How Taisalia began
From doctoral research to a practice built on leadership, performance and people.
The beginning
Research first
Taisalia began as a business name on the back of my PhD research at Trinity Business School, “The Identity Shift: AI Adoption in Cancer Diagnostics”.
My role grew from there. I became a paid expert lecturer, consultant and business coach with Trinity College Dublin and the University of Galway, working especially with Master’s students alongside my supervisor, Dr Na Fu.
Growth
From research to practice
It then grew organically into a coaching and consultancy business, through work with the SAP alumni network and with OughtAI by Hybrid Vision at the BattleLab, where new defence technology, software and tactics are tested in controlled environments.
That work draws on seven years in the French Armed Forces as a military nurse and medic in rescue and disaster-response units. It also draws on more than 20 years leading global HR technology programmes for organisations such as the UN, the International Red Cross, the International Olympic Committee, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, HSBC, Barclays, NAMA, Capgemini, Lidl, Auchan and Specsavers.
Leadership
It is about people
It also became clear that my Olympic coaching skills could help businesses and students. Many common problems are not technical or process problems; they are about human behaviour.
I studied that through psychology, business and law during my Master of Leadership at Deakin University under Dr Andrew Creed, which opened my eyes. With Dr Na Fu as one of my mentors, Dr Harald Eckert as my coach and mentor since my time at SAP, and several of my managers at Specsavers, “leadership” became a key word for me: not just listening, but understanding what people mean and putting myself in their shoes.
High performance
Demand from sport
Demand also came from sport. I worked with athletes at six Olympic Games, from Sydney 2000 to Tokyo 2021. After retiring from international coaching following Rio 2016, I began coaching at the University of Galway. That led to high-performance consultancy with governing bodies, clubs, regional organisations and institutions such as the University of Galway.
I owe a great deal to Steve Trew, my mentor in triathlon coaching, to Dick Shoulberg, my mentor in swimming, and to coaches Gregg Troy and Bob Bowman for their advice over the years.
The name
Why “Taisalia”
The name Taisalia comes from my daughters, Alicia, Isla, Lila and Teagan, and my wife, Aisling.
The dots in the logo represent my daughters, with the fourth set apart from the other three in memory of Teagan. Purple is my favourite colour, and the lily is my mum’s favourite flower.
Sébastien Locteau, Managing Director