Meet the Team
Behind Henka is a team of seasoned professionals with international experience and deep expertise in coaching and leadership development, united by a focus on people and transformation.
Rachel Treece
CEO, The Henka Institute PCC, CPCC, FCIM
Rachel Treece is the CEO of The Henka Institute, and one of Europe's most sought-after executive coaches and leadership facilitators. With a background spanning marketing, HR, and leadership development, she specialises in organisational transformation, culture, and sustainable performance – with a particular focus on financial services and global matrix organisations. Rachel is the creator of the Henka Group Transformation™ model, a practical, results-driven framework that enables teams to create measurable change in short timeframes. She has worked with organisations including JP Morgan, HSBC, UBS, Schroders, Apex, and Aztec, helping senior leaders build cultures of agency, accountability, and lasting performance. A Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Rachel is also the bestselling author of The Henka Effect and host of the Flex and the City podcast – a leading voice on leadership in financial services. Known for her direct, engaging, and commercially grounded style, Rachel brings psychological insight to every engagement – ensuring leadership development translates into real business results.
Åsa Norrie
Henka Partner
Åsa Norrie is a Henka Partner and highly accomplished investment professional with over 30 years of experience across the global asset management industry. A native of Finland with an MSc (Econ) from Hanken School of Economics, she built her executive career across some of the UK and Europe's most significant asset managers – including Standard Life Investments, Aberdeen Standard Investments, and most recently as Regional CEO and Head of Distribution for Europe at Principal Global Investors, where she led a multi-disciplinary team operating across 16 countries and 11 languages. Her expertise spans liquid and illiquid asset classes, with deep experience across institutional and retail clients in real estate, private equity, fixed income, absolute return, and ESG strategies. She is known for building inclusive, high-performing teams and for her collaborative, decisive leadership style. Beyond her executive career, Åsa has held board roles spanning investment, education, and charitable sectors – including at the Investment Company Institute and St George's School, Edinburgh. She brings to Henka the perspective of a leader who has navigated complexity, scale, and cultural diversity at the very highest level of the industry.
Peter Christmas
Henka Partner, Chief Commercial Officer
Peter Christmas is a Henka Partner and Chief Commercial Officer, bringing over 35 years of senior leadership experience in the asset servicing industry across Europe, Asia, and the United States. His executive career spanned client-facing and business development roles at the highest level, including Managing Director positions at Pershing and Standard Chartered Bank, and most recently Head of Client Management and Business Development at NatWest Trustee and Depositary Services. With deep expertise across asset management, wealth management, and investment banking, Peter built a reputation for developing high-performing client management teams and forging lasting institutional relationships across global markets. Since 2022, Peter has pursued a portfolio career, serving as Chair of Apex's UK Depositary business, Senior Advisor to the Fund Boards Council, and taking on consulting assignments across asset management and asset servicing. He holds a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering, the IMC qualification, and the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing. Peter brings both commercial authority and a broad industry network to his role as CCO – uniquely positioned to develop Henka's relationships across the financial services sector.
Lindsey Braik
Henka Partner, Global Head of Talent PCC, ATCT
Lindsey Braik is a Henka Partner and the Institute's Global Head of Talent, bringing over 35 years of international experience in Human Resources, talent development, and leadership transformation. Having held senior executive HR roles across Europe – spanning financial services, industry, medical, and professional services – she combines deep strategic expertise with a highly practical, people-centred approach. Lindsey specialises in executive and team coaching, leadership development, and the design of impactful learning programmes. Her work helps leaders navigate complexity, strengthen capability, and lead with greater confidence and authenticity – delivering measurable behavioural change at both individual and team level. An entrepreneur as well as a practitioner, Lindsey has founded three successful businesses and brings a genuine multicultural perspective to her work with international leaders and organisations – operating fluently in both English and French across diverse international environments.
Ian Holden
Henka Partner
Ian Holden is a Henka Partner with over 30 years of senior leadership experience in global financial services. He spent the final two decades of his executive career at SS&C GlobeOp, most recently as Managing Director and Head of International Hedge Fund Services – leading a global organisation of over 700 professionals across Europe and Asia, serving more than 150 clients and overseeing assets exceeding $1 trillion. His career was defined by delivering performance at scale: building high-performing teams, driving operational transformation, and navigating the full complexity of large, client-driven international businesses. Earlier in his career he held senior roles at ECM and Morgan Stanley, bringing breadth across investment operations and capital markets. Now focused on coaching and leadership development, Ian combines that executive depth with formal training in coaching and team coaching through Henka Institute programmes. He works with leaders and teams to strengthen clarity, alignment, and performance in complex organisational systems – bringing the pragmatism and commercial grounding of someone who has operated at the very highest levels of the industry.
David Sarfas
Henka Partner
David Sarfas is a Henka Partner bringing over two decades of senior leadership experience in financial services and investment fund administration. He spent the majority of his executive career at the forefront of global fund services – most recently as Co-Head of Global Funds and UK Country Head at CSC, one of the world's leading fund administration businesses, and prior to that as Country Head of Luxembourg for Intertrust Group. Throughout his career, David built a reputation for developing strong teams, driving client growth, and leading through complexity across major international financial centres. His deep understanding of the fund industry – its pressures, its culture, and the demands it places on leaders – gives him a distinctive perspective as a Henka Partner. Known for his people-first leadership style and his commitment to developing the next generation of talent, David brings real-world commercial weight to Henka's work with leaders in financial services.
Jervis Smith
Henka Partner
Jervis Smith is a Henka Partner with over 35 years of experience in banking and financial services, spanning four continents and some of the world's most significant financial centres. He spent 25 years at Citigroup, building a career that took him from the UK through the Middle East, New York, Hong Kong, and London – holding senior leadership roles across investor services, client management, and business development before serving as Head of Investor Services in Luxembourg. In 2019, Jervis joined Vistra as Country Managing Director for Luxembourg, leading the business through a period of significant growth in one of Europe's most important fund jurisdictions. His executive career has been defined by deepening client relationships, developing people, and leading large, complex organisations across multiple markets and cultures. Now a Henka Partner, Jervis brings that breadth of international leadership experience to his work supporting senior leaders in financial services – offering the perspective of someone who has navigated the pressures, complexities, and cultural demands of the industry at the highest level.
Laura Butt
Head of Operations
Laura Butt is the operational backbone of The Henka Institute, ensuring that everything the business promises to clients is planned, coordinated, and delivered to the highest standard. Reporting directly to CEO Rachel Treece, she leads operations across client relations, marketing, training delivery, and digital – managing the rhythms, systems, and people that keep a fast-moving, globally active coaching practice running smoothly. With a BSc in Psychology and Criminology, Laura brings a genuine understanding of human behaviour to her operational work – a thread that runs through her career in people management, recruitment, and coaching. Before joining Henka, she worked directly alongside the founder of a high-growth careers platform, running day-to-day operations and content strategy across three international sites scaling to over 18 million organic visitors and £1m+ in revenue. She has also worked as a private career and life coach, supporting senior professionals through significant leadership and business transitions. At Henka, Laura bridges the CEO, the coaching team, and the clients – translating vision into structured delivery, maintaining standards, and ensuring the business operates with the consistency and care its clients expect.