Carolyn Thompson
Executive Coach | Financial Services Leadership Performance | Founder & Entrepreneur
Carolyn Thompson is a highly sought-after executive coach and leadership advisor specializing in performance coaching for financial services leaders, hedge fund executives, and senior professionals operating in high-stakes, high-performance environments. With more than 20,000 hours of paid coaching experience and a career spanning over two decades in executive coaching, talent strategy, and business leadership, she brings a rare blend of operational expertise and human performance insight to every engagement.
Carolyn currently serves as an executive coach with Arootah, where she partners with hedge fund managers, investment professionals, and financial services executives to enhance leadership effectiveness, decision-making under pressure, and team performance. Her coaching is grounded in real-world business experience and tailored to the unique demands of financial markets, including navigating volatility, scaling organizations, and driving sustainable performance outcomes.
Her client portfolio spans some of the world’s most respected financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bloomberg, as well as global consulting firms such as PwC and Accenture. She has coached leaders across investment management, private equity, banking, and fintech, helping them sharpen executive presence, strengthen leadership alignment, and unlock measurable business results.
In addition to her coaching work, Carolyn is a five-time founder with multiple successful exits and deep experience in scaling professional services and technology businesses. As Founder of Aravenda, she leads a global SaaS platform serving clients in over 10 countries, applying Agile methodologies to drive innovation, operational efficiency, and customer-centric product development. Her entrepreneurial background enables her to coach leaders not just theoretically, but from firsthand experience navigating growth, capital constraints, and strategic pivots.
Carolyn also serves as Chief Learning Officer of Elevar Group, where she develops executive coaching and leadership development curriculum aligned with International Coaching Federation (ICF), SHRM, and HRCI standards. She has designed and delivered over 60 leadership and coaching programs globally, reinforcing her reputation as both a practitioner and thought leader in executive performance and organizational development.
Her earlier career includes leadership roles in talent acquisition and HR consulting at Forvis Mazars and as Founder and Executive Director of Merito Group, where she advised Fortune 500 companies and financial services organizations on talent strategy, compensation, and organizational design. This foundation gives her a unique lens into how leadership decisions directly impact business performance, culture, and profitability.
Carolyn’s coaching approach integrates Agile, Lean, and behavioral assessment frameworks including Hogan, DISC, Enneagram, and StrengthsFinder. She is known for helping leaders cut through complexity, elevate accountability, and execute with clarity—particularly in environments where performance, precision, and speed are non-negotiable.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University where she also serves as a Trustee and is on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Business. She has been an ICF-credentialed coach since 2009 and has served on many corporate and non-profit boards.
At Arootah, Carolyn partners with financial services leaders to translate ambition into disciplined execution—helping them lead with clarity, perform under pressure, and deliver results that matter.