ABOUT
Organizational Psychologist / Coach
Maria Falsone is an organizational psychologist and coach based in Edinburgh.
A pianist and violin player since the age of seven, she spent five years as a performing pianist, including a tour with a Scottish folk band and serving as the resident pianist of the Royal Yacht Britannia. She has also been an independent piano teacher, using the Suzuki method, for 15 years.
Maria spent six years in finance, performing a variety of roles with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and starting the learning and development programme at First State Investments, UK.
She is the founder of the music charity, Agrigento, which is dedicated to the advancement of social action through music. With six international projects underway, Agrigento supports individual and group efforts to bring together music research and practice in a spirit of critical reflection in action.
She has an MA (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh in Psychology and an MSc in Organizational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London. She holds a Certificate in Coaching from the Centre for Coaching (London) and is both an Associate Member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP) and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Born in Paris to a Sicilian father and a Scottish mother, Maria spent a multicultural childhood in Scotland. After completing three marathons and seven half-marathons in just one year, she considers herself a retired runner, but she is still an active practitioner of yoga. When she is not adjusting to the life of a new mother, she can be found with her eyes closed, dreaming about lying on a beach in Sicily, espresso in hand.
ROBERT KELLEY AYALA
Consultant / Coach
Robert Kelley Ayala is an organizational psychology, marketing, and strategy consultant and coach based in Paris.
Robert spent eight years as a management consultant, primarily with Oliver Wyman in their New York office, where he worked on projects that took him to the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, and Hong Kong. Since relocating to Paris in 2011, he has worked in venture capital (Truffle Capital) as well as in product and marketing positions for two of France’s most successful technology companies (Criteo and Dataiku). He has also started or participated in several entrepreneurial ventures, most recently as a marketing and messaging consultant for European startup technology companies.
He has a B.S. in Economics and Mathematics from Duke University, an MBA from HEC-Paris, and an MSc in Organizational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London. He holds a Certificate in Coaching from the Centre for Coaching (London) and is an Associate Member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP).
Born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, to a Colombian mother and an American father, Robert spent his childhood in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He has completed one marathon (Edinburgh 2017), and he wonders if he will ever do another. A music fanatic, he has run a record label focusing on Colombian music, co-produced a jazz festival, and written a weekly newsletter on live music in and around Paris. He can be found at the opera house, the dive bar, the salsa club, the tennis court, or at home with his guitar and a glass of Bordeaux.
