Dr. Vanessa Akhtar

Dr. Vanessa Akhtar serves as Managing Director at Kotter International, bringing unique expertise combining sports psychology and organizational transformation. Her academic credentials include a doctorate in Sport & Performance Psychology, which she leverages to optimize human performance across diverse sectors. Her consulting experience spans global organizations in industries including oil & energy, healthcare, education, pharmaceuticals, non-profits, consumer products, advertising, and philanthropic foundations. At Kotter, she leads complex transformation engagements and drives Research & Development initiatives alongside Dr. John Kotter. Her background includes teaching at Boston University and working with athletes from youth to Olympic level. In 2018, she co-authored "Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times" with John Kotter and Gaurav Gupta, establishing herself as a thought leader in organizational transformation. Her approach combines research-backed methodologies with human-centric strategies to help organizations and individuals achieve peak performance.