Aoife Holden
Executive/Team Coach & Facilitator

Aoife Holden helps organizations strengthen leadership, resolve conflict, amplify communication and lead through change with clarity, courage and measurable impact. With more than 25 years of leadership experience she brings a rare blend of strategic insight, operational expertise, and emotional intelligence to her work with C-suite executives, leaders, emerging talent, teams and boards.

Aoife’s approach integrates strategy, coaching, and conflict management to empower leaders and organizations to navigate uncertainty and complexity. She brings a deep understanding of the emotional and structural challenges of transformation and helps clients move beyond tactical change toward meaningful growth, aligned strategy, and renewed purpose.

She partners with organizations to proactively address conflict through facilitated conversations, build psychological safety, and design tailored strategies for collaboration and cultural health. Drawing on evidence-based coaching, structured mediation, and organizational development, Aoife equips leaders to handle high-stakes challenges and unlock sustainable growth.

Beyond her professional work, she is committed to making a positive impact. She serves on nonprofit boards, advocates for expanded healthcare access, and is passionate about developing the next generation of diverse leaders.

Representative assignments include:

  • CEO, Statewide Nonprofit Health Consortium
  • Chief of Media Partnerships, Fortune 10 Technology Company
  • SVP, Fortune 20 Global Financial Institution
  • Vice President, Regional Bank and Investment Firm
  • Physician Executive, Department of Public Health
  • Physicians, APPs and Medical Staff Leaders
  • Directors Top US Insurer
  • Attorneys Law Firms

Business And Organizational Leadership Experience

Aoife has 25 years of leadership experience that spans healthcare, technology, global industries, and the public sector. She has led and advised on enterprise scale initiatives for Fortune 500 companies and mission driven institutions. Her leadership roles have included strategic partnerships, M&A, program development and growth, and organizational design. At Providence Health System, she helped shape the system into a $23 billion integrated enterprise. She continues to serve as a trusted advisor and executive coach to leaders across sectors from entrepreneurs and emerging teams to established organizations.

With a career that also spans GE Healthcare, Wrigley, Kraft, SC Johnson, and Kimberly Clark, Aoife brings a cross-functional lens to leadership challenges. From helping a tech executive adjust leadership style, to guiding a CEO through a systems integration or aligning a newly formed leadership team around a strategy, Aoife provides a compassionate, yet results driven approach grounded in practical insight.

Originally from Ireland, Aoife moved to the U.S. to pursue her university education and to help find better care for her sister after a life altering injury left her a paraplegic. Their experience navigating the healthcare system shaped her perspective and fueled her commitment to build more effective and compassionate institutions. This shapes her leadership and coaching today.

Aoife lives in Portland, OR with her husband, a native of the Pacific Northwest, and their two children. Together, they share a passion for adventure. As a family, we enjoy running, biking, hiking, skiing, and rock climbing and love to travel and discover other cultures.

Industry Coaching Experience

  • Healthcare
  • Government
  • Legal
  • High-Tech
  • Banking
  • Nonprofit
  • Start-up

Functional Coaching Experience

  • Chief Executives
  • Human Resources
  • Physician and Healthcare Leaders
  • Boards of Directors
  • Project and Program Leadership
  • Strategic Planning and Business Development
  • Engineering
  • IT
  • Marketing and Sales
  • Finance

Leader Levels

  • Manager to C-Suite Executives

Assessments & Certifications

  • Certified Mediator, Conflict Resolution Specialist – Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation
  • Hudson Institute of Coaching Certified Coach
  • International Coaching Federation (ICF) Member
  • Positive Intelligence® (PQ)
  • Crucial Conversations®
  • SHSMD: Strategic Planning in Healthcare
  • Master’s Certificate, Project Leadership & Management Facilitator, GOAL/QPC
  • 360 Assessment Tools: Benchmarks 360 – CCL

Education

  • MBA, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • B.S., Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • B.A., English Literature, University of Wisconsin– Madison
  • Minor: Creative Writing, University of Wisconsin– Madison

Languages

  • English
  • Gaelic/Irish
  • French