Muriel Maignan Wilkins, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Paravis Partners is a C-suite advisor and executive coach with a strong track record of helping already high performing senior leaders take their effectiveness to the next level. Muriel is the host of the Harvard Business Review podcast, “Coaching Real Leaders” and is the co-author, with Amy Su, of “Own the Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence” (Harvard Business Press).
Since co-founding Paravis Partners, a premier executive coaching and leadership development firm, Muriel has been instrumental in leading the Paravis’ growth from a start up to a multi-million dollar business. After many years of being asked how she did it, Muriel developed The Executive Coach’s Business Development Masterclass to support other executive coaches looking to grow their businesses. Prior to following her entrepreneurial pursuits, Muriel’s professional experience included serving on the senior team of U.S.News & World Report where she held profit and loss responsibility and turned around two business divisions to profitability within 18 months. Muriel’s professional background also includes roles in marketing and strategy at Accenture and The Prudential. She started her first business at age six when she offered to “save” her family members’ change in a safe place in exchange for a penny a week – little did she know this was called a bank. At age 10, she took on her first job as an employee delivering the Saturday paper and quickly decided that one day she’d be her own boss.
Muriel was recognized by the Washington Business Journal as one of Metro-DC area’s “Top Minority Business Leaders”. She wrote the best-seller “Own The Room: Discover Your Signature Voice to Master Your Leadership Presence” (Harvard Business Press, April 2013) with Amy Jen Su. She has been frequently quoted in numerous media outlets and has contributed to the Harvard Business Review. Muriel holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a marketing degree from Georgetown University, and Leadership Coaching Certification from Georgetown University.
Muriel spent the first 18 years of her life living in North Africa, Europe and the Caribbean and moved to the United States in the late 1980s giving her an invaluable perspective which she brings to her work. She now proudly calls Washington DC home where she resides with her husband, their twins and their rescue boxer pup. Muriel is deeply passionate about education and human rights issues. She is addicted to running and Peloton and finds great joy from reading a good book while savoring a nice glass of red wine.