Leadership Is Built Through Living It
“To make quality decisions, you need to understand how the entire organization functions, not just your department.”
Some professionals build careers, while others build systems, people, and long-term value. Irena Grofelnik belongs to the latter group.
Her professional story does not follow a linear path but rather a strategic arc: from operational roles, through sales and people management, to top executive positions, and ultimately to her current role as a consultant, interim manager, and owner of Spiriton, a consultancy specializing in leadership, systemic coaching, and team transformation.
A Career Built from Within – Function by Function
Irena began her professional journey in human resources, where she gained a deep understanding of organizational systems, legal frameworks, and the dynamics of working with people. This was followed by roles as a Key Account Manager for institutional and diplomatic partners, Director of Real Estate Sales at a regional investment holding, and CEO in the hospitality industry, where she held full responsibility for P&L, teams, and strategic development.
This breadth of experience, spanning HR, sales, finance, operations, asset, and service management, forms the foundation of her leadership maturity today.
“To make quality decisions, you need to understand how the entire organization functions, not just your department.”
Sales as a Mirror of Leadership
For Irena, sales was never just about numbers or results. As a Sales Director in the industry and FMCG sectors, she led international teams across more than 15 markets, managed key global clients, and closed multimillion-euro deals – all while focusing on relationships, trust, and long-term sustainability.
In the HoReCa industry, she increased team engagement from critically low levels to high functionality and implemented new tracking and reward systems. She was responsible for a P&L of €60 million and led complex sales transformations.
COTRUGLI Executive MBA: A Turning Point for Professional and Personal Growth
Although she already had a strong career, Irena made the pivotal decision to enroll in the Executive MBA program at COTRUGLI Business School not because she needed validation, but because she needed a broader perspective.
“I realized I didn’t need another specialization. I needed a comprehensive view of business and a clearer understanding of myself as a leader.”
For Irena, the COTRUGLI Executive MBA became a turning point: a place where experience connected with strategy, intuition with analytics, and operations with long-term thinking. While attending the MBA program, she simultaneously took on her first CEO position, where theory, practice, and personal development came into balance for the first time.
The program gave her structure, language, and confidence in decision-making under uncertain circumstances, but more importantly, it gave her inner clarity.
“COTRUGLI didn’t just give me tools. It gave me maturity. It taught me to ask the right questions of myself and others.”
From Authority to Mature Leadership
At the start of her career, Irena admits she adopted an authoritative style from her superiors: fast, demanding, and often driven by pressure. Although results were achieved, the culture was unsustainable.
Over time, she developed her own leadership approach, now clearly articulated through her 5E Leadership Model: Empathy, Education, Engagement, Energy, and Experience.
She doesn’t view people through their functions but through their values, behaviors, and contributions to the system. She believes skills can be learned, but character and culture are built exclusively through consistent leadership.
Today: Interim Manager, Consultant, and Mentor to Leaders
In recent years, Irena has worked as an interim manager and consultant in complex business situations: turnaround projects, supply chain optimization, sales strategy development, startup leadership, and team transformation.
She often leads multiple organizations simultaneously, but today, with one important difference: she consciously chooses her clients.
“This isn’t a luxury. It’s a responsibility to myself and to those I work with.”
The Message She Carries Today
Through Spiriton, coaching, and training, Irena works with leaders who understand that results without people have no future.
Her message is clear: Leadership is not a title. Leadership is the ability to connect people, purpose, and results – while staying authentic.
In a world of rapid change, her work is a reminder of what truly matters: organizations are not transformed by tools but by awareness, courage, and mature leadership.