MEET CLAIRE
Cento was founded by Claire Wirdnam. Born in the UK and raised in Switzerland, Claire has an academic background in classics and modern languages, so her ability to understand different perspectives and navigate change started early.
Her professional life started in the complex and fast-moving world of global supply chains, where she was first introduced to Change and Transition Management. It opened up a whole world of possibilities and triggered a lifelong passion for leading large-scale transformations at local, cross-functional and global level.
With formal certification in adult training, learning and facilitation, Claire has applied her expert skills across multi-national change management initiatives, namely organisational changes, leadership and team effectiveness. Leading large regional and global teams, Claire is a seasoned expert in effectively and seamlessly implementing individual, team and organisational change.
Never one to sit still, Claire has a Masters (MAS) in applied Psychology for Business, and teaches Leadership in Digital Transformation and Change Management in the New Work Environment at the College of Higher Education (FHNW, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz). Before founding Cento, Claire was a Consulting Lead in People & Organisational Growth for Roche in Switzerland.
Based in Basel in Switzerland, Claire is now solely dedicated to CENTO, where she designs tailor-made frameworks that help people and organisations change, grow and lead for the better.
WHY CENTO?
The name CENTO [ˈkɛntoː], originates from a style of Roman poetry where passages from other poems are united to make a new, even better poem.
Creating something new and better from solid foundations is at the heart of Claire’s approach. Most organisations and individuals already have the qualities and tools they need, they just need to know how to apply them to new, changing goals and approaches. This often means agreeing new values and learning new ways to communicate in more effective, inclusive ways.