Co-Founder & CEO | Psychologist | Executive Leadership Coach | Culture Transformation Expert Ben is a globally recognised expert in leadership, culture transformation, and executive coaching. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Open Water, he has spent over 25 years shaping leadership teams and driving meaningful change across life science organisations worldwide. A psychologist by training, Ben’s deep expertise in human behaviour enables him to build lasting partnerships, foster trust, and navigate complex organisational landscapes with precision. With a career spanning multiple continents, Ben brings a rare global perspective—having lived and worked in numerous countries and mastering several languages, allowing him to connect effortlessly across cultures. His ability to energise a room and synthesise vast knowledge makes him an invaluable adviser to clients, investors, and partners alike. When he’s not leading transformational programmes, you’ll find him embracing life’s adventures—whether swimming in the natural pond in his garden or perfecting his Cha Cha Cha!
Marika is the strategic and creative force behind Open Water. As Co-Founder and Managing Director, she has spent 17 years ensuring excellence in everything we do - driving innovation, building meaningful client relationships, and keeping our work at the forefront of leadership and culture transformation. From her early days as a Film Director, she developed a love for storytelling, visual communication, and creative problem-solving. As an Agricultural Advisor to the Dutch government abroad, she gained a deep understanding of diplomacy and the importance of people connection. Today, she is the glue that holds everything and everyone together at Open Water ensuring our clients are supported, our teams are inspired, and we are delivering our purpose. When she’s not leading Open Water, Marika is a wildlife-loving, salsa-dancing afficionado, who loves creating memories with the family (who she has encouraged to perfect their culinary skills for her benefit).
Andy brings over 20 years of experience in designing and delivering transformational leadership and change programmes. A highly skilled Master Coach and Facilitator, he creates the conditions for honest, meaningful conversations—building trust with clients and enabling them to address what truly matters. With a deep presence, energy, and dedication, he has the knack of creating the psychological safety needed for individuals and teams to navigate complexity and change with confidence. Having spent 13 years living in Ecuador, Andy delivers in both Spanish and English, bringing a global perspective to his work. His Latin American connections remain a central part of his life—whether speaking Spanish at home with his family (which now includes Kaito, his Shiba Inu puppy) or drawing on his cross-cultural experience to connect with leaders worldwide. Now based on the English Kent coast, he starts each day with a sunrise swim in the sea in readiness to embrace the day ahead.
Director of Strategy & Client Solutions | Strategy Consultant | Executive Coach & Facilitator With over 25 years of experience leading and developing teams, she ensures both our clients, and our own team feel heard, supported, and empowered. An INSEAD Advanced Management Programme alumnus and a graduate of Henley Business School’s Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, she combines strategic insight with a deep understanding of leadership and culture. She’s also a certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, using creativity to unlock fresh thinking. A true global citizen, Nailia’s Uzbek roots and fluency in Russian, French, and English help her connect across cultures. Whether guiding leaders through complex challenges, mentoring teams, or driving internal innovation, she brings clarity, pragmatism, and warmth. When she’s not shaping strategy, Nailia likes to be in an upside-down in a yoga pose (headstands are her favourite), planning her next family road trip, or reading multiple leadership books at once.
With over 20 years of marketing leadership, Rosemary’s expertise in shaping brands that attract international business leaders to high-value executive and leadership programmes makes her a natural fit for Open Water. She has worked with boards, founders, and senior leadership teams in purpose-led tech and professional services firms, building brand equity through employee advocacy, client success, and values-based culture. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a graduate of the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Programme, she brings strategic expertise in branding, thought leadership, and marketing communications - helping organisations build brand, position for growth, and attract clients, talent and investors. Having lived and worked in Barcelona for 23 years, Rosemary is fluent in Spanish—though she admits that it’s often a Catalan-Spanglish mash-up at home. Having swapped life in the Med for the river Thames, she always starts her day catching up on global news and latest business insights - preferably before her first coffee.
Viola combines behavioural science expertise with commercial and creative acumen to help leaders and teams drive sustainable growth and measurable improvements in the biopharmaceutical industry. Holding an MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology from LSE and extensive consulting experience in people & change, she specialises in solving complex behavioural challenges—empowering individuals and organisations to enhance performance, foster resilience, and navigate change effectively. Fluent in English, German, and French, Viola’s language skills and cross-cultural insights make her a valuable connector across global teams. A certified mindfulness teacher, Viola integrates mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety into her work—creating emotionally intelligent and high-performing environments that improve well-being, collaboration, and leadership impact. She regularly teaches mindfulness practices to large audiences in London, extending her influence beyond the corporate space.
Miran is a multidisciplinary designer who applies design thinking, behavioural design, and branding strategy to communicate and engage visually. As Open Water's Creative Lead, he has been evolving and shaping our visual identity and creative direction for over five years. His human-centric approach to agile methodologies, design management, and instructional design always delights Open Water clients. He thrives on asking questions about human behaviour, challenging assumptions, and designing experiences that make people feel, think and take action. Currently on sabbatical, completing his Master’s in service design in London, Miran aims to refine his approach to behaviour change, e-learning, and learning experience design. Whether he's reading a book on personal growth, selecting the best olives and apples at his family home in Slovenia or perfecting the focaccia of all focaccias to share with the team, you can count on Miran to bring the same level of care and craft to everything he does.
Najela joined Open Water from a management consulting background in research and advisory, specialising in social cognition, organisational change, and culture transformation. With an MSc in Social Cognition from UCL and expertise combining social and market research, customer experience insights, and behavioural science, Najela is our expert on the future of work and its impact on organisations. At Open Water, she engages and supports clients to create people and change solutions that help leaders and managers navigate transformation, grow and thrive. Before joining Open Water, Najela worked with blue-chip organisations to enable culture change and new ways of working. Outside work, Najela enjoys squash, hiking, exploring new places, and getting lost in a good book.
With over 20 years of experience in human performance, Jim is a renowned catalyst in the field of behavioural change. As an expert in empowering business leaders and high-potential teams, he has been sought after globally to deliver engaging and impactful workshops, with a focus on driving performance through well-being and resilience.
Jonathan is a Master Coach, Facilitator, and Keynote Speaker with over 25 years of international experience in leadership development and team building. Passionate about empowering leaders to achieve excellence, Jonathan specializes in equipping leaders with evidence-based tools and strategies to drive personal and organizational success.
Renowned for his dynamic and engaging approach, Jonathan has a proven track record of working with leaders across diverse cultural contexts, including the GCC and Indian subcontinent, to build high-performing teams. A certified NLP trainer and leadership expert, he leverages cutting-edge insights from sports and business psychology to sharpen competitive edges and deliver tangible results.
Having collaborated with industry leaders in sectors such as Financial Services, FMCG, and Pharmaceuticals, Jonathan’s deep expertise in mindset optimization and human-centered strategy execution positions him as a trusted partner for transformational leadership journey.
Fran is the artist, designer, and a key creative force behind Open Water's visual storytelling–including shaping the aesthetic and vibe of the Open Water website and innovating our studio experience. With a BA in Fine Art and a Postgraduate Diploma in Graphic Design from Chelsea College of Art, Fran brings a sharp artistic eye and design perspective to all our marketing content and collateral, as well as client deliverables. Working closely with the Marketing Director and Delivery Coaches, she transforms ideas into compelling, beautifully crafted visuals that enhance communication and capture the essence of Open Water's brand while continuing to evolve it. Beyond Open Water, Fran is the founder and Creative Director of INTERS(P)ECT, a zine showcasing the art, poetry, and music of young creatives. A passionate designer and a dedicated dog lover, she pours the same energy into everything she creates. And if there's a dad joke flying around, she's the first to appreciate it–one of the many reasons we love having her on the team.
Tim is Open Water’s Finance Manager, ensuring seamless financial operations with precision and efficiency. With over a decade of experience in financial management, bookkeeping, and internal controls, he keeps everything balanced behind the scenes—handling reconciliations, financial reporting, and making sure the numbers always add up. His meticulous approach ensures our clients experience smooth, reliable financial processes without even noticing they’re happening. Beyond the spreadsheets, Tim is often told he’s not boring enough to be in finance. A proud northerner, he can track the flight path to Gran Canaria in his sleep and knows every song from 1976 to 1989. He's fully committed to his Chicken and Bacon wrap for lunch (and brings the same consistency to our accounts.)
Susie helps clients achieve their goals and aspirations by removing perceived limitations and unnecessary stress, enabling them to enjoy the quality of relationships and results they want. Her key focus is on improving personal and business performance and creating sustainable change for individuals and their organisations. Known for her creative, action-oriented, and individualised approach, Susie combines a pragmatic style with a sense of fun, adapting her methods to each group or coachee to strike the right balance between support and challenge. In addition to being an NLP Master Practitioner, she is MBTI accredited and uses a range of psychometric tools to achieve lasting transformation.
With over two decades of experience in coaching, leadership development, and change management, Adrian has guided organisations through complex transitions, including mergers, acquisitions, and market expansions. He has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies across industries to drive performance and cultural transformation. In addition to coaching on Open Water programmes, Adrian is the Virtual Delivery Lead and innovation driver, designing and delivering seamless remote and live experiences. Leveraging his expertise in communication technology, he creates engaging, high-impact learning environments. He has also been instrumental in developing Open Water’s high-tech Cyclorama Studios, enabling virtual delivery to audiences around the globe. Now based on the East Coast of the US, Adrian is a mentor to young entrepreneurs, sharing his expertise to support the next generation of leaders. He’s also a proud new grandad - always has a dad joke ready and frequently reminds us that he was once mistaken by a cab driver for Sean Connery.
Zoe is one of Open Water’s originals, playing a pivotal role in shaping learning outcomes and delivering impactful programmes for our clients. With a background in psychology and research—gained from her time at the Brain Sciences Department and DCAL at UCL—she brings deep expertise to diagnostics, programme design, and assessments, ensuring our work is both evidence-based and highly effective. Her journey with Open Water began when the office was just a wood cabin in a secret garden, and since then, she has been instrumental in creating meaningful learning experiences. Beyond her strategic mind, Zoe is known for making both clients and colleagues feel genuinely taken care of—whether through her meticulous programme management or her legendary Burnt Basque Cheesecake. When she’s not designing transformative learning experiences, Zoe channels her creativity into interior design, devours books, and masters new recipes—all while being an incredible mum.
While Mitchell is a boxer, football fan, and has even tried his hand at line dancing, he never ventures more than five feet from a camera—especially when his skills have put him on stage with the likes of Example and S Club 7. When he’s not creating videos for festivals or photographing music artists, he’s behind the scenes at Open Water, producing seamless online deliveries from our Cyclorama Broadcasting Studio. Without him, we couldn’t create the memorable virtual experiences for our life science clients.
Eleanor is a creative force of nature who brings her copywriting and organisational talents to Open Water. She is tasked with managing and bringing a fresh perspective to our IP delivery content, making a difference to the Open Water experience, and further shaping the voice of our brand both internally and externally. With a bachelor’s in creative advertising from Leeds Arts University and over four years of experience in the advertising industry, including an award-winning agency where she helped shape the sophisticated tone of luxury cars and the playful world of rum, she even crafted a film for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Her work spans CGI worlds, social media storytelling, and website narratives, collaborating with teams worldwide to bring ideas to life. Always creative and inspired, Eleanor is a painter and digital portrait artist and recently completed a 6-month adventure travelling throughout South and North America.
With over 12 years of experience in project management, Lizzy has led successful initiatives and managed programs for Burberry, Axis Comms, and rogenSi - helping teams transform vision into reality. With a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Birmingham and as a certified PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner, ensures seamless execution, strategic alignment, and a smooth client journey from start to finish. Whether she’s delivering key initiatives, capturing opportunities, or guiding the team and clients through complex projects, she is known for her calm, poise, and precision. Beyond Open Water, Lizzy is a mum to Isla, a dog mum to Tank. She’s a movie lover, and a firm believer that food tastes so better when someone else cooks it.
Specialists in the human side of change, we partner with leading life science organisations to deliver deep change and cultural transformation.
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