OUR STORY

  • Ten years ago, an unfamiliar team of strangers embarked on an overseas adventure, setting off to Ireland. Their mission? To establish the first international remote work hub for their company.
    Nestled in the charming city of Galway, a transformative three months abroad passed with Theresa, Marsh, and Woz facing a myriad challenges building an effective team in a foreign land.
  • Living together in a tiny, imperfect house, complete with slugs, faulty plumbing, and once aggressive door-canvaser, this group affectionately dubbed themselves the 'dream team.' Fast forward to today, and after pursuing different career paths, the dream team reunited to Clifden Consulting.
    Fueled by their passion for tackling sticky problems, laughter and a decade long friendship - they've discovered their dream team once more, and they're eager to help you manifest yours.

Innovation and strategy

ERIK MARSH

Erik is a seasoned leader, strategist, and visionary in the systems that underpin Team Effectiveness. He’s led both small and large teams, and designed leadership training programs that have empowered hundreds of individuals to become impactful leaders within their organizations. Erik is dedicated to unlocking the full potential of organizations through effective leadership supported by systems that make sense. 

Erik strives for simplicity. He takes complex concepts and distills them into actionable strategies. Whether it’s approaching a challenge through the lens of the individual, the manager, or the organization, Erik is all about connecting the dots to help people do their best work.

Executive coach

THERESA NGUYEN

Theresa is our in-house coach. Over the course of her career, she has taken on a variety of roles, beginning as Shopify's inaugural support team member and eventually ascending to positions including Director of Global Support, Learning and Talent Programmer, and founder of Sondist Coaching. Her laser-like decisiveness, coupled with her unwavering composure, allowed her to achieve extraordinary results.

Theresa's hands-on experience extends to the art of hiring and nurturing exceptional leaders. Her approach focuses on creating leaders who are not only flexible and collaborative, but also skilled at striking the delicate balance between being well-liked and getting things done. She understands the nuanced dynamics of leadership, and the complexities of leading in a room (or Zoom) filled with diverse opinions or, at times, deafening silence.

Theresa's ability to remain cool and creative, even in the midst of chaos makes her an amazing asset in any situation. 

Organizational Design & Ops

ADAM WOZNIAK

Adam is a seasoned professional with a track record of success in scaling operations and teams. He spent over a decade working within customer experience and organizational design at Shopify where he made a significant contribution to the remarkable growth and success of the global e-commerce giant.

Adam led Shopify's first international Customer Experience team where he established and scaled the Support operation. He’s built teams from the ground up, merged existing teams, and built systems that thousands of employees leveraged to do impactful work. 

Adam’s deep understanding of the intricacies of systems and people has been the driving force behind his success. Adam recognizes that creating the right environment for employees to thrive translates to the customer.

"My coaching experience with Theresa has been transformative. Her exceptional ability to actively listen and pinpoint the core of my concerns has been invaluable. Not only does she adeptly reframe challenges, but her guidance in breaking down steps towards my goals has been instrumental in my growth journey.”

- E.P | Finance Controller

"Adam has a deep history in building teams from scratch, ensuring that, where relevant, culture gets replicated and enhanced and he has never shied away from pushing those around him to “do the right thing” and navigate around bottlenecks - even if it isn’t conforming to the playbook. His focus has always been on impact - making operations perform at a higher level.

Adam was the first person at Shopify that I actually met in person - back in 2017 - when he was despatched from Canada to Ireland to help inculcate the locals and infuse the Shopify vision, purpose and mission into the newly launched Irish operation. The group has grown to c. 800 people." 

- John Riordan | Chairman of Grow Remote

"Erik is highly insightful and a thought leader in the leadership development space. He has a talent for getting to the root of an organization’s complex challenges and is able to come up with creative solutions that lead to impactful and sustainable change.

The programs that Erik developed and delivered at Shopify helped shape hundreds of leaders. From speaking on stage at Shopify’s annual leadership conference to conversations with key stakeholders, Erik’s influence in leadership at the company was impactful and undeniable.If you’re looking to level up leadership at your company, Erik is the person you need to talk to!

- D.W | PROGRAM MANAGER

High care. High empathy.

As you've journeyed through the stories, skills, and personalities that make up our team, we hope you've felt a connection to our shared vision and expertise. Each member of our team brings a unique blend of professional acumen and personal passion to the table, united by a common goal: to empower your success. If you're ready to transform challenges into opportunities and foster a culture of excellence in your organization, we're here to guide you every step of the way

LET'S CHAT