Martial arts
- World champion in Hoi Jeon Moo Sool, Detroit, 2000.
- Approximately 100 full-contact fights.
- Experience coaching martial arts athletes and developing the sport internationally.
About Aslak
TWO WORLDS. ONE APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT.
Aslak de Silva is an international business leader, executive coach, author and martial arts world champion. His career has involved leading and developing organizations across different industries, markets and cultures.
Alongside his business career, martial arts has remained an important part of his life, from full-contact competition and coaching to developing his own understanding of leadership mastery. The Black Belt in Leadership brings these experiences together.
Not two separate lives
THE DOJO AND THE BOARDROOM KEPT TEACHING THE SAME LESSON.
In a full-contact fight, the truth arrives quickly. Preparation shows. Ego gets exposed. A plan that looked perfect may disappear with the first exchange, and the only useful question is what you do next.
Leadership revealed the same dynamics at a different scale. Across six leadership teams and four CEO roles, Aslak learned that pressure does not create character so much as reveal the habits already in place: how clearly you see, how calmly you respond and whether people can trust you when the plan changes.
Leading international teams with people from more than 30 nationalities made the lesson deeper. There is no single style, phrase or display of authority that works everywhere. Clarity has to travel across cultures. Trust has to be earned. Presence matters more than performance.
The professional journey
BUILT IN BOTH ARENAS.
International business leadership
- Senior sales leadership at Keskisuomalainen.
- Chief Revenue Officer at Naava, supporting international growth.
- CEO of Nordic Business Forum, including leading through the COVID-19 disruption and digital transformation.
- CEO of Selfly Store, building an international business and growing recurring revenue.
- Commercial leadership in European SaaS and e-invoicing, including Inexchange.
Coaching and thought leadership
- Executive coaching.
- Author of The Black Belt in Leadership.
- Podcast host.
- International keynote speaker.
- Forbes Business Council contributor.
6Leadership teams
4Times as CEO
30+Nationalities led
100Full-contact fights
Personal perspective
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT NEVER REALLY ENDS.
I have learned many of my most valuable leadership lessons in situations where the outcome was uncertain. Sometimes that has been in martial arts competition. Sometimes it has been in a boardroom, during a major business transformation or while developing an international team.
These situations have reinforced my belief that leadership is not a fixed set of characteristics. We develop by practicing, receiving feedback, reflecting on our behavior and learning to adapt.
The more experienced we become, the more important it is to recognize that we still have something to learn.
Executive coaching
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP IS PERSONAL.
Leadership challenges rarely have one universally correct answer. Executive coaching creates space to examine these challenges, recognize assumptions and develop a broader range of responses — drawing on experience in international leadership, organizational development and martial arts.
Get in touch
WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPLORE THIS FURTHER?
Sometimes a leadership challenge deserves a deeper conversation. If you would like to discuss your leadership development or explore personal executive coaching, you can leave your contact details and I can get back to you.
What the work is for
LESS THEORY. MORE USEFUL PRACTICE.
Aslak’s work is for leaders who want to be ready—not perfect. It is about building the presence to stay in the moment, the humility to change course and the discipline to return after a setback.