Our Team
Amy Friedman – Founder and CEO
A pioneer among a new generation of women business owners, Amy founded Partners International in 1993. With her history of corporate and entrepreneurial success, a background in industrial psychology, and a solid core of integrity, Amy brings a strong mix of talent and accomplishment to her role as our Chairman. Under her leadership, Partners International sustains a reputation for being a truly unique global presence, known for its client loyalty and flexible responsiveness to current market trends.
Ash Varma – Chief Financial Officer
Ash Varma, our CFO, brings into his role at Partners International over 25 years of experience in managing all of the various aspects of a company’s growth and development. His passion for developing ways an organization can optimize its most important asset – its people – is helping PI move forward together towards achieving our business goals. Ash is a graduate of Columbia College, Oxford University (U.K.), Columbia University School of Law, and The NYU Graduate School of Law.
Trish Kyle – Managing Director
Trish Kyle is the Managing Director of Partners International and the architect of PI’s integrated talent management philosophy and approach. Trish brings a provocative aesthetic and dynamic mindset to the non-traditional solutions that highlight the engaging employee experiences that align with the PI brand. Trish constantly draws upon her experiences as a senior leader within highly creative and innovative organizations where she orchestrated transformation, talent development, critical alignment, and coaching. As a highly creative woman and an industry veteran, Trish successfully synthesizes the art and science of organizational effectiveness and the human dynamic inherent in the study of people, process, power, and passion.
Dave Ciliberto – SVP of Client Services
Dave Ciliberto, our SVP of Client Services, has a 25-year background in Human Resources with expertise in Career Transition, Diversity & Inclusion, and Training & Development. Dave’s consultative approach, assessment expertise, and skilled insight into what motivates the success of individuals serves to strengthen and sustain existing client relationships. Dave is a graduate of Lynchburg College and also an adjunct instructor at Cornell University for many of its Diversity & Inclusion programs.
Sean Harvey – Director, Client Solutions
Sean Harvey, MSOD, MSEd, is the Director, Client Solutions at Partners International. In this role, he provides account management, strategy development, program design and facilitation and coaching across all practice areas of the Firm related to career transition and talent and organizational consulting. Over his 16-year career, Sean has become an expert in the areas of generational influence, socially conscious and values-based leadership, and the ongoing development and engagement of emerging leaders, middle managers, and hi-potential talent. Sean currently serves on the faculty of NYU Wagner as an Assistant Professor and has taught management and leadership courses for a number of years at Cornell University ILR, Baruch College CUNY, and the Graduate Center CUNY. He holds an MSOD in Organizational Development from Loyola University Chicago, an MSEd in Counseling from Fordham University and a graduate certificate in Public Service Administration from DePaul University.
Jan Thompson – Executive Consultant, Quality Services
Jan Thompson brings a deep love for helping others achieve their full potential to her role as an Executive Consultant, Quality Services. Her years of diverse experience include executive positions centered in continuous improvement and information management, as well as consulting in career transition and corporate transformation. With a strong background in quality reporting and metrics, Jan helps the firm and our clients answer the challenging questions that can often stand in the way of sustained progress.
John Hoover – Executive Consultant, Coaching Services
John Hoover is an Executive Consultant for Coaching Services at Partners International and is certified by the International Coach Federation. He is a former Divisional General Manager at McGraw-Hill and Writer/Producer for the Marketing/Entertainment Division at The Disney Company. John holds dual Master’s degrees in Marriage & Family Therapy and Human & Organization Development as well as a Ph.D. in Human & Organizational Systems. Dr. Hoover is on the faculties of the American Management Association, Fielding Graduate University, City University of New York and is the author or co-author of more than 15 books on Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Coaching, and other business topics from Barnes & Noble Publishers, Career Press, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, and St. Martin’s Press.
Paul Gorrell, Ph.D. – Executive Consultant
Paul Gorrell serves as a thoughtful catalyst for our clients, helping develop effective strategies that drive impactful results. He excels at the creation of enterprise-wide solutions that are integrated, smart, and user-friendly. At Partners International, Paul completed a year-long study of the elements of executive coaching that led to the firm’s proprietary coaching model known as Contextual Coaching™. Paul’s co-authored book on this topic, The Coaching Connection, is published by AMACOM.
