Elissa Makris

I am a management consultant and learning designer dedicated to helping leaders create real, lasting change. My approach sits at the intersection of design thinking, behavioural science, and Agile methodologies, blending human-centred design with tangible business impact. Throughout my career, I’ve developed large-scale transformations and award-winning programs. At Nationwide, I co-designed a journey for 1,000+senior leaders that used immersive simulations and group coaching to break down silos and sharpen commercial decision-making. For U.S. Bank, I developed an 18-week leadership program tailored to diverse learning personas to support their cloud transformation, an initiative that earned a gold for the Brandon Hall Award for Best Launch of a Corporate Learning University. Whether designing self-led team effectiveness toolkits for BT or building comprehensive value-realisation frameworks, my focus remains on empowering leaders to navigate change through experimentation, trust, and strategic alignment.

I am driven by the challenge of designing leadership experiences that move beyond theory to genuinely shift how people think, behave, and lead. My work focuses on taking complex organisational transformations and translating them into practical, engaging journeys that feel meaningful for leaders. Whether architecting large-scale programs for global banks or creating targeted toolkits, I find it incredibly rewarding to help leaders move from feeling overwhelmed to becoming intentional, confident, and impactful. My approach combines creative design thinking with the structural rigour of behavioural science. I specialise in building learner-centric solutions that are grounded in business goals, ensuring every experience delivers measurable impact rather than surface-level engagement. I am at my best when collaborating with stakeholders to co-create solutions and building the necessary alignment to turn ideas and strategy into lasting change.

Across all of my work, I specialise in creating participant-focused experiences, whether that’s designing end-to-end programs, developing coaching and facilitation materials, or crafting communication and engagement strategies that bring people on the journey. My background in organisational psychology also means I bring a strong focus on wellbeing and behaviour change, ensuring that leadership development is not just effective, but sustainable and human.

I chose to work with LIW because of how clearly their purpose and approach align with the kind of work I care most about. What really stood out to me is that they’re not just focused on delivering leadership programs, they exist to improve people’s experience of work through leadership, which feels both meaningful and impactful. Their values, being authentic and bold, working in true partnership, and creating a strong team environment, feel like a natural cultural fit for me. I was looking for a place where I could continue designing impactful leadership experiences, but also be part of a team that is collaborative, human, and genuinely committed to making a difference.

I think stakeholders would describe me as someone who is collaborative, thoughtful, and focused on creating solutions that genuinely work in practice. I build strong relationships quickly and take the time to really understand their context, challenges, and goals before jumping into design, which helps create a strong sense of trust. I’ve also been told that I’m calm and reliable, particularly in fast-paced or ambiguous environments. Whether it’s managing multiple stakeholders, navigating evolving requirements, or driving large-scale programs, I stay organised and keep things moving forward.