Team

Armond Mertikian is the founder and Managing Director of Amber Professional Development, a leadership and advisory firm that works with senior professionals and organisations to strengthen client relationships, develop commercial capability, and build trusted advisor leadership.

Since 2001 Armond has worked extensively with global professional services firms, technology companies, financial institutions and industrial organisations, helping senior leaders and client-facing professionals navigate complex client environments, develop more strategic conversations, and translate expertise into meaningful commercial impact. His work focuses particularly on consultative relationships, trusted advisor capability and the behavioural dimensions of business development.

Armond is a regular contributor to executive education programmes at London Business School, where he has worked as a programme director and faculty contributor across several leadership programmes. His work at the school includes programmes focused on leadership, performance under pressure, and organisational transformation, often delivered to senior executives and leadership teams from global organisations.

Before founding Amber Professional Development, Armond worked closely with leading consulting and advisory organisations, designing and delivering programmes that help professionals move beyond technical expertise to become influential client advisors and growth leaders.

Armond is known for his practical, high-energy facilitation style and his ability to translate complex behavioural ideas into practical tools that leaders can apply immediately in high-stakes professional environments.

James has been working in L&D for the last 25 years. As a facilitator he works across many industries designing and delivering programs on a variety of topics:

Business Partnering, Development Programs from Director level to junior management, Personal Impact and Influencing, Presentation Skills, Managing Underperformance, Challenging conversations, Coaching skills, and many Leadership programs. As a coach he has worked with many organisations supporting various programs.

James has the ability to connect quickly, creating a safe environment where participants feel free to experiment. In that climate James also offers direct challenge to help participants reach their full potential.

Organisations James has worked with include: Aberdeen Standard, Arcus, BBC, Baker Hughes, Bank of England, Barclays Bank, Coca-Cola, Corporation of London, Deutsche Bank, DK, HMRC, Imperial Hospital Trust, Kearney, More Kingston Smith, Muslim Aid, Nuffield Health, Penguin Random House, St George’s Hospital Trust, Westminster City Council, Wise, The Seattle Mariners – to name a few.

With a previous career in Publishing and a background in the arts. James has an honours degree and trained as a coach with Management Futures ICS.

Katherine Thalmann is the Director of Operations at Amber Professional Development, where she oversees the firm’s operational infrastructure and the seamless delivery of client programmes across Amber’s global engagements.

Katherine brings significant experience from the financial services sector, including senior operational roles at Credit Suisse. In these roles she worked closely with leadership teams to manage complex operations across international environments, ensuring strong governance, effective coordination and the reliable execution of high-stakes initiatives.

At Amber, Katherine is responsible for the operational backbone of the firm. She manages programme logistics, client coordination, associate engagement and financial administration, ensuring that each engagement runs smoothly from initial planning through to delivery. Her work enables Amber’s facilitators and faculty partners to focus fully on creating impact with clients.

Known for her organisational rigour, discretion and calm oversight of complex moving parts, Katherine plays a central role in maintaining the professional standards and reliability that Amber’s clients expect.

Kas brings a lightness of touch to her facilitation that engages participants, alongside a warmth and authenticity that encourages reflection and curiosity. She offers insight gained from working with some of the biggest global organisations, along with skills honed over many years as a successful professional actor, where she performed at the National Theatre and the RSC among others.

Kas has a particular interest in the legal sphere, having initially trained as a lawyer prior to training as a professional actor. She has worked with many legal organisations, including Magic Circle law firms, and is able to bring a credibility to her work in that sector that greatly enhances the client experience. Kas works on varied programmes including leadership development, coaching skills, presence and impact and interview training.

With nearly 20 years of experience as a facilitator, personal impact coach and business actor, Helen brings a blend of expertise to her work. Drawing on her background as a professional actor, Helen is passionate about helping individuals boost their confidence and elevate their everyday communication to create real, lasting impact.

Helen has delivered a wide range of Leadership Development workshops, examples of which include Impact and Influencing Skills, Presentation Skills, Courageous Conversations, Storytelling and Coaching Skills. She has worked across sectors over the years and clients include numerous global advisory firms. She works with individuals and groups from all levels of management, from new managers to C-suite Leaders.

Helen support clients in developing greater awareness of their spoken communication, whether addressing a large audience or engaging in a one-to-one conversation. Through tailored feedback on vocal tone, body language, and message content, she helps them craft communication that is clear, confident and aligned with their intent.

Helen holds a first-class BA in Music and Drama from Birmingham University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Acting from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

James Anderson is a facilitator, leadership development specialist and accredited executive coach with over 25 years’ experience in management consulting and related industries. He began his career with firms such as McKinsey and Accenture and has led and delivered major consulting engagements across a range of sectors, including the life sciences industry. Alongside his consulting work, James has held senior and board-level roles within the English National Health Service and has sold and delivered multi-million-dollar advisory programmes. His work today focuses on helping professionals strengthen critical thinking, resilience and the commercial capabilities required to succeed in complex advisory environments.

James holds a Master’s degree in Existential Coaching from the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London and an MPhil in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. He is accredited as a Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). In addition to coaching senior professionals across a range of industries, James works extensively in training and leadership development, most recently delivering a major leadership and skills programme for early-career cancer researchers across Europe.

Lara is a management consultant with 13 years of experience delivering large-scale human capital transformation, strategy enablement, organisational growth, and leadership and culture programmes across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. With 10 years at PwC and Deloitte, she has worked with government entities, global corporates, financial institutions, healthcare systems, and third-sector organisations, helping them navigate complex change and build high-performing, future-ready organisations.

Rooted in both strategy and human capital disciplines, Lara brings a holistic, human-centred approach that integrates organisational design, leadership behaviours, and culture transformation to drive sustainable execution. She is particularly recognised for her ability to partner closely with senior stakeholders, simplify complex challenges, and build capability within client teams through co-creation and knowledge transfer.

Lara is certified in Design Thinking and is a qualified HR Business Professional (SHRM-HRBP). She also holds a Hogan coaching certification, allowing her to blend strategic insight with behavioural and leadership coaching to create lasting impact. Lara holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut.

Andy Rumbles has over 20 years’ experience advising senior leaders on change, culture transformation and organisational design. Beginning his career at the UK Ministry of Defence, where he undertook a number of diverse strategy, transformation and operationally-linked roles, Andy then moved into professional services; becoming a Director at EY and working with FTSE100/Fortune 500 companies.

Andy specialises in helping leadership teams align strategy, structure and behaviour. His work has included redesigning global operating models, embedding purpose into commercial strategy, building product-led technology organisations, and supporting executives through complex transformation.

He brings a strong behavioural lens, grounded in psychology and human resource management, and is known for helping leaders move from intent to execution. Alongside his advisory work, Andy designs and delivers programmes that strengthen consulting capability, enhance their business acumen, and equip leaders to navigate cultural and organisational change with clarity and confidence.