Meet the Sherpas
ignea guides leaders through complexity — so that sustainability becomes not just strategy, but story, culture, and lived value.
You don’t need a big team. You need the right ones at the right time.
ignea isn’t a consultancy. It’s a collaborative engine — powered by experienced Sherpas who guide leaders across strategy, culture, storytelling, and execution.
Each brings their own strength.
Together, they walk with you.
Julia Snedkova
Leadership Whisperer
Activates leadership and team dynamics with empathy and precision. Julia helps embed purpose through coaching, rhythm-building, and human presence when things feel stuck.
Former Fortune 500 leader turned executive coach and cultural transformation specialist.
English, Russian & French
INSEAD MBA
Strategic Sensemaker
Keiko Tago
Frames complexity into clarity. Keiko helps decode stakeholder signals, align insight with ambition, and structure what matters — especially across cultural and systems boundaries.
Over 25 years in industrial design and packaging sustainability, including leadership roles at Bayer and cross-cultural strategy work.
English, Spanish & Japanese
Universidad Iberoamericana Industrial Design, IMD Sustainability
Nic Cantuniar
Narrative Architect
Crafts bold, credible stories. Niculae helps leadership teams find their voice — building narratives that land with boards, regulators, and humans alike.
Former CEO of medium sized companies in Europe and the US.
English, Romanian, French, German & Italian
ETH Zürich Physics and Math, INSEAD MBA
Ivan Palomino
Behavior Designer
Works where culture meets systems. Ivan helps shift mindset and behavior through design thinking, micro-experiments, and organizational neuroscience.
Learning strategist and behavioral designer; founder of PeopleKult and host of the Growth Hacking Culture podcast. Former multinational executive.
English, Spanish & French
EPFL Engineering & Biotechnology, HEC Lausanne
Cyrille Catel
Innovation Realist
Bridges business ambition with practical innovation. Cyrille translates sustainable intent into credible models, customer logic, and product moves that matter.
Founder of Anchored Vision and IDEAS IN ACTION Media; strategist and coach focused on innovation, leadership, and personal transformation.
English & French
Rushmore University MBA
Tomo Vujcic
Embedded Operator
Brings steady operational traction and cross-functional glue. Tomo turns strategy into internal rhythm across teams, systems, and decision-making.
Veteran FMCG leader with operational roles across Europe, Russia, and Africa.
Entrepreneur
English & Croat
University of Zagreb Economics
Diego Stoecklin
Systems Navigator & Sustainable Strategist
Drives sustainable transformation by aligning ESG strategy, operational performance, and inclusive culture. Diego supports national and international organizations in embedding sustainability and DEI into business systems that deliver measurable results.
With over 12 years of experience in business operations and international law, he brings deep expertise in regulatory frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and third-party assurance. He combines strategic insight with a strong grasp of the Swiss market.
French, English, German, Spanish.
ETH Zurich, IMD and HSLU
Philippe Gissinger
Digital Transformer
Philippe is a digital transformation guide who knows the terrain from global pharma giants to agile startups. At Novartis, he didn’t just implement technology, he navigated systems, mindsets, and resistance to help teams find traction where it matters most. His reputation as a “Digital Transformer” was earned not through flashy slides, but by helping people and processes evolve in tandem.
His strength lies in simplifying the complex. He helps leaders move from digital noise to digital signal — aligning tools, teams, and timelines around real business value. Whether building high-performance IT ecosystems or coaching through ambiguity, he brings a calm presence and a systems mind.
French, English.
IMD
Michel Heitzmann
Founder & Integrator
Connects logic, emotion, and movement. Michel listens for what's real, reframes what's possible, and moves things forward — with strategic clarity and presence.
Founder of Ignea; experience with McKinsey and JT International, Philip Morris; has worked or lived in 25 countries.
French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese...
Columbia University Engineering, IMD Coaching & Sustainability