Ashot Ter Avanesian
About

Ashot
Ter Avanesian

I've spent more than thirty years in leadership roles and three decades in serious internal practice. I'm a sitting CFO, former CEO, and board member. The two are connected. The senior executives I work with have started to see why.

The operator

Still in the room.

I currently hold two CFO roles — one in a high-tech startup, one in an impact firm. I sit on boards. I am still in real deals, real boardrooms, real negotiations every week.

Before this, I was CEO of a high-tech business. Before that, a venture capital investor and an investment banker. I have worked in the UK, US, Luxembourg, Germany, France, and New Zealand. One of the businesses I led grew into a multi-billion global business with presence on every continent. Another failed spectacularly. Guess which one taught me the most.

What this matters for: I am not a coach who used to be in business. I am still in the room. The senior leaders I work with do not need to translate their world into language I can understand. We share it.

The practitioner

Three decades in practice.

For three decades — since I was a teenager in Armenia — I have been studying and practising mind-body disciplines. Martial arts. Yoga. Buddhism. Vedic teachings. Mindfulness. Psychology. Su Jok. Mindful eating, daily, for years.

I did not start coaching after reading a book or completing a course. I started after the practice had worked on me. After the transformation was real. After I had read the books, taken the courses, sat with the teachers, made my mistakes, and seen the results in my own life over many years.

This is what I bring into the room. Not theory. Lived practice.

The synthesis

Why both matter.

Most coaching for senior leaders falls into one of two camps. There are the operator-coaches — former executives who teach what worked for them. They have credibility but no inner depth. Then there are the wellness coaches — meditators, mindfulness teachers, transformation guides. They have inner depth but no operator credibility, and the audience can tell.

The synthesis matters because the work itself is a synthesis. The board meeting on Monday and the meditation on Tuesday morning are the same person doing the same work in two registers. I teach what I am still using. I am still using what I teach.

On time
Two active CFO roles — one in tech, one in impact. A coaching practice with clients on three continents. Two teen kids. Constant travel across time zones. People ask how I have the time. I don't have the time. I stopped fighting time. I'm where time comes from — I literally create it. So can you.
A client's words

In a few weeks I already felt different — in a way fuller.

Respect. Professionalism. Intelligence. Knowledgeable. Kind. Those are the first words that come to mind when I think about Ashot. Thanks to his amazing listening ability, he very quickly identified my needs and went beyond when developing my coaching program.

Anouck B.  ·  C-Level Executive, Switzerland

Personal

A few things I'd want you to know.

  • I grew up in Armenia. What I miss most is the smell of the air in the mountains there.
  • I know what it is to have a shortage of basic food, heat, and light. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I'm grateful I lived it early.
  • I have two teenage children. They tell me I'm a pretty good cook.
  • I have lived in London for nearly thirty years. I work with clients across the US, Canada, UK, and Europe.
  • I love music, sport, and long walks. Active and fit, by grace, for which I am grateful.
  • I was a perfectionist, high-achiever, workaholic, multi-tasker, productivity junkie, and serial procrastinator. I dropped most of that years ago. I am happier, healthier, and more productive than I have ever been.
Affiliations

Where the work has been shaped and tested.

London Business School
Mentor
Institute of Coaching
Fellow · Harvard Affiliate
Strategic Intervention
Certified Coach
Eckhart Tolle Foundation
Scholar

If something here resonated with you,
let's have a short conversation.

I work with a small number of clients each year.

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