Lara Menke

Lara Menke is an executive coach, business psychologist and facilitator with over a decade of experience developing senior leaders and leadership teams globally. As Co-Founder & CEO of CAIA, she helps leaders raise performance under pressure by combining the science of psychology with practical, high-impact development interventions.

Before founding CAIA in 2018, Lara worked as a leadership assessor and executive coach at three of the world's leading leadership consultancies: YSC Consulting, Heidrick & Struggles and Korn Ferry. In these roles, she delivered global leadership assessments, post-acquisition integration programmes, and C-suite coaching engagements. She has served as a trusted advisor to a broad range of leaders, from C-suite executives at FTSE 100 companies to scale-up founders.

Her style balances deep psychological insight with commercial pragmatism. By helping leaders identify blind spots, behavioural triggers and underused strengths, she enables the mindset shifts needed to lead effectively through high-stakes transitions, scaling milestones and periods of organisational change. Clients value her ability to get below the surface quickly while leaving them with clear, practical options for action.

With founders and leadership teams, Lara focuses on the dynamics that most often determine whether growth translates into sustainable performance: founder effectiveness, leadership alignment, emotional triggers, team conflict and psychological safety. She designs and facilitates leadership assessments and development programmes at Director, VP and C-suite level across financial services, technology, retail, pharmaceuticals, media and private equity.