Lead with spark
Hi, I'm Christina
I'm a People leader and leadership coach based in Amsterdam. I coach leaders through the moments that test them, and I step in as an interim or fractional People lead when a growing company needs one.
How it started
My first team came without instructions
My first managerial role was at a fintech startup that still lived inside a bank. Nobody explained how to lead. I wore several hats at once and got through most days on instinct, while the new managers around me did exactly the same. I helped them with whatever I was learning that week, often on the day I learned it.
That experience shaped both halves of my work today. As a coach, I give leaders the support I didn't have then. As an interim or fractional People lead, I build what makes a growing company less dependent on instinct and luck, such as clear roles and a performance cycle managers actually use.
Since then I've coached leaders from new managers to seasoned CEOs, and they've taught me that leadership can be learned at every level. Nevertheless, it never gets comfortable, and it isn't supposed to.
Where I've worked
Almost 20 years inside growing companies
I started in recruitment at Randstad and Samsung, then OpenBet and Booking.com, learning how companies decide who to hire and why. From there I moved into People leadership: HR Manager and later Head of People at Yolt, Head of People at Sympower, Interim People and Culture Director at GoSpooky, and People and Culture Director at Cenosco.
Along the way, I've built People functions from scratch and seen companies through an acquisition and a separation from a bank. Most of all, I've sat beside a lot of managers in their hardest conversations.
The research side
Why I studied burnout
I recently completed an MSc in Psychology at the University of East London, with a dissertation on burnout and protective habits. I started it because I kept seeing the same pattern: capable people pushing through exhaustion until something broke.
The research now sits underneath the practical work, including the Burnout Awareness Check I developed for my clients.
Working with me
What working with me is like
I'll be honest with you and I'll ask the questions you've been avoiding. Every session ends with something concrete to do next.
Clients often mention my sense of humor, too. Hard conversations go better when you can laugh at the absurd parts.
If you're looking for someone to nod along for an hour, I'm probably not the right fit. If you want someone who will challenge you and help you move, let's talk.
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Christina quickly establishes trust and creates a space where you feel heard, supported, and appropriately challenged.
Anastasia Sliousaregko
Design & Proposal Engineer