From the boardroom to the field, I shape human capital strategies with precision, purpose, and cultural fluency—because people decisions are business decisions.
Whether coaching current and future C-suite executives, reshaping organizational dynamics to elevate performance, or guiding companies through succession and M&A transitions, I bring a rare blend of strategic foresight, operational discipline, and relational intelligence—essential for navigating the evolving future of work.
This enables me to quickly assess, connect, and build trust across all levels of an organization. The clients I serve don’t just receive best-in-class strategy—they gain a partner who understands the business and its nuances, delivers with empathy, and drives meaningful impact from the inside out.
Executive coaching sessions provide strategic, results-driven guidance for professionals at all levels—from emerging leaders to seasoned executives—seeking to navigate transitions, accelerate growth, and refine leadership effectiveness.
Grounded in essential leadership areas—personal, business, and teams—each session is designed to drive tangible outcomes that align with individual and organizational goals.
Leaders are equipped with the insights, adaptive decision-making frameworks, and forward-looking strategies needed to foster innovation, strengthen teams, and ensure sustainable success. CEOs and senior executives benefit from a tailored approach that enhances vision, influence, and execution—enabling them to lead with clarity and create lasting impact across their organizations.
Executive handovers shape the trajectory of an organization—either fueling momentum or creating instability. With succession advisory, clients ensure continuity, mitigate risk, and position leadership changes as a catalyst for long-term advancement, not disruption.
Through a data-driven, tailored approach, I provide a strategic roadmap to identify, assess, and develop current leaders or high-potential candidates—ensuring that succession planning aligns seamlessly with your business strategy and reflects deep integration with corporate values.
These services proactively build resilient leadership pipelines, strengthen governance, and safeguard operational integrity—preserving institutional knowledge while driving future success. Leadership transitions become pivotal opportunities to accelerate innovation, refine strategic direction, and reinforce your company’s competitive edge.
Going beyond traditional assessments, Gillenwater equips companies with a path to elevate organizational identity into a powerful environment for innovation, engagement, and profitability.
By identifying key areas for improvement, our clients implement actionable strategies that build synergy, improve employee satisfaction, and enhance executive impact. The result? A cohesive, high-performance environment where teams thrive, retention improves, and business outcomes accelerate—positioning your organization for sustained success.
If your company or leadership is going through change or challenging times – whether it is M&A, divestitures or leadership transitions, and you wish to keep them engaged and motivated, this service is for you.
I specialize in helping leaders and teams staying connected, inclusive, and high-performing—even when the path ahead is uncertain. Through immersive workshops and one-on-one coaching, we create space for individuals to understand each other’s working styles, build trust, and lean on one another in meaningful ways.
For leaders, we offer targeted support in navigating ambiguity with clarity and confidence—so they can anchor their teams, foster alignment, and sustain momentum. Our approach is designed to deepen engagement and unlock the conditions where people consistently deliver their best results.
In this service, I provide CEOs and Boards with strategic insights across all facets of human capital management. Through a structured diagnostic of your people strategy and cultural dynamics, I identify opportunities to advance leadership and workforce effectiveness.
With the delivery of a decisive, action-oriented roadmap that empowers executive teams to implement change, optimize performance, and ensure long-term resilience — your company receives real strategic value — all without requiring a permanent CHRO.
My strategic partnership also extends to M&A and business integrations consultancy, facilitating seamless transitions that protect organizational identity, preserve leadership continuity, and fast-track post-merger success. I specialize in aligning leadership strategies, restructuring teams, and managing organizational fluidity to drive stability and growth.
With an adaptive, client-centric approach, I deliver a direct transfer of knowledge—helping human capital leaders to develop or enhance emotional intelligence, strategic foresight, and adaptive leadership.
My specialized coaching supports newly appointed CHROs and experienced human capital leaders alike—refining critical skills, expanding leadership influence, and amplifying their enterprise impact.
This mentorship bridges the gap between experience and execution, equipping leaders to operate as trusted business advisors and drive strategic, sustainable workforce success.
Ready to transform leadership in your organization and within yourself? Let’s elevate your business outcomes—and your personal growth. Contact me today.
Carina Gillenwater is a strategic business leader and trusted advisor with over 25 years of global human capital experience. She has guided multi-billion-dollar, publicly traded energy organizations through mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and cultural transformations—translating complexity into clarity and driving measurable business outcomes through leadership.
Carina partners with executives, Boards of Directors, and leadership teams to align people strategies with enterprise goals. Her unique ability to turn challenges into tailored talent solutions—powered by deep relationships and operational precision—has earned her a reputation for building high-performance cultures in dynamic, multicultural environments.
With fluency in multiple languages and an innate sensitivity to cultural nuance, Carina led diverse, geographically dispersed teams to deliver lasting impact.
Her work has spanned the United States, Latin America, and beyond—always centered on one goal: to elevate performance through leadership and sustain success with quality, strategic human capital.
Carina lives in Houston, Texas, with her family.