“I facilitate the cultivation of bold thinking in clients, strategically reinvigorating their momentum to foster continuous evolution as astute and accomplished leaders.”
Anita Sachdev (Founder-Director,
I’ve Made It- Training and Coaching for Global Success)
“Throughout my career, one thread that has woven its way into all my endeavours is my innate desire to communicate and connect with others. In my advertising stint, I achieved this by grasping consumer needs and developing appropriate messages. As I transitioned into cross-cultural training, I connected diverse cultures by analysing behaviours and habits and addressing potential miscommunications arising from differences. Now, as a coach, I aim to establish personal connections with clients on a more profound level,” articulates Anita Sachdev who brings over 40 years of experience as a successful business leader in both North America and Europe.
Anita is a Leadership Coach and Cross-Cultural Communications Consultant who inspires life’s and global transitions. Anita’s expertise lies in building global leadership capacity with systematic coaching with inner-outer success strategies, as well as culturally specific programs to foster meaningful collaboration across borders.
When Anita Entered The Corporate World
Anita’s foray into the corporate world dates back to 1989 when she swiftly moved into a leadership position and secured her first expat assignment by the age of 30, leading Saatchi and Saatchi Advertising in Egypt. At that time, global mobility was a rarity, and access to the global world was challenging without online resources. To deal with a diverse team from the USA, Lebanon, Egypt, and Armenia, she had to figure out how to communicate effectively. Stepping out of her comfort zone to speak up and be heard was difficult, as she felt speaking too loudly or interrupting could sound rude.
As a leader, Anita kept her inhibitions hidden. She transformed her communication style, opting to listen instead of pushing to be heard. With guidance from her CEO, Anita embraced her leadership ambitions. Moving forward required conscious effort, focusing on self-acceptance, self-development, and self-management which pushed her out of her comfort zone to tap deeply into her global potential. This journey of self-discovery redefined her life and purpose and literally took her across the world. Working in Europe, the USA and Canada as a business leader and an entrepreneur, Anita gained exposure & confidence and a wealth of experience which stands her in good stead now as a Leadership Coach and Cross-Cultural Communication Consultant.
A Bump In The Road Helped Her Connect The Dots
In 2000, Anita faced a life-altering accident, leading to a two-year recovery period. She was living in Canada and being an entrepreneur meant juggling work and home responsibilities alone. To regain momentum, she hired a coach to get back on track. The accident gave her time to pause, reflect, meditate and write. During this time, she contemplated her purpose, realising a calling to be in service to others. This led her to think about how to amalgamate her life experiences, failures, and challenges and synthesise them into something that would help people catapult and elevate to develop new leadership capacities and be “Change-Ready”.
As she examined her diverse career across countries, industries, and leadership roles, she was inspired to see the big picture. “I looked back thinking about the days when I embraced boldness, challenged myself, developed my potential & self-learning, delved deep and learnt about communication; all this perfectly translated into my work today, shares Anita. “Women leaders particularly consider me as their role model and are open and ready to bring conscious change to be leaders who are visible and be heard by stakeholders.”
Shaping the Future
Anita recognised how coaching, and in particular self-discovery, had a positive impact on her life and believed she could have a similar impact on others. Out of this ‘I’ve Made It, – Training and Coaching for Global Success was born in 2006. The purpose of I’ve Made It was to help individuals understand that they are successful just the way they are and the program would unveil their success trajectory and strengths to create the mindset to feel successful again. In 2010, she relocated to India from Canada and for 3 years ran the business in both countries.
Anita’s values of continuous learning and integrity pivoted her to bridge her previous training experiences as a business leader leading teams in global organisations by joining programs at the University of Toronto. She learnt the craft of facilitating, preparing and delivering programs to adults. Later, she pursued professional certification to become a Certified Master Coach with the International Coaching Federation.
Besides Coaching leaders globally, Anita finds immense satisfaction in developing talent. For the past 7 years, she has served as a faculty and mentor for new coaches at a training firm. She specialises in delivering customised cross-cultural training and coaching to Expat CEOs and C-Suite leaders from global organisations as they step into leadership roles in India as well as Indian teams working globally. She empowers women leaders who are ready to reclaim their power and lead authentically.
The Core of Her Work in Today’s Scenario
Explaining why Coaching is becoming the most important way to develop leaders? Anita says “Most of clients are intelligent, achievers, strong communicators and skilled leaders, who seek to balance tasks and relationships, crucial in hybrid work settings.” The demand for productivity often hinders self-reflection and self-awareness. Coaching facilitates individuals, irrespective of gender, to overcome personal barriers and accelerate growth by addressing beliefs, challenges, and habits that impede progress.
As a Coach, Anita believes “people have the innate wisdom to find solutions. Hence, asking the right questions, active listening, offering support, and stepping back to allow solutions to emerge is a way leaders can build trust, and foster meaningful conversations.” Therefore, she describes herself as someone who prepares the soil – upturns it, airs it, makes it fresh again, and then the client has to drop the seed. Nature does the rest.
Anita As A Change Catalyst
Anita sees herself as a change catalyst who helps clients become bold thinkers and strong & successful leaders. She supports them through challenges, ensuring they feel free, confident, and ready to embark on a personal or professional journey with a renewed understanding of self and purpose. Anita states, “As seasons change, so do we. It’s scary, but it’s also exhilarating and necessary. It’s a lesson we should remember in our most bewildering moments of uncertainty and carry with us as we move forward. Rather than attempting to reach the final draft of ourselves, we should find the courage to keep revising.”
Anita has received the ‘Global 100 Most Exemplary Coaching Leader Award’ (Global Listing 2024), ‘Iconic Women Career And Leadership Coach Award’ in 2023 and ‘101 Most Fabulous Coaching Leaders’ in 2020.
She was also felicitated by the US Department of State for her expert facilitation as a Cross Cultural Consultant at the US Consulate General Mumbai senior staff offsite in 2019 and 2022.
Anita draws inspiration from Maya Angelou’s words– “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
