Elevating Senior Tech Leaders to Become Trusted Business Executives and Shape What’s Next

Executive & Career Coaching for experienced technical professionals, whether they’re leading today’s teams or navigating tomorrow’s opportunities.

About Me

I’m Art Akerman, Professional Certified Executive Coach, former CTO and VP of Engineering, trusted partner to senior technology leaders and the companies that count on them.After 30+ years leading global teams at Microsoft, Capital One, FICO, and PwC, I now help senior tech professionals grow their impact, influence, and leadership presence, either in their current role or in times of transition.I focus on two critical inflection points:

  • When organizations need to elevate trusted experts into influential, strategic leaders

  • When seasoned tech leaders are redefining what’s next in their careers and want to land intentionally, not reactively

Join Leaders From Top Companies

FORGE Executive Coaching

For Organizations Investing in High Performing Tech Leaders
(Sponsored by the leader’s manager, CxO, or HR)This coaching program helps senior technical leaders:

  • Strengthen strategic presence and influence

  • Build trust across teams and functions

  • Elevate leadership visibility with executives

  • Become credible contributors to company-wide decisions

  • Lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose

Ideal for:
Directors, VPs, and Principal Product Managers/Engineers who are ready for more impact.📍 Includes sponsor alignment calls, 1:1 sessions, assessment and 360 feedback (if desired), and a tailored leadership development plan.

FORGE Career & Transition Coaching

For Senior Tech Leaders Exploring What’s NextIf you’re navigating a layoff, reorg, or plateau, this coaching helps you:

  • Define the next chapter of your career with clarity

  • Rebuild momentum and confidence after an unexpected exit

  • Communicate your story in ways that reflect your full value

  • Position yourself for aligned, high-impact opportunities

  • Land and launch stronger than before

Ideal for:
Experienced tech professionals (Director-level and above) seeking strategic career growth or navigating change.🟢 Includes strengths assessment, 1-1 sessions, resume/Linkedin reviews, mock interviews.

Client Testimonials

Kan Tang

VP of DevOps Engineering

I landed a VP position in less than six months thanks to Art’s coaching. His strategic guidance and tailored approach made all the difference. Colleagues at Microsoft had already spoken highly of his leadership, praising his intelligence and ability to inspire top talent... and he lived up to every word. Art knows how to empower, challenge, and elevate leaders. I strongly recommend him to anyone ready to accelerate their career growth.

Dolica Gopisetty

Cloud Solutions Architect

Through coaching with Art, I discovered my authentic leadership style, sharpened my communication, and built the confidence to lead with empathy in tough conversations. His support was pivotal in my transition from individual contributor to leader. From our very first session, his insight and ability to pinpoint exactly where I needed to grow confirmed he was the right coach for my journey.

Yuri Galperin

VP of Software Engineering

Art helped me refine my leadership approach, strengthen my decision-making, and face high-stakes challenges with confidence. His role as both sounding board and accountability partner gave me the clarity I needed to grow as a leader at a Fortune 500 company. Art’s results-driven yet empowering style left a lasting mark on my leadership journey.

FORGE Framework

The FORGE Framework is a proprietary coaching structure designed to help technical experts grow from trusted executors to strategic, enterprise-level leaders.Every coaching engagement follows these five stages of transformation:🔹 F – Focus Shift
From outputs to outcomes.🔹 O – Organizational Trust
Lead beyond your lane.🔹 R – Relational Intelligence
Move from influence by logic to influence by connection.🔹 G – Growth Presence
Bring calm, conviction, and clarity to every room.🔹 E – Enterprise Impact
Shape the system, not just your sprint.

My Approach

Most coaches charge per session. I don’t.Each engagement is structured around achieving a specific leadership or career outcome within a defined timeline. We meet as often as needed to create real transformation, not just surface-level insights.This outcome-based model is designed to maximize value for both the client and the company investing in them.

Let's Explore What's Possible

Whether you’re sponsoring a leader inside your organization or leading your own next chapter, coaching through the FORGE Framework delivers measurable impact.

© 2025 Executive Forge Coaching. All rights reserved.

Services Agreement

Congratulations! I am excited to have you come into this program provided by Executive Forge Coaching, LLC. I can’t wait to get started supporting your professional and personal growth.Please read the following agreement carefully so that you know exactly what to expect.Client Ground RulesAs a client, I understand and agree that I am fully responsible for my physical, mental and emotional well-being during my coaching calls, including my choices and decisions.  I am aware that I can choose to discontinue coaching at any time.I understand that “coaching” is a Professional-Client relationship I have with my coach that is designed to facilitate the creation/development of personal, professional or business goals and to develop and carry out a strategy/plan for achieving those goals.I understand that coaching does not involve the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.  I understand that coaching is not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care or substance abuse treatment and I will not use it in place of any form of diagnosis, treatment or therapy.I understand that information will be held as confidential unless I state otherwise, in writing, except as required by law.I understand that certain topics may be anonymously and hypothetically shared with other coaching professionals for training OR consultation purposes.I understand that coaching is not to be used as a substitute for professional advice by legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual or other qualified professionals.  I will seek independent professional guidance for legal, medical, financial, business, spiritual or other matters.  I understand that all decisions in these areas are exclusively mine and I acknowledge that my decisions and my actions regarding them are my sole responsibility.On Results, Refunds, And RelationshipsThis coaching relationship is a place to openly bring your challenges, ideas, and goals. My focus is to help you make more progress towards these goals than you would make on your own. His role is that of a coach, consultant, and thought partner. I agree to readily offer my guidance to ensure that you are focused on the right things.You agree to give 100% to this coaching relationship, knowing that you are ultimately responsible for your business results. Your return on investment from this program will be determined by your level of effort and from factors outside of our control.Relationships are built on communication. If you ever feel that you are not getting what you signed up for, please communicate that directly to me so that I can make reasonable adjustments. I may also provide you feedback during the program in an effort to help you maximize your investment.In the many years I've been coaching, I’ve only had a small number of clients request a refund. To say it’s rare is an understatement. I may issue refunds on a case-by-case basis provided I receive requests within five (5) calendar days of your kick-off call. No refunds will be issued after your first week of coaching.Taking a PauseI do not encourage nor allow people to take a pause. That said, life has a way of throwing us curve balls. If there’s an emergency, I invite you to approach me straight away and to be as candid as possible. Fair warning: since I serve a limited number of people at a given time, we cannot guarantee that your coaching can restart right away when you are ready. Please contact me to discuss the details and to schedule a restart date.Intellectual Property Rights And AttributionAll program materials, including the pre-recorded training videos, private coaching calls, messages, any group coaching call presentations, and other communications, will remain the sole property of Executive Forge Coaching, LLC subject to your rights to a non-assignable single user license to use in your coaching business upon payment in full of the program fee.You shall not reproduce any of the materials without Art’s prior written consent given in his sole discretion. In all cases you shall attribute the material to Art Akerman.You grant Art perpetual permission and license to use quotes you make during and after the program without compensation, as long as you have first given your written consent of usage. At the end of your contract period, you will have the opportunity to create a client case study. This allows us to improve our service and share your story with others.AI in CoachingHow AI Is UsedI may use AI tools (such as ChatGPT) to:Draft or refine coaching questions, session plans, or learning exercises.Summarize anonymized session transcripts for my own preparation.Generate ideas for articles, frameworks, or resources relevant to our work.What Data I Never Share with AIYour name, company name, or any personally identifying information (PII).Sensitive personal history or confidential business information.Audio or video recordings.All data is scrubbed before entering an AI system. I use automated anonymization software to replace names with coded IDs and remove indirect identifiers (e.g., job title + location combinations that could identify you).Anonymization ProcessEvery transcript or note is processed locally to detect and remove PII before AI sees it.Known client names are replaced with consistent IDs (e.g., C001) for continuity.Remaining identifiers are generalized or removed.Data Retention & StorageRaw session transcripts remain encrypted and stored locally, not in AI tools.AI-processed summaries are kept in my secure Notion workspace.All files are reviewed periodically, and unnecessary files are deleted.I turn off any feature that uses my chat data to train public AI models.I ensure AI tools I use (including services like Zoom AI summaries) do not use my data to train public models.Accuracy & Human OversightAI suggestions are never used without my review.
I cross-check all AI outputs for accuracy, relevance, and ethical alignment before incorporating them into our coaching.Bias & EthicsAI tools can reflect biases present in training data. I actively watch for and correct this.I follow the ICF Code of Ethics and ensure AI use supports, not replaces, the coaching relationship.Your ChoiceYou can request:No AI involvement in your coaching at all.A copy of any AI-assisted materials created in our work.MiscellaneousIf any provision of this Agreement or any portion thereof shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable. This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes any prior written or oral agreements between the parties. This Agreement can only be modified by an instrument signed by both parties. The captions herein are for convenience only. This Agreement shall not be interpreted against the drafter. The failure of either party to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver or limitation of that party's right to subsequently enforce and compel compliance with every provision of this Agreement. Electronic signatures shall be considered originals. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of state of Executive Forge Coaching, LLC’s headquarters.These provisions shall survive termination of this Agreement.ConclusionWorking with you is a privilege. There are many coaches out there to hire and many ways to invest your time. I am honored that you chose me.Effective as of 11th October 2024