About
Sharmin Banu: An Executive Coach with a Tech Background
Sharmin Banu has over 25 years of diverse experience as an executive coach and as a technology professional at Microsoft and other places. She specializes in coaching leaders and seasoned professionals in the corporate and startup sectors to develop their emotional intelligence (EQ) and executive presence, resulting in leadership excellence, team collaboration, and desired career transitions. Her expertise extends to coaching VP, SVP, and C-suite executives, addressing the unique challenges they face in their leadership roles.
Sharmin’s Audio Introduction:
Hi, I’m Sharmin Banu — Executive Coach based in Seattle with a background in tech.
If you’re a senior leader, you’re likely accomplished, driven, and passionate. And you might be looking for that next level, creating impact, without adding more hustle to your life.
Since 2009, I’ve helped leaders in Fortune 500s and startups achieve sustainable success by aligning their leadership with purpose and joy.
My clients know their next step isn’t just about doing more — it’s about thinking strategically, inspiring teams, and leading with influence. But when teams underperform, they get pulled into the weeds. Their passion and can-do attitude are often misunderstood as a lack of executive presence.
Through coaching, we shift two key things:
- Letting go of over-reliance on the inner achiever.
- Scaling leadership by developing others — moving from telling to coaching, doing to delegating.
I offer 1:1 coaching, team and group coaching, and workshops to help leaders grow with purpose and joy, which is the key to sustainable success.
As a tangible result, they often get promoted to bigger roles — from Director to VP, VP to SVP, and beyond.
If you’re ready to grow with more purpose and less pressure, let’s connect.
Sharmin’s Approach in Coaching Executives and Leaders
Sharmin believes the key to sustainable excellence is self-awareness and the ability to “search within ourselves” and align with our core values. All other “how-to” training bears minimal long-term benefit without this foundation. Sharmin helps her clients tap into their intrinsic motivation, leading to deeper engagement and sustainable excellence essential for thriving. Her global network of experienced coaches enhances her coaching services, ensuring a high level of quality alignment with her mission.
Sharmin’s firsthand experience with people from diverse cultural backgrounds puts her in a uniquely positioned to coach the diverse workforce in today’s corporate world. She is on a mission to create a meaningful connection with her audience, regardless of how different they may be. She has managed and coached people from various countries, including Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, as well as individuals from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. Sharmin’s clientele comprises executives and senior managers from various reputable companies, including Microsoft, Expedia, Boeing, and Amazon. Her coaching services are tailored to address the unique challenges faced by these businesses. A strong personal connection is at the heart of her coaching approach, fostering open communication and mutual understanding.
Sharmin’s Career Shift from Engineering to Executive Coaching
In 2009, a software engineering manager at Microsoft, Sharmin, discovered her strength and passion for helping people grow. It led to a courageous leap into coaching. In her own words:
“16 years ago, I walked away from my dream career at Microsoft.
From software engineering manager to leadership coach—
🌱 I chose uncertainty over stability, purpose over prestige.
It was scary. It tested my identity, my courage, and everything I thought success was supposed to look like.
💪 The journey since has been grueling. I’ve fallen flat more times than I can count—but each time, I found the courage to get back up and try a different way.
I’ve had the privilege of coaching incredible people across cultures and industries—from Indigenous women leaders in Alaska to tech executives in California.
🎆 In those conversations, I witness something powerful and vulnerable: real transformation and growth from the inside out.
This work challenges me, humbles me, and pushes me to be a better human every day.
❤️🔥And I wouldn’t trade it for anything. ❤️🔥
Read the full story here: My Career Shift from Engineering to Executive Coaching: A Quest for Joy and Purpose
Education and Credentials
Sharmin is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with extensive experience in executive and career coaching. She holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) and a Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science. She is a proud Hokie from Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
Her coaching competency is supplemented with these other credentials and certifications:
EQ in Action, Systemic Team Coaching, Leading Inclusively, Leadership Circle 360, Stakeholder Interviews, Mentor Coaching, TILT365, CCL assessment suite, Hogan Personality suite, and many others. Her coaching competency is supplemented with data-driven leadership assessment tools to identify priority development areas and enhance self-awareness, with a particular focus on change management as a crucial skill in her coaching practice.
Some of her other accomplishments include,
- Designed and facilitated group workshops for career and leadership development
- Speaks and writes regularly on leadership and personal growth—published articles at ICF blog, Human Capital Institute(HCI), and Thrive Global.
- 2018 President of International Coach Federation(ICF) Washington Chapter – The 5th largest ICF chapter in the US. She initiated and established innovative industry partnerships to promote the awareness of coaching.
- She is a volunteer leader for Braver Angels, an organization dedicated to bridging the political divide in the US.
- Sharmin is affiliated with some world-renowned coaching organizations, including Invite Change, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), Reverb, and Hult Ashridge Executive Education.
Such a global network of experienced coaches enhances the quality and success of Sharmin’s coaching engagements, ensuring alignment with our mission and providing extensive support and resources.
Executive Coaching Success Stories
- CTO of a Startup, Former VP of Engineering
Challenge: Onboarding with his new team, managing his anxiety to perform and influence.
Outcome: Developed customized strategies to manage anxiety in high-stakes situations and improved his listening skills, which resulted in a calmer leadership presence and better influence for his team. - VP of a Fortune 200 company
Challenge: Acted like an individual performer, low work-life balance, the team was underutilized.
Outcome: Scaled his team’s performance; better partnered with his leadership and stakeholders to negotiate the scope and responsibilities. Got promoted to SVP within six months. - CPO of a Startup, a former VP of Products at a large organizaton
Challenge: He was struggling to build collaborative relationship with the founder and implement his ideas to scale the organization.
Outcome: He was coached on EQ and assertive communication, which resulted in greater credibility and leadership influence. His strategy and initiatives doubled their customer base within two years. - A Physician Leader at a Major Hospital in the Midwest
Challenge: Overwhelm, exhaustion, lack of career direction.
Outcome: Coaching helped her discover her authentic self, leading to a better life balance and clearer career direction. She enjoyed life more and became more effective at her work while completing her MBA program. - Read more such stories on the executive coaching client testimonial page.
