Advisory for boards, family businesses, and leadership transitions
Beaufort 8 advises boards, executive teams, and family businesses on succession, governance, and leadership — the decisions that determine who leads next and how well they are prepared.
Our advisory work is grounded in direct corporate leadership experience at leading companies across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United States. We have led large-scale transformation programs, served as executive leaders working with boards, and built the succession and governance systems our clients now need.
We combine the analytical sharpness of experienced consultants with the effective approach of practitioners who have implemented what they recommend. Our solutions are evidence-based and backed by substantiated academic research, and don’t just follow intuition or trends.
Force 8 on the Beaufort scale marks the point where conditions become serious — gale-force winds, rough seas, real consequences for the unprepared. It is where experience and preparation make the difference. That is the territory we work in.
Principal
Alexander Goettling
Founder, Beaufort 8 Coaching & Consulting
Alexander has held Chief HR Officer and Vice President positions across the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, alongside specialist and advisory roles in board governance and executive talent management at organizations including Saudi Aramco, Lidl, and IBM.
At Saudi Aramco, he led board effectiveness for the company’s global affiliate portfolio — evaluating boards across subsidiaries, joint ventures, and affiliates worldwide, designing governance academies, and building the succession framework for senior executive positions. At Lidl, he led a leadership transformation for store managers across multiple countries during a period of significant international expansion. Before moving into corporate leadership, he spent over a decade in management consulting, progressing to Director with full P&L responsibility.
Alexander holds dual MBAs from Durham University and EBS University, is a Fellow of CIPD (UK) and CPHR of the Australian HR Institute, and is an accredited executive coach (Academy of Executive Coaching). He was a visiting lecturer in Strategic HR Management and Talent Management at MBA and master’s programs and has published on talent management, strategic HR, and board effectiveness.
Areas of Practice
Board Effectiveness
Evaluation, composition analysis, and governance development for boards of directors. We have designed, implemented, and run board effectiveness programs for global affiliate portfolios, governance academies for board members, and simulation-based assessment programs for prospective non-executive directors. Our methodology is built around three dimensions, twelve domains, and a four-level maturity continuum — from compliance-driven boards to boards operating as strategic assets.
Succession Planning & Leadership Development
Designing, implementing, and operating integrated leadership development and succession frameworks — from competency models and leadership assessments through development journeys, coaching, mentoring, and developmental assignments. We build systems that produce measurable movement in successor depth and readiness, not reports that sit on a shelf.
Executive Coaching
One-to-one coaching for board members, CEOs, and senior executives navigating transitions, stepping into expanded roles, or preparing successors. Our coaching practice spans executive onboarding and transition coaching, leadership performance coaching, and career development — informed by assessment data, not just intuition.
Corporate and HR Transformation
Organizational redesign, HR operating model development, talent management system design, and change management for companies undergoing strategic transformation. We have led these programs across energy, retail, technology, and manufacturing sectors on multiple continents.
How We Work
Beaufort 8 operates as an extension of the leadership teams it advises, not as an outside observer. Engagements are scoped to produce results that outlast the advisory relationship — a succession pipeline that actually delivers “ready & prepared” leaders, a board that continually improves its own effectiveness, or leaders who create impact.
The practice is deliberately focused. Senior professionals with operational experience lead engagements directly. Our methodology is structured and evidence-based — shaped by careers in management consulting where analysis carried the argument, and tested through years of corporate leadership where concepts had to survive implementation.