Executive Coach · Trainer · HR & Neuroinclusion Expert
By aligning your values with your actions. From Dakar, I support leaders and organisations across French-speaking Africa — and well beyond.
Céline Thiam
Smart Démarche Coaching
As founder of Smart Démarche Coaching, I support leaders and organisations across Africa, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific to:
- Build leadership rooted in their values.
- Evolve their posture and their HR function in constantly changing environments.
- Integrate and value out-of-the-box profiles.
- Perform sustainably.
25 yrs
of professional life
20 yrs
dedicated to HR, innovation and coaching
420 h
of 1:1 coaching delivered
≈ 40
workshops and training sessions run
Across a multi-country environment: France, Africa (including the Maghreb), the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
My mission
My approach rests on better self-knowledge, clarity of values, the power of gratitude, and the power of visualisation. When you understand yourself better, you open doors you never even saw — and sometimes, the stars align.
What I offer you
- Tailored, warm and structured support
- Online sessions, wherever you are in the world
- Concrete tools to progress at your own pace
- A space of trust to explore, step back and move forward
Why me
Former HR Director at international groups, trained in innovation at Polytechnique, and a certified EMCC coach: it's the intersection of these three hats that makes the change-support work I offer credible.
In a world where change is no longer the exception but the norm, leaders need to evolve with the same agility as their market — and HR needs to support them as a true business partner, not an administrative function.
Discover my backgroundWho it's for
Leaders, managers, HR teams, foundations, NGOs
Companies, foundations & organisations
Evolve leaders' posture and management culture, de-risk transformations, turn HR into a real business partner — and equip young talent in employability programmes.
- Coaching
- Training
- HR consulting
- HR transition
- Workshops
- Talks
- Youth employability
- Neuroinclusion
Executives, leaders, people in transition
Individuals
Regain clarity without losing who you are: 1:1 coaching or skills assessment, built around your own goals.
- 1:1 coaching
- Skills assessment
- 20 min free
How it works
For individuals
It all starts with a free 20-minute first contact: a live conversation to explain the coach's role and help you sense whether the fit feels right. We then set a minimum of five sessions, online with video, to move forward flexibly over time.
Learn moreFor companies
Let's set up a call so you can walk me through your context and goals. My background in HR management and innovation lets me draw on individual coaching, team coaching, facilitation or workshops — all in service of performance through your teams' well-being.
Learn more
Our formats
Individual coaching
Tailored, personalised support across a range of topics: managing emotions, employability, non-violent communication, manager posture…
Company coaching
A collaborative, stimulating framework for people with similar goals and challenges, with approaches adapted to each issue: thinking differently, problem solving…
Remote coaching
Especially for individuals, as well as for geographically scattered groups, sessions can take place over video call, ensuring a smooth, interactive and engaging experience.
Transition coaching
To build the skills, clarity and emotional resilience needed for a smoother transition into a new life stage: a new role, a new company, moving from entrepreneurship to employment and vice versa.
For companies
- Executive coachingDeveloping your leadership
- TrainingTransforming your management culture
- HR consultingAn outside, expert, actionable perspective
- Transition managementSecuring your HR function through pivotal moments
- Facilitation workshopsBuilding together
- TalksInspiring and mobilising
- Youth employabilityPreparing the next generation, not just handing out diplomas
- NeuroinclusionRevealing every talent
What they say
What the people I support have to say
We brought in Céline THIAM to train our managers on managing atypical, out-of-the-box profiles. It was a revelation. She doesn't just offer theory: she shares lived experience. Our teams now finally have the keys to turn neurodiversity into a driver of innovation instead of seeing it as a challenge.
HR Director, Africa, FinTech
Céline helped me get through a critical step when I took on a new role. Thanks to her approach blending self-knowledge and business reality, I was able to align my decisions with my values while navigating the complexity of a large group. Her support is a rare mix of warmth and strategic rigour.
Director, insurance sector
The design thinking workshop Céline led was the turning point of our transformation. In a single day, she broke down the silos between the business and support functions.
Head of HR innovation projects, Industry
Speaking honestly, the room is captivated from start to finish and leaves inspired. She proves that work done well, paired with self-knowledge, is performance's best ally.
CEO, Africa, real estate
What sets Céline apart is her ability to combine methodological clarity with communicative energy. Her sessions didn't just pass on tools: they helped people realise their own worth, structure how they talk about their work, and build confidence. Participant feedback was very positive, highlighting the concrete impact on their posture.
Co-founder, digital skills training
I had the privilege of being coached by Céline at a particularly intense moment in my career, juggling heavy professional responsibilities alongside demanding personal and family matters at the same time. What felt like a small chaos gradually turned into a clear, prioritised path aligned with my real ambitions.
Consultant, international development
Her support stood out through genuine, authentic listening, a clear and structured method, positive and motivating energy, and a real focus on results and concrete impact. Céline knows how to create a space of trust that lets you step back and gain perspective.
Executive, insurance
Neuroinclusion
It is estimated that between 15 and 25% of the population is neurodivergent.
Neurodivergence, giftedness, multipotentiality: a genuine lever for performance and innovation, still rarely addressed in French-speaking markets. I support this from the inside, with the dual posture of an HR expert and someone who has lived these issues personally.
AtyKyPyk Newsletter
Every two weeks: neuroinclusion, atypical profiles and management, no jargon.
Read the issues on LinkedInTwenty minutes for individuals, forty-five for organisations. No commitment.
contact@smartdemarche.com · Dakar, Senegal