Maria is the founder of the Leadership Psychology Institute with 20+ years of experience in partnering with senior teams. She is a Chartered Psychologist and a Professional in the field of Organizational Development combining consulting and actual business experience. Her areas of specialization include Leadership Psychology, Group Dynamics and Executive Coaching. Her research gave her the opportunity to specialize further into leadership teams and to break new grounds in measuring trust.

Co-Author of: ‘Under Pressure – understanding and managing pressure and stress at the workplace’

Author of: ‘Factions of A Mind - Factions of a Mind - Understanding the physical and psychological effects of caring’ 

and ‘Group Dyna-Mix - Investigating team dynamics, from leaders to corporate gatekeepers’

John Mark Williams was appointed CEO of The Institute of Leadership in September 2020, having previously held a number of CEO and Director positions in the UK, Middle East and Far East.

John is a Global Advisory Board member for the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council, and has been a consultant to the UN International Trade Centre.

He has been a Diversity Champion for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and an adviser to the Cabinet Office on strategy and leadership. He collected an Association Leadership Award in the UK’s Association Excellence Awards 2023.

John is a member of the Business Advisory Board at Newcastle Business School, and has chaired SME Symposia at successive Commonwealth Trade & Investment Summits.

John has been a guest lecturer on Strategy and International Business at universities in the UK and Europe for many years, has written chapters for business books, and occasionally writes about business for online publications. In 2024 John was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law from Northumbria University, in recognition of his services to international business.