About Gael O'Brien

Gael O’Brien is an executive coach, consultant, presenter, and leadership columnist.  Her focus is serving leaders who want  their leadership to mean something.

Her expertise in leadership includes: aligning purpose and values with strategic direction and business decisions; corporate responsibility and philanthropy; communication and engagement; and building trust and reputation.

Founder and president of Strategic Opportunities Group, Gael is The Ethics Coach columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine, a columnist for Business Ethics Magazine, and publisher of The Week in Ethics. Gael is co-author with Deepak Chopra and Jack Canfield of Stepping Stones to Success.

Her extensive corporate background includes serving as a vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America, president of the Mitsubishi Motors U.S.A. Foundation, and a general manager of Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America recruited to help lead a model workplace initiative and culture change after the company was sued by the EEOC. She was director of marketing at Price Waterhouse,  Chief of Staff for an Ohio Senate leader, and assistant editor at The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Gael is a Senior Fellow in Social Innovation, The Lewis Institute, Babson College. She is certified in Business Ethics (McCallum Graduate School of Business) and has worked with the Ukleja Center of Ethical Leadership at California State University Long Beach, the Center for Business and Ethics at Loyola Marymount University, and is a research fellow at the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley University.

She is a presenter at international and national conferences, universities, and business meetings. She is a member of the New England Ethics Forum, Southern California Business Ethics Roundtable, Toastmasters International (ACB and CL), an associate member of the CA Society of Association Executives, and former member of the Forum for Corporate Directors and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics; she is a past president of Professional Coaches, Mentors &  Advisors. She has served on the boards of 10 non-profit and professional organizations.

Her client list includes RAND, The Conference Board, Bain, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ethics and Compliance Officer Association, universities, manufacturing companies, professional service firms, start-ups and associations.

Gael is a graduate of Dana Hall, Skidmore College (BA) and the College of William and Mary (MA). A Board Certified Coach (BCC) with a designation as an Executive/Corporate Business/Leadership Coach, she is an award-winning communicator accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.