Transforming Leaders, Transforming Organizations: Sergio Hicke’s Journey from Global CEO to Conscious Advisor
In an era where leadership is being redefined by empathy, awareness, and adaptability, Sergio Hicke stands as a global voice for transformational leadership. With over 30 years of experience leading multinational organisations across four continents, Sergio has evolved from driving corporate results to shaping leaders who drive meaningful change. As a strategic advisor to CEOs and boards, he empowers leaders to connect vision with purpose, business with humanity, and growth with gratitude – inspiring a new generation to lead with clarity, authenticity, and courage.
Taim Al Falasi: What inspired your journey from leading global companies to becoming a strategic advisor for CEOs and boards?
Sergio Hicke :
After more than three decades leading international organizations, I realized that true impact happens not just through results, but through the transformation of people.
My journey from corporate leadership to advising CEOs and boards was driven by a deep conviction: that leadership is the most powerful lever to transform organizations, cultures, and ultimately, the world we live in.
I wanted to dedicate my experience to helping others lead with vision, awareness, and courage – combining strategic acumen with inner clarity.
Taim Al Falasi: How do you define transformational leadership, and why is it critical for business growth today?
Sergio Hicke :
Transformational leadership is the ability to inspire change by embodying it.
It’s when a leader connects strategy with humanity – uniting vision, purpose, and execution.
In today’s volatile and AI-driven economy, companies don’t just need managers; they need conscious leaders who can navigate complexity, engage teams, and build trust through authenticity.
Transformation begins within – and that’s what creates sustainable growth.
Taim Al Falasi: What are the biggest challenges organizations face when trying to align execution with purpose?
Sergio Hicke :
Most organizations have clear goals, but not always a shared why.
The gap often lies between strategy and soul – between what they do and why they do it.
When profit becomes the only metric, purpose fades, and engagement declines.
Bridging that gap requires leaders who can communicate vision with empathy and turn values into daily behaviors.
Taim Al Falasi: How do you help leadership teams break through stagnation and unlock growth potential?
Sergio Hicke :
I start by bringing clarity to both the business and the self.
We analyze what’s blocking progress: sometimes it’s structural, other times it’s emotional – attachment to old success formulas, fear of change, or internal silos.
My 30 years of experience leading organizations across four continents – and working with more than 100 countries – taught me to see businesses as living systems.
I’ve served in every function, from Sales to R&D, and became Managing Director at a very young age before serving over a decade as President.
That journey allowed me to understand the interconnection between all areas of an organization and to develop a 360° model for diagnosing and unlocking growth.
Today, when I work with CEOs and boards, I observe the organization from every angle – strategic, operational, cultural, and human – and identify where processes are blocked by ignorance, anger, attachment, or ego.
Once those blockages are visible, we can design actionable paths to release them – reactivating collaboration, restoring trust, and reigniting innovation.
Transformation is not only external – it’s deeply human.
Taim Al Falasi: Can you share a success story where your approach significantly improved organizational performance?
Sergio Hicke :
One of the most rewarding transformations I’ve led was with a large industrial group in the Middle East that was facing stagnation, internal silos, and declining profitability.
We began by driving a radical transformation of the organizational hierarchy – shifting from transactional leadership to transformational leadership at every level.
Together, we designed and implemented a new strategy co-created with two-thirds of the employees, which gave us early traction and an authentic sense of ownership across the company.
Through intensive change-management programs, managers learned to inspire rather than control, and employees rediscovered meaning and pride in their work.
The impact was remarkable: within four years, the business doubled its revenue, moved from losses to profitability, and achieved the highest performance level among all companies in the multinational group.
The ultimate milestone came in the final year, when the entire organization received a 100% bonus achievement.
That moment symbolized what true transformation means: not just financial success, but a renewed sense of collective purpose and human connection.
Taim Al Falasi: How does mindful leadership influence culture, resilience, and profitability within a company?
Sergio Hicke :
Mindful leadership is not a trend – it’s a strategic advantage.
When leaders are present, they make better decisions, build healthier teams, and create environments where creativity and accountability thrive.
Resilience, focus, and empathy are not just soft skills – they are performance multipliers that translate directly into financial results.
A clear example was during my time as President for Southern Europe at Alfa Laval, when we implemented mindfulness and self-awareness sessions across the organization.
In just a few months, we saw people managing stress better, improving concentration, reducing distractions, and developing genuine empathy and compassion – not only toward their colleagues, but also toward customers and suppliers.
That shift in mindset created a ripple effect throughout the company.
The outcome was extraordinary: Alfa Laval Italy became the top-performing company in the group, recognized for both profitability and innovation.
Mindfulness gave leaders and teams the clarity and emotional balance to perform at their best — proving that when the mind is calm, the business becomes unstoppable.
Taim Al Falasi: With experience across multiple regions, how do you adapt strategies to different business cultures?
Sergio Hicke :
Every culture has its rhythm.
In Europe, the focus is often on process and governance; in the Middle East, on relationships and trust; in Asia, on harmony and precision.
My approach is to listen first – understand the context deeply – and then translate global best practices into local realities.
Transformation only works when it respects culture while expanding it.
Taim Al Falasi: What role does strategic clarity play in scaling startups or family businesses?
Sergio Hicke :
Clarity is oxygen for growth.
Startups and family businesses often have passion, intuition, and energy – but without structure and alignment, that same energy can become chaos.
I help them define clear priorities, roles, and performance metrics, turning passion into an executable plan.
When everyone knows the destination and their role in reaching it, growth becomes inevitable.
My perspective comes not only from the corporate world, where I was always recognized as an intrapreneur, but also from being a serial founder myself.
I’ve built, scaled, and exited several startups – and today, I’m leading new ventures such as Servana (servanaservice.com), a global AI platform that connects process industry operators with instant certified technical support and spare parts.
Having lived in both worlds – the structured discipline of global corporations and the uncertainty of entrepreneurship – has been a privilege.
It taught me that strategic clarity is what bridges the two: it transforms creativity into direction, and vision into results.
Taim Al Falasi: Your first book, The Transformational Executive, gained strong attention among business leaders. Can you tell us about it, and what projects you are currently working on?
Sergio Hicke :
Yes – The Transformational Executive was born from a very personal journey.
After years in corporate leadership, I felt the need to integrate two worlds that had always been part of me: the world of business and the world of inner growth.
The book shares lessons learned from decades of leading teams and companies across the globe – but also from my personal transformation, including how meditation, mindfulness, and conscious awareness became essential tools for leadership and decision-making.
Today, I’m working on two exciting projects that continue that mission.
The first is The Spiritual CEO Podcast, where I explore how consciousness, purpose, and business performance come together – through conversations with entrepreneurs, monks, innovators, and leaders who are redefining success from the inside out.
The second is my next book, which dives even deeper into the invisible forces that shape leadership – such as anger, attachment, and ignorance – and how understanding and transcending them can unlock creativity, clarity, and compassion in business.
All of this comes from one simple intention: to share what I’ve learned between the boardroom and the monastery – and to help others see that when the spiritual and business worlds meet, results become not only stronger, but also more human and fulfilling.
Taim Al Falasi: How do you balance long-term vision with short-term operational execution in high-stakes environments?
Sergio Hicke :
It’s about rhythm – knowing when to zoom out and when to zoom in.
A clear vision provides direction, but disciplined execution delivers credibility.
I coach leaders to design systems that allow both – agile enough to deliver now, but anchored in a purpose that endures.
The best leaders are those who can see the horizon while keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
Taim Al Falasi: What advice would you give to CEOs and board members looking to transform their leadership and drive sustainable growth?
Sergio Hicke :
- Start with yourself.
- Transformation begins in the mirror, not in the market.
- Cultivate awareness, empathy, and strategic discipline.
- Surround yourself with people who challenge you, not just support you.
- And never forget that business growth and human growth are two sides of the same coin.
- When you evolve as a leader, your organization follows.
Conclusion
Sergio Hicke’s philosophy proves that the most powerful transformations begin within – when leaders align purpose with performance, and self-awareness with strategy. His journey from global executive to leadership advisor reflects a timeless truth: that conscious leadership is not just good ethics, it’s good business. As organizations across the world navigate uncertainty and rapid change, his message resonates louder than ever – growth is sustainable only when it’s human at its core.
