Why we do this work
We love that moment when people finally stop performing and start connecting like real human beings. When they share the story they were afraid others would judge, and discover it was the very thing that helped everyone else let their guard down. These are the moments we love.
Both of us have spent our careers working with leaders and teams inside and around creative organizations. We have seen, in ourselves and in others, how much of the work is shaped by what happens between people. We have seen how differently we show up depending on who is in the room. As humans and practitioners, we can testify to this: people who genuinely trust and care about one another work differently.
Some people call this the soft stuff. We think it’s the hard stuff. Because staying human, honest, and connected when things get hard is one of the toughest parts of leadership. It's the part that keeps them showing up for the work and for each other. And it’s also the part people remember you the most for.
Danielle Wolfe
I’ve been fascinated by what happens between people for as long as I can remember, in part because I often preferred to sit just outside the circle, watching closely before joining in.
It’s probably no surprise that this became my work.
While completing my Master’s in Organizational Psychology at NYU, I joined McKinsey & Company’s Professional Development team. I later joined Ogilvy, eventually serving as Head of People for its New York advertising business.
After taking time away to raise my son, I returned to Ogilvy for a second act, where I designed, led, and globally scaled 30 For 30, one of the company’s longest-running leadership programs. I later went on to lead Learning & Development across North America before leaving to build something of my own.
As a consultant and coach, I kept seeing leadership development compressed into one-hour workshops and neatly packaged tools. I grew increasingly frustrated by what that format left out.
Leadership is human and messy. Learning to do it well requires more than tips, frameworks, and advice. It requires other people. GROUP is a place where leaders get to do that work together.
- Head of Learning & Development, Ogilvy NA
- Internal Executive Coach and Global Women's Leadership Development, Ogilvy
- Head of People, Advertising NY, Ogilvy
- McKinsey, Professional Development
- MA Organizational Psychology, NYU
- BA Psychology, Lehigh University
- Executive Coach Certification, Columbia Business School
- Interpersonal Dynamics, Stanford Business School
- Extensive group process experience as a facilitator and learner (300+ hours)
- Change Management certified, Prosci
- Psychological Safety Team Facilitator
Iliana Hekimian
People experience leader, executive coach, and facilitator. Former Head of People at CYLNDR and Director of Team Operations at Stink Studios, working with founders and teams across the U.S., LATAM, and Europe.
Iliana brings more than a decade of experience bringing creative work to life as an Executive Creative Producer before transitioning into People leadership, where she has spent the last several years helping leaders and teams navigate growth, change, and the complexities of working together. She has led People functions, coached executives and managers, and designed leadership and team development programs for creative organizations. Today, she helps leaders build the trust, self-awareness, and relationships that make exceptional work possible.
Her experience spans both the creative and human sides of the business, giving her a unique perspective on what it takes to lead great work through other people. She believes the quality of our work is inseparable from the quality of our relationships, and that leadership begins with the courage to understand the impact we have on others.
Previously, Iliana served as Head of People at CYLNDR and Director of Team Operations & Growth Coach at Stink Studios.
- Head of People, CYLNDR
- Director of Team Operations, Stink Studios
- Executive Producer, Stinkdigital
- Creative Producer, Psyop, MPC, AKQA
- BA Advertising & Communication Studies, UF
- Interpersonal Dynamics, Stanford
- Mindful Awareness Practice, UCLA coursework
- Real Life Facilitation Coursework: Comms, Conflict & Emotional Intelligence
- Certified Coach
