Hi, I’m Nawal Bendefa!
I didn’t start as a Coach, I started as someone who needed one.
This isn’t just a business—it’s a reflection of what we believe in. We’re here to create work that matters, led by a shared commitment to quality and care.
My Journey
CHAPTER 1 — THE CORPORATE YEARS
Ten years in business before coaching. Brand Manager at Christian Dior. Product Manager at Fiat/Alfa Romeo. Head of Internal Communication at BMCE Bank. Retail Manager at Dufry in Switzerland. I led teams, navigated corporate politics, managed budgets — and learned what it actually takes to perform under pressure.
"Before coaching leaders, I was one. That decade in corporate is what makes the coaching real."
I also experienced my own transition into middle management — the confusion, the loneliness, the gap between being brilliant at your job and knowing how to lead.
Nobody gave me a map. That experience never left me.
CHAPTER 2 — THE LEAP
In 2006, I completed my Master in Human Resources at IAE Strasbourg — with distinction. Switzerland came first, where I was coached for the first time. Something cracked open. Then the Philippines in 2009, where I became a coach. South Korea. Singapore — where in 2014, UTP Coaching Solutions was born. as a response to demand.
From Singapore, the practice expanded across the United States, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa. Coaching in English, French and Arabic — the human being underneath the culture, before anything else.
CHAPTER 3 — THE TOOLS
Fifteen years taught me one thing above all: most tools are shallow and expensive. They generate enthusiasm, not transformation. So I built my own. REINFORCE for strengths-based exploration. Me-Map for self-discovery. Leadership-Up for the transition I never had a map for.
CHAPTER 4 — TODAY
I work at the intersection of coaching, talent development and human performance — with organisations who know their people are their most important variable, and with coaches who want to go deeper.
I advise HR leaders and CEOs, deliver programmes across 40+ countries, speak internationally on leadership and the AI-human edge. And I am writing the book I wish had existed when I became a new manager.
WHAT I BELIEVE
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
BEYOND WORK
Energy over information — lasting transformation comes through what energises, not what corrects
Silence creates clarity — the most powerful moments in coaching are often the quiet ones
Performance is built, not decreed — through self-knowledge, psychological safety and collective dynamics
The human edge is not optional — in an AI-driven world, it's the only thing that can't be automated
10 years in corporate — I speak the language of business because I lived it
15 years as facilitator, trainer and leadership coach — I know what resistance looks like, and what moves people through it.
40+ countries, 4 continents — universality became my methodology
Introvert in an extrovert's profession — my superpower is making space, not filling it
Grounded in the AI transition — practically and humanly
Based in Belgium. Coaching in English, French and Arabic.
Grounded and creative, I recharges through yoga, hiking and improv.
Mentor Coach volunteer through Teach for All.
Coach volunteer in Dakhla, Morocco — supporting women entering hospitality and kite-surfing.
Moroccan, Maghrebi, deeply human. Warmth and humour are in my roots — and in the room.