The Happiness Factory Team

CEO & Founder since 2010
Coach for Ambitious Leaders
Expert in deep coaching, process modelling & purpose finding
Certified MasterCoach since 2007
Engineer turned entrepreneur
20+ years of experience

I'm educated as an electro-mechanical engineer with a specialisation in automation. In the beginning of my career, I worked within this technical field and experienced what it's like to be in different management and leadership positions. Additional training and specialisations in the areas of 'industrial engineering', 'lean management', 'management consultancy', 'master coaching' and 'playful coaching', led me to become the founder of The Happiness Factory (since 2011), a company focussed on boosting your business by helping ambitious leaders to reach more in an easier way.

With this background and my permanent study to keep up with the latest trends, I have the skills, the insights, and the experience needed to work with ambitious leaders, while staying in touch with the technical and business side of the context we're working in.

In essence, I'm a coach. However, coaching is such a broad concept and it can be performed in so many ways, that when you are in search of 'a coach', you still don't know what to expect from that 'coaching'.

If you choose me as your 'coach', you opt for a very unique approach; because everybody human being has a different skill set, different experiences, a different way of looking at things, and a different way of working.
By choosing me, you choose experience -I'm a certified MasterCoach since 2007-, you choose an entrepreneurial approach -I founded The Happiness Factory in 2010, am leading 2 other companies and 1 foundation-, you choose 'accountability & clarity' -read below why that's in my nature-, and you choose someone who has earned his spurs in the most challenging of industries -automotive, R&D, logistics, food, and services-.

So what is typical of me?

I'm the dad of 4 adorable kids. Managing this complex social system is a very interesting form of leadership, where personal growth and development is a constant central theme.
I have a passion for running, and like to do rock climbing occasionally.
With a background in athletics, I performed competitive sports at the highest level for more than 20 years. This made me grow up in a world of "no pain, no gain": work, sweat, and dedication to be successful.
You can also expect this in my work: 100% dedication, perseverance, continuous experimentation and exploration to make you achieve your goals and dreams.
As an engineer by education, I'm analytical - I really want to understand what is happening precisely - and at the same time I'm also very pragmatic - experimentation above theorisation.
I am a very calm person, and I like to slow you down. "Slow down to speed up!"
I enjoy the freedom of nature, free thoughts and floating dreams.
But I also like to make things tangible, concrete, and clear.
I prefer deep connections with an open style of communication above 'chitchat' and 'small talk'.
This makes that I like to take the time to really get to know you, to really build a connection with you, simply because I am really and sincerely interested in you as a person. Who knows, perhaps I'm meeting my 'next best friend'.
Therefore, my conversations will never have a purely commercial purpose.
Depth and focus are my nicknames.
A positive, happy, and radiant attitude is my nature.
And I really get the jitters of passivity and not taking initiative to change your situation. The status quo must and will be challenged!

The programmes I like to facilitate most, are the 'Ambitious Leader Programme' and the 'Ambitious Team Programme'.

Are you someone who finds peace, balance, deep connection, freedom and tangible results important as well? Are you looking for extra direction and guidance, and are you prepared to take matters into your own hands, starting from a positive approach and ready to work hard and focused?

Then there is a big chance that we will get along very well!

So I would love to meet you!

Learning specialist
Independent lecturer
Expert in negotiation & dispute resolution
Coach for Ambitious Leaders
Ph.D @ University of London
10+ years of experience

With degrees in philosophy, international relations, business management, and history, and certified as a mediator, it's safe to say that lifelong learning is at the core of my being. My ardent curiosity has led me to explore both the conceptual realm and more practice-based domains alike, as such bringing the theoretical to life. I started my career in a management and research function at a business school, specialising in negotiation and conflict management. Here, my interest in executive coaching, teaching and group facilitation was sparked. After gaining several years of experience in this corporate learning environment, in 2018 I felt it was time to seek new horizons by joining The Happiness Factory, becoming an independent lecturer, and pursuing my PhD at University of London. As a lecturer or in short-term coaching, you can kindle new insights and inspire people. But what frustrates me in such an approach, is the lack of true impact. Inspiration or the inception of a few mindset shifting ideas is the highest achievable, but no real change can be attained in the long run.

The company mantra of The Happiness Factory, helping ambitious leaders and their teams reach more in an easier way, and our long term orientation -based on deep collaboration and partnerships-, makes things completely different.
What ultimately drives me in this way of working, is to contribute to a better, more aligned, more creative and more innovative world, today and for tomorrow. And how better do this, than by supporting others to create this new world together with me?

Through my work and experience in different industries -finance, public private partnerships (PPP's), medical, academic, logistics-, I feel I can guide and empower others to be the change we both want to see in the world, in their company, in their team and in themselves.

For me that change means:

Unbridled interest in people and what drives them: explore your dreams, hopes, fears and emotions to find out what it is you really want and why; discover novel things and unfamiliar places to bring all these together and create new things, new ways and new partnerships.
Being creative, from drawing, painting and sculpting, over gourmet cooking, to dancing.
Unfaltering belief in the inherent good nature of humanity.
Seeing the beauty in all things: the reflection of the sunset in the raindrops on the porch; the warm, surprised smile of the old man crossing the street after the young woman has halted to let him pass; the twinkle in the eyes of the girl talking about how her beloved greatuncle has taught her to be true and kind to herself; the 1001 overwhelming colours a voyage through the rainforest brings; the comforting purr of the cat upon one's return home, greeting one as if one has never left;...
Lifelong learning. Finding your inner voice. Never a dull conversation. Deep connections.

How I can support you in this

I'm initially educated as a philosopher, and like to gain a profound, analytical understanding of your situation.
Every conversation will challenge you and leave you with tantalising questions to ponder, but at the same time will have a fun and wholehearted approach, in which we both gain insights.
I'll help you find your inner voice and stand your ground in a genuine and respectful way, resulting in more clarity and less conflict. Leading you to reach more in a more creative and innovative way.
I combine thought experiments and the realm of the theoretical as a philosopher, practical experience as a manager -knowing how to concretise to come to well-defined actions-, insights gained from my PhD research -on minority inclusion and empowerment of female refugees through trauma coping and narrative identity building- to help you grow during our conversations and trainings.
I can bolster you with my expertise in negotiations, conflict management, leadership and stakeholder management.
I will show you kindness and empathy, which are also my biggest pitfalls as a coach sometimes needs to be firm as well.
And I'm a bit of an optimist and can become very enthusiastic about the things I believe in.

My favourite programmes are the 'Ambitious Team Programme' and the 'Intensive Coaching Days', where next to the very personal one-on-one coaching, I get to facilitate and play with small groups and their knowledge.
Here, I can also bring in my experience as a lecturer.

What's your dream for tomorrow? And what's holding you back to step into it and get engaged?

Let's discover this together and let me accompany you on your path!

Coach for Ambitious Teams
Expert in high performing teams & team coaching
Public speaking mentor
10+ years of experience
Based in South Africa

Having grown up with a dream of becoming a Chartered Accountant, I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't discovered my love for working with people. An unfortunate setback crushed my career dream to more humble beginnings starting off as a Personal Assistant, then Bookkeeper before I became Head of a Data Department which housed the largest library of financial information of listed companies on the African Continent.

Before I could get too comfortable in the Investor Relations Space, my Public Speaking skills paid off unexpectedly allowing me to turn my voice into an invoice. This is when I ventured into self-employment, starting off as an Executive Speech Coach, then into the Events Industry and then progressing to Business Strategy Consulting and Coaching all through referrals. The clear constant in all my work was that I was a magnet of leaders as I often found myself facilitating deep, meaningful conversations with key decision makers in business and corporate.

Since then, I ventured into the Leadership Development space developing leaders. Leaders with vision, leaders who are authentic in their interest in people & their challenges and leaders with the courage to do what needs to be done to avert these challenges. As a certified Team Coach, Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Speaker I have helped hundreds of leaders and executive teams to work cohesively and to create an environment that allows their own teams to perform at their natural best. I have also spoken to audiences across Southern Africa, Europe, UAE and USA on topics relating to leadership and team culture.

I am currently serving as Region Advisor of Toastmasters International, a global leader in communication and leadership development, where I provide strategic and tactical support to the top 4 leaders in all the districts in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia. Before taking on this role, I served in various Executive roles including Chief Executive Officer overseeing 4,500 people in 217 branches across 9 countries in Southern Africa. During this time, the organisation recorded a growth of over 10%, one of the best performances in the history of the local organisation and was ranked in the top 12 in the world out of 122 others.

I am the Founder and curator of #PeopleMakingHistory, a movement whose mission is to develop young, smart and ethical leaders on the African continent. I am also serving as Board Chairman of The eHub, an Entrepreneurs Hub dedicated to transforming the plight of the African through the development of enterprise.

Known for my candour, probing questions and creative thinking, I can help you grow your influence and build a high performing team culture.

Communication & Customer Delight Officer
Your first point of contact for all your general inquiries

Representative for the Middle East
Your point of contact for innovative concepts, proposals & solutions
Developing new business opportunities
Building long term customer relationships

Website Experience Officer
Your first point of contact on the website

Veronika Modravá & The Happiness Factory
Complementary modus operandi, combining strategic HR, executive coaching & bespoke training
Aligning and cross-pollinating your company's strategic vision with its people centred approach

Measure the impact of your leadership
Measure happiness & engagement at work
Leadership coaching, adapted to your company's & team's needs

Fighting cyber crime via social engineering
Testing your company's vulnerability in a world full of scammers
Coaching and guidance to align leadership and policies with your company vision and IT security

Your next step after The Happiness Factory
Elevates you from Ambitious Leader to 'Philosopher Leader'
Invite-only network
Aimed at leaders with a clear philosophy & vision to impact their industry & the world