Clients and Testimonials:

Mary worked with our relatively new leadership team, many of whom were first time senior leaders, in order to enable greater clarity in roles, decision making and team norms, as well as develop stronger working relationships.  The resulting gains in clarity, trust and collaboration had immediate impact.  I recommend Mary for any leader or leadership team seeking a greater level of  harmony and performance.
-John Coletta, President Retail
Peet's Coffee & Tea

Mary was a terrific coach and advisor as I led the transformation of our business.  She helped me believe that I could be successful in a challenging time and helped me turn my ideas into action. Mary provided invaluable advice on navigating C-Suite relationships and influencing effectively. She was also instrumental in improving the effectiveness of our leadership team – building trust, as well as, increasing effectiveness and accountability.  I recommend Mary to anyone who is looking for a coach who is both supportive and challenging. She has been instrumental in improving my leadership performance. – President, Retail Foodservice Industry

Mary's approach to coaching was a perfect fit for me. She challenged me and got to the heart of issues, always with respect and caring. Mary was never judgmental and always focused on the sweet spot to get me to move up and see things I had missed. This was a very valuable experience, and I recommend Mary if you're looking for a coach who will support your success.
-Keith Sommer, GSG Talent Solutions

Mary is an outstanding coach. She has a great understanding of the human side, while maintaining a rigorous focus on results and the big picture.
-Fran Gallati,
President / CEO YMCA of the East Bay

Mary partnered with me on design and facilitation for our Senior Leadership strategy meeting. Mary quickly learned who we are,  added an outside perspective, and kept us on track. Mary's passion, commitment to leadership and business expertise added tremendous value to our meeting. I recommend Mary as a team coach and thought partner.
-Dave Alves, President Bealls Outlet

Working with Mary Walter as my executive coach has been a transformational process. Through Mary’s coaching and guidance, I learned how to elevate performance by making a stronger connection to the needs of the team at all levels. Mary didn’t tell me what to do, she coached me on how to discover how to absorb, process, learn, and grow. Mary Walter isn’t the problem solver or fixer, Mary’s methods and teachings empower you to act and strengthen your leadership.
-Logistics Division Vice President

I have worked with many executives over my thirty-five year executive and education career, and I can confirm categorically that Mary is one of the most talented Fortune 500 executives period. Mary distinguished herself by her knowledge, sense of humor, genuineness, and commitment to her profession and dedication to excellence. Her passion for developing talent and achieving results contributed to the success of two Fortune 500 organizations. Mary is highly respected and liked by her supervisors, colleagues, and subordinated. So too, it was a true pleasure to have her as a peer at Target Stores, and as a client for five plus years.
 
I know the kind of attention to detail, knowledge, and level of professionalism required to be successful as an executive coach and retail expert, and I believe with all confidence that Mary will prove to be an outstanding consultant for you and your organization.
In summary, she has my strongest recommendation. 
-Roy Whitmore, PhD
W Consulting & Mentoring Group Inc.

I have seen Mary lead large transformation projects - be it technology, process or cultural. She has led a workforce of over 50,000 employees nationwide and is a true leader who hires right, motivates and moves the organization towards it's goals.

-Sruti Patnaik, GVP IT
Fortune 300 Retailer

I have known Mary for nearly 15 years and I have had the privilege of working with her and observing her talent in multiple roles.
Mary is a passionate leader who adapts quickly, challenges, drives change , but does not waiver from a.high talent bar and her commitment to developing an open and inclusive culture.
Mary has led operations at a 55+ billion dollar corporation and built teams at every level on her journey to that position.. She has been a leader in numerous committees designed to drive change in processes, expense and culture.
I have personally leveraged Mary as a professional thought partner and I know of many other executives who have done the same.
Most important is that Mary is a credible and trustworthy confidant who shares her feedback (good and bad) in a manner that inspires action and strengthens relationships in organizations.
-Derek Jenkins, SVP
​Target Corporation

Mary's support, advice, mentoring, and partnership was a critical part of our success as we implemented a significant change to our organization. Mary challenged me, yet supported me and it was a huge help! 
-Regional VP, Retail

Mary led our leadership team in a highly productive and meaningful strategic retreat. Mary designed an experience that led us to better understand one another, define the ideal state of our enterprise, develop new ways of working together collaboratively, and ensure that we deliver exceptional results. Mary works to get to the core of what matters and does this in a constructive and positive way. The issues she brought to light were important and she was able to help our team generate our own solutions. I have been to a million trainings and this was the best. Everyone on our team found our time with Mary to be a tremendously useful team building and professional development experience; we look forward to working with Mary again!
-Ninive Calegari, CEO, Enterprise for Youth

​​Mary was a key partner for our transformation, leveraging her deep knowledge of retail to identify solutions that delivered significant improvement in customer service, sales and reduction in expenses. Mary advised the team on tactics and processes for change management that equipped the team to deliver execution on key initiatives for the long run. Mary is an exceptional partner and advisor, and most importantly is a pleasure to work with!
​-Ken Seipel, Former CEO, Gabe's

I was fortunate enough to work closely with Mary during a period of significant change for my organization and my personal career.  Mary helped me identify strengths and opportunities for development, and worked closely with me to outline actionable steps for my growth.  Mary utilized direct feedback from my leaders and peers to customize a program to optimize my approach to influencing others to drive results.  Mary has extraordinary functional and leadership expertise, who is also savvy, kind and very thoughtful counsel.  I would highly recommend Mary for executive coaching.
-Sarah Casalan Bittle, VP Stores, Crate&Barrel

Mary asked questions that helped me grow as a leader, and gave me tactics to effectively plan strategy and develop people. I recommend Mary as a coach to anyone who wants to improve their effectiveness and leadership.
-Michael Saenz, VP YMCA

​Mary was a terrific coach! She was a great thought partner, guided my growth, and served as a support during challenging times. Working with Mary has helped me to be a better boss, and to realize my potential to contribute as a senior executive.
-Executive Director, YMCA

I like the positive, realistic approach Mary provided to running my business. The soft skill set solutions Mary proved were real and not draped in emotional conjecture. Mary's knowledge and experience helped her prescribe a methodology to keep up with the entrepreneurial, fast pace and evolving nature of the business. Mary provided an environment of trust and privacy that encouraged me to be transparent, introspective and vulnerable allowing me to get the most out of our sessions.
-GMM, Retail

I have had the opportunity to work with Mary on numerous occasions. Mary has a keen eye in defining opportunities in an ​organization while also building upon their strengths. Mary collaborates with leaders to create a strategic plan that addresses these opportunities. Mary has the insight to ask the right questions and build a cohesive buy in to drive results. While driving change, Mary makes it fun!!! This creates an environment of excitement and engagement that builds a culture of winning. While driving results , Mary appropriately leverages her teams performance and potential. This fosters an atmosphere of development both at the team and individual level. I am personally grateful for the many strategic learnings I absorbed while working with Mary.

-John Iacobellis, Regional VP, Party City

I've been impressed with Mary's ability to drive change in a way that has united people across our company. She has the ability to develop and implement effective strategies and processes that drive real cultural change while adding value to shareholders, customers and employees.

-Kristin Wolfe, GVP Store Operations
Fortune 300 Retailer

-I supported Mary as the Vice President, HR - Stores for a large retail organization. Mary’s operational and leadership skills are simply outstanding. Mary was able to successfully execute her multi-year strategic operational plan, develop and implement sustainable operational processes, improve the culture in our Stores, flawlessly open new stores in new markets, and was a strong partner with Human Resources to identify, grow and, promote talent within the organization. Her operational and leadership skills led to exceptional operational metrics and financial results.

One of Mary’s strengths, that impresses me the most, is her ability to connect with people at all levels of the organization. Her ability to have a meaningful conversation with a retail associate and seamlessly transition to interact with a C-suite executive is amazing.

Mary’s deep retail operational understanding along with her focus on leadership and talent development will add value to any organization seeking to move their business forward.

-Chris Jackson, Founder
Keys2HR, LLC