone stops simply “performing a role” and begins leading from who they truly are. That shift not only changes how they show up as leaders, it also ripples through the team, shaping how decisions are made and how the organisation evolves. Ultimately, when leaders lead from purpose, companies grow in a way that is not only successful but also sustainable: financially, socially, and culturally.
What’s one thing people often misunderstand about leadership development?
A common misconception is that leadership development is something you turn to when there’s dysfunction or a problem to fix. In reality, the strongest and most visionary leaders I work with invest in leadership development proactively, for themselves and their teams. They understand that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about how you show up, how you navigate uncertainty, and how you create the conditions for others to do their best work. As Simon Sinek says, leadership takes courage. Courage to be authentic, courage to ask uncomfortable questions, and courage to step into unknown territory. This work isn’t “soft.” It’s the hard, transformative work that creates organisations where people thrive and where decisions are made with long-term impact in mind. For leaders committed to sustainability, this is especially critical: they’re not just leading companies, they’re shaping ecosystems of stakeholders, communities, and future generations.
You’ve recently partnered with Calderon. What connects your work to theirs?
Calderon’s purpose, Leadership that moves the world forward, resonates deeply with me. We share the conviction that leadership is not only about immediate performance but about shaping cultures and making decisions that endure. Whether it’s through executive search or leadership coaching, Calderon helps organisations build not just teams but legacies. My work aligns with that mission by helping leaders grow in ways that are both personally authentic and collectively meaningful. Together, we want to elevate leadership conversations beyond short-term outcomes and toward building resilient organisations that create value for society at large.
What do you do outside of work that reflects your values?
Movement and connection are central for me. I recharge by being outdoors, e.g. cycling, swimming, skiing, and sharing those experiences with friends and family makes them even more meaningful. I find that being close to nature is grounding; it reminds me of the bigger picture and the interconnectedness that also underpins my coaching work. I’m also curious by nature and continuously seek growth: through reading, training, or exploring new approaches that broaden how I think and work. For me, personal sustainability is about keeping energy flowing: physically, emotionally, and intellectually.
And finally, what gives you hope about the future?
The younger generation of leaders inspires me greatly. They are unapologetically clear about wanting to shape impact and don’t separate that from who they are as people. They bring fresh questions around meaning, responsibility, and connection—and they are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Working with them is deeply rewarding. They remind us that leadership isn’t about climbing hierarchies; it’s about creating impact that matters. Supporting them as they clarify their purpose and step into leadership with authenticity gives me real hope that the future of business can, and will, be both sustainable and human-centered.
