An Entrepreneur With Integrity and Resolution
Born British and a naturalised Canadian, Raj Hayer has lived in seven cities with a wonderful network of friends and communities in every city she considers her closest allies and advocates. Currently, lives between London, England and Munich, Germany and her parents are from Punjab, India.
Raj Hayer holds a Global Executive MBA from St. Gallen, an MBA, and a Bachelor of Commerce, as well as project management (PMP) and motivational analyst (MSA) certifications. Since the age of 9, she has been working in her parents’ store and in management and leadership roles ever since she turned 16, the entrepreneurial spirit was instilled within her
“Driven by my passion for ‘Future of Work’ topics and the impact technology and AI can have on our everyday working lives, I enable leaders to understand how best to leverage their greatest resource – their people. I leverage over 32 years of experience in management roles, team development, and leadership coaching to advise businesses on strategies for market entry, human capital transformation and change management initiatives. I have led strategic planning efforts for customer experience, formalising and defining crucial metrics to ensure sustainable business growth.” She now promotes “Social Leadership”, which combines the social representation of values and beliefs, social responsibility for the UNSDGs and social media as a primary communications tool.
Raj Hayer strives to build networks, connections and community to help others succeed whilst cultivating strong and authentic relationships and connecting with like-minded people. This work is her passion and it also enables her to deliver award-winning results and lead with professional excellence. She exclaims, “my global studies have influenced my interest in differing corporate cultures, and the challenge of sustaining innovation culture and increasing team cohesion. I am passionate about the connections between diversity and innovation and leveraging culture analytics to improve employee engagement in organizations.” She works to improve communications and education in expert topic areas, working with her designer to improve their marketability, build networks and client leads, as well as share their expert knowledge through various media.
When working alone as an entrepreneur, scheduling time is the most important tool to ensure that Raj prioritizes time away from her desk. Meditation and walks with friends help her keep a peaceful balance and hiking in the mountains near Munich help provide perspective. Holding boundaries, personally and professionally as well as keeping integrity and authenticity is crucial to ensuring that one is surrounded by good energy and people who support and keep one healthy and balanced as per Raj Hayer. She has been a victim of a serious car accident and had a heart aneurysm that created numerous health complications, so she understands the importance of maintaining energy.
Appetite for business for her is really about the people and helping them succeed. She claims to have had a great boss years ago who said that “I am doing my job well if everyone who works for me succeeds and they want to work with me again”. The same goes for her business, “are you helping people succeed? And would they want to work with you again?” She is driven by her passion to find out what people love to do and what they are great at doing, and then to help them to share their expertise with the world. Being able to celebrate themselves and their successes is what drives Raj Hayer to continue to work hard and help more people succeed.
While the onset COVID moved her business to virtual events, it reminded her that a business needs multiple income streams and it took her back to her original goals of developing an education platform and materials as well as creating communities for retreats and mutual support.
Raj continues to coach individuals on their career paths, mentor at her alma mater, as well as donate to research, young minds and mental health institutions. Frequently, she speaks on stage, records a TEDx and volunteers to speak at executive classes about the impact of AI on health advancements after the adversity she faced. “Having survived adversity I have developed incredible resilience, as well as determination to succeed, however not creating boundaries at an earlier age and standing up for myself as a woman of colour has led to being held back or taken advantage of.” Some of Raj’s notable accomplishments include contributing to the #1 ranking in JD Power and Synovate for Customer Satisfaction, pioneering the first TD Canada Trust National Mystery Shop Program, contributing to the #1 ranking in JD Power and Synovate for Customer Satisfaction and increasing the NPS from 27 to 33 within three years. She also won the TD Bank “League of Excellence” Award on a trip to San Francisco (2011). For leaders: “Don’t tell it, show it and for entrepreneurs: “Done is better than perfect” are the words of wisdom she likes to share with her viewers in the end.
