Jay Fehnel

Jay Fehnel is an executive coach, whose prior experience as a Chief Operating Officer, General Manager, and board member enables him to deeply support and challenge his executive clients. Jay helps leaders reach their next level of contribution and fulfillment, to benefit themselves, their team and company, and the world.

Jay coaches executives in the C-Suite, along with their direct reports and high-potential successors. He helps his clients quickly develop greater awareness of their current business environment, reputation, strengths, and potential derailers. His clients use this insight to create action-focused development plans and make clear progress through new perspectives and practices.

Jay’s clients appreciate his ability to help them become aware of the assumptions and habits that are interfering with their development. His coaching style combines direct conversations, thought-provoking questions, humor, and encouragement.

Prior to becoming a coach, Jay held executive roles for 19 years at Tribune Media Services including as COO and GM, with full P&L responsibility.  In Jay’s time there, profits grew 28x and the company (now named Gracenote) was later sold to Nielsen for $560 million.

Jay also worked for NBC, Disney, and Redbox in strategy, M&A, and marketing roles. He served as a board member of Yellowbrix, Inc., a media and technology company. He has been a consultant for VC- and PE-backed companies and frequently mentors MBA  entrepreneurship classes.

Jay’s coaching clients have worked in a variety of industries, including retailing, consumer packaged goods, food, insurance, media, hospitality, and finance. His client companies have included: Walgreens, Hyatt, Allstate, Comcast, Health Care Services Corp., RXBAR, Simple Mills, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Macy’s, AmerisourceBergen, and Deloitte.

Jay is currently based in Chicago, Illinois.

Certification

• Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coach Federation
• Hogan Assessments
• Coaching Mindset Index (CMI)
• Korn Ferry 360°
• Leadership Effectiveness Analysis™ (LEA™)
• MRG Leadership Impact Report

Education

• Master of Business Administration), Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management
• Bachelor of Arts with highest honors (Communication), Purdue University
• Certificate in Leadership Coaching, Georgetown University

Practice Areas

• 360-Degree Feedback
• Executive Coaching
• Executive Onboarding
• Executive Team Coaching & Development
• Leadership Development
• Strategic Planning