Testimonials
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching
‘David has the touch. My work and his working experience are very different. In spite of that, he has had the ability of grasping the essential of the issues I had and led me to deal with the important not with what I thought it was important. I cannot but recommend him. He has the tools, resources and empathy to help you. He is not self-imposing, does tiptoe very gently on push-pull and make you reflect, think and most importantly, act.'
Head of Mission Aden Yemen
Internationale Committee of the Red Cross
Executive Coaching
‘David coached me at a critical point in my career - as I took up my new role as the President amid the rather chaotic 2020 with challenges like COVID. David created a safe yet challenging space which I could slow down to reflect on my team, my environment and most importantly myself. This helped me prioritise my time, work better with the board and my leadership team, as well as become more mindful in taking care of myself.'
President
SPD Silicon Valley Bank China
Executive Coaching
'David pushed me to design and experiment new ways of tackling my challenges as a Country General Manager. He helped me to realize my strengths even more clearly and build on them to tackle the challenges on the way. More importantly, he challenged me to face my own assumptions. He quickly grasped the cornerstones of my personality and got me out of my comfort zone. Deep and focused preparation for tackling the upcoming challenge, with a reflect back moment, helped me to track the progress, learn from outcomes and continuously improve.'
General Manager Macedonia
Philip Morris
Executive Coaching
‘David skilfully avoids process conversation and drills straight to the crux of the matter. He has hugely helped me to work out what drives me and importantly why it drives me. David provides a sounding board for ideas that I have and reflects my thoughts back to me in a structured and insightful way. David is confident to challenge assumptions when he sees them and push me to be rigorous and thoughtful in my mental processing. I would highly recommend David as a coach and leadership developer. David is affable and open and it's clear that self-reflection is something that he practices as well as preaches.'
Consultant
Boston Consulting Group
Executive Coaching
‘在David的帮助下，我认清了自己是谁，我为什么要选择现在的工作，我的终极目标是什么，什么是我持之以恒投入工作的动力，并且学会了怎么包容自己的缺点，与自己和解。当然，更直接的就是我学到了很多团队管理的技巧，让自己变成一个更好的团队管理者。我觉得David像一个魔术师，每次和他谈话以后，我都觉得自己好像变得更聪明，更自信了。David给的不仅仅是当下解决问题的帮助，而是如何结合自己的性格特点，持续的优化自己的思维模式，这真的是非常神奇的一个过程。我感觉自己充满了能量，可以胜任更多的压力和挑战。'
Director Leasing, Kerry Properties Hangzhou
Executive Coaching
'David worked with me to address pressing work issues. But what I appreciated the most is how he relentlessly challenged the assumptions hidden deep in my mind. He also pushed me to experiment new thinking and ways of doing things.'
Research Fellow
IMD
Executive Coaching
'What David led me to go through was more than skill enhancement. He helped me start the journey to elevate myself and find the version and guideline to adjust myself to face the challenge of the extremely different enterprise culture, which works better for my role and my organisation. The journey improved my performance, work relationship, and my well-being. Working with David, I feel listened to and trusted. With his timely and sharp questions. I acquired the insights about work priorities . I do appreciate David for these efforts on helping me establish the new ways of seeing things for my work.'
Head of FI
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group China
Executive Coaching
'David has great personality of a listener and make me able to reflect through tough and intriguing questions. He guided me with questions and reflections which bring the self discovery pros and cons and how it makes sense. We also discussed how to work best at my current company given the situation and challenges.
He brought awareness about current and potential future situation, it may not look as we think, there is always the other side of story to consider.'
Global Strategic and Marketing Director, Cabot Corporation
Executive Coaching
'The coaching sessions definitely help. It is too early to conclude that I will never feel frustrated in my career life again, but I feel I’ve received one of the keys out of the many that are important to the success of career life. Thanks David for guiding me through the darkness in the past 6 months.
He does not provide direct advice or guidance, instead he drives me to think from the inner side of myself to explore who I am and why I behave in the way that I do. He asks questions that are challenging but helpful for digging out the truth.'
China Operations Director
Aetna
Executive Coaching
'Things had changed quite a bit in many ways for me after several rounds of discussion and interaction with David during the past 1 year. Most importantly, by having deeper knowledge of myself and asking the question of what could be done ADDITIONALLY or IN A MORE AGGRESSIVE WAY, I will not limit myself by “OBSTACLES” set by the inner side of myself. It was so surprised to see that there were so many ASSUMPTIONs that could prevent myself from doing the right thing or doing the best for the right thing. The approach of “Action | Aware | Experiment” really helped to create the space for change. David would be on top of my list if you are looking for a coach to inspire and drive your full potential for a career change.'
Director, Strategy and Marketing
Honeywell
Executive Coaching
'Through the recurring coaching sessions by David, be in to a large class, or be it on one-on-one basis, I was largely helped by David in developing myself in below different ways: (1) Understood myself to a vastly deepened level and from various angles; (2) Learnt the skills to find my unique hot-buttons mutually inclusive roles at work and in life, which are equipped with executable action plan, track points and pit time management technique.'
Director Loan Syndications
Standard Chartered Bank
Executive Coaching
'...through several conversations with David, I learned why coaching is necessary and important. I admire David's ability and skill to make me aware of problems and even think of solutions for myself through key questions rather than pointing out and teaching.
Country Manager Korea
IATA
Team Coaching
Team Coaching
‘David has been extremely helpful by pushing the team forward to the right direction. He was acute in observing the underlying dynamics in the team, and he was tactful in bringing the dynamics up for discussion. He managed to adapt the meeting flow on the go, and took the risk to bring us along to confront what we have been avoiding to discuss as international teams on the cover "cultural differences". It was sometimes uncomfortable but useful. He rightfully guided us to take a long term approach instead of seeing it as ‘a-single-workshop-will-solve-problem’. I also appreciate that David did not shy away from challenging me and giving me the right insight to help the team to growth.'
CEO
Club Med Greater China
Team Coaching
'I appreciate David’s design and facilitation to help my top talents understand themselves and each other better through MBTI. In addition, David was very skilled in getting us to exchange personal feedback with each other. This was not really comfortable but certainly useful to make us a better team. '
CEO
Kyligence
Team Coaching
‘I was very impressed by the questions he designed and the way he facilitated the discussion. Everybody was so engaged to share some of the very touching and exciting moments in their lives and the people they love most. David helped to create a very open and comfortable atmosphere to allow everybody open their minds to share the personal feeling. He also did very well in the reflection session to get the team fully connected with what was committed and expected. He also put a lot of follow up effort to ensure the workshop was effective.’
General Manager
ebay China
Team Coaching
‘David created a professional, safe environment where participants felt included and encouraged to share their views. Throughout the design phase, David worked closely with the L&D Specialist to truly understand the team's needs, adapting his schedule accordingly and making useful suggestions which were taken on board. He delivered the workshop with confidence and developed trust with all team members.'
Learning & Development Specialist
UNICEF Geneva
Team Coaching
'David surprised my top team in how team conversation can be done in such an engaging and effective way. With intended design well in place, David only gently intervened and worked with what was emerging. He managed to adapt the flow as the meeting went in order to achieve our objectives and concrete deliverables. Most importantly, David challenged my team and I to have the difficult but necessary team conversation.'
VP HR Greater China & Mongolia
Hilton
Team Coaching
‘David has a strong people sense and a way to know his audience. He conducted his coaching quite differently from other coaches I know. He will spend a lot of time to understand his audience, discover their questions, issues, before deciding how the coaching session should be run. He is not looking for short term fixes, which very often most clients expect. I think it’s important that we invest in our people in the long term, and more importantly partner with the right coach like David.’
General Manager
Bimbo China
Team Coaching
‘We needed better mutual personal understanding in the team and David delivered it. He helped us park the urge ‘to produce something’ like in meetings. Instead, he gently guided the team to exchange personal stories and feedback to each other.'
President & Managing Director, China
General Mills
Team Coaching
'Though his interviews and coaching, David helped my team face our own dynamics which we have not talked about. He also held the space for me to reflect, experiment and review. This enabled me to come up with new ways of doing things which advanced my aspiration.'
Head of Marketing
Schroders
Team Coaching
‘The team development workshop was a milestone of us becoming like one team. David thoughtfully and playfully challenged us to exchange our own stories. This helped us a lot in then having more direct conversation among ourselves as we planned our business. I appreciate a great deal David’s ability to ask the right questions and improvise the process to fit our evolving conversation. We were motivated to the same goal and got aligned with the key priorities together.’
President
SPD Silicon Valley Bank
Meeting Facilitation
Meeting Facilitation
‘David was brought in as part of a transformation project we were undertaking. David showed great attention to detail engaging with the leadership team before the facilitation. David kept the meeting going forward at a good pace, and made sure everyone was heard from. On the second day he was good about recapping the first day and setting the goals and explaining the second day. By the end of the meeting the participants felt energized about what had transpired, and the vision going forward.’
VP of Data & Data Infrastructure US
ebay
Meeting Facilitation
‘Building on our several years of collective experience, we were challenged to rethink meeting facilitation to creatively engage policy makers, particularly public sector executives and leaders not strictly engaged in health issues. We were also exposed to mechanisms and opportunities to engage effectively private sector and foundations. We were impressed by Mr Yau's tips, examples and material which were practical and operational. Mr Yau's capacity to keep participants motivated and engaged throughout the training sessions is particularly worth of mention.’
Director Centre for Health Development – Kobe
World Health Organisation
Meeting Facilitation
'I am fortunate to work with David in our facilitation workshop. In addition to being a truly genuine person and absolute pleasure to work with, David have done a great job in listening to our expectations and tailoring the program to meet our needs. He demonstrates his experience and passion in our partnership. His delivery is engaging and practical with real life challenges. I am extremely pleased to see our participants do practice the skills acquired from the program and find them useful. Overall, I recommend David to anyone looking for a seasoned training professional who makes impact, and would not hesitate to work with him again in the future!'
Senior Director, Global Leadership and Organisational Effectiveness, Manulife
Meeting Facilitation
'Despite the short notice (48 hours before the workshop), David managed to facilitate our 3-days China strategy planning workshop to achieve the expected outcome. In particular, David quickly grasped the essence of our need and the business context. He challenged us to stay focused on the deliverables. At the same time, he was able to continously adapt the process to cater for whatever new ideas / directions emerged on spot. David helped us achieve a very effective workshop!'
Managing Director
Colgate-Palmolive
Greater China
Leadership Development
Leadership Development
‘David’s engaging delivery and positive attitude made some of the dryer topics enjoyable and the more interesting topics truly life changing. Through this experience, I have both taught and applied these new leadership techniques upon my return to Japan, which has benefited both my staff and my own career’
CIO – Japan
Standard Chartered Bank
Leadership Development
‘…the focus, despite a full attendance, came to an individualistic approach, which is a largely an outcome of David’s style – it is friendly, inviting openness, non-judgmental (and that is most important), patient. All this while the key concepts are explained in a simple way so that one can take away the learning, use it and keep it for a long time.’
Head, Funds & Investors, India
Standard Chartered Bank
Leadership Development
'David is one of the best and high impact coaches I have ever come across. He is very experienced and able to deal with a diverse group of audience, and tuned to the cultural realities of his coach-ees. In the latest senior leadership training course, he has offered a lot of useful tools /techniques to build rapport with the team and in return, help to deliver business goals. He is also persistent in ensuring that each of us learn and be able to apply the techniques through group discussions under his effective facilitation. It has helped me to reflect and realize good next steps in order to perfect my leadership skills. David has created a relaxed environment and coach-ees are comfortable in revealing their own questions / weaknesses, and be able to learn the most during the training session.'
Director, Financial Institutions, HK
Standard Chartered Bank