Gena Wade is an executive consultant to leaders seeking to improve client relationships and business results through improved communications and clarity of thought. She helps leaders to say what they mean in high-stakes situations such as communicating strategy internally or externally, writing proposals, delivering pitch presentations, and engaging in critical client conversations. Gena coaches leaders and teams to apply best practices for client relationship development, pursuit strategy, and success in written word with the human element to create authentic, trustworthy connections.

Gena helps leaders better express their ideas to customers and prospects. For example, for a Canadian company with a national IT systems replacement project, Gena helped the leadership team (and their customer’s leadership team) clarify their thinking and persuasively express their views about project risks at a critical go-no go decision point. The company and their client successfully entered a freeze period to regroup and plan for the next phase launch. For another consulting services client focused on significant growth, she developed a new message architecture to address the market. The architecture describes the firm’s understanding of their clients’ business problems, the significance of these problems, and the benefits of solving these by using the services that the firm provides.  The firm is using this architecture to relaunch its web presence and direct its sales messaging in pursuits.

Gena also assists companies pursue their largest and most strategic sales opportunities, with a focus on building trust in the sales process.  She consults on capture strategy; develops the message architecture for all communication, including the written proposal; offers editorial oversight and key section writing; and coaches teams in orals presentation delivery.  For example, she is developing the message architecture and consulting on strategy for a company pursuing a services contract to replace the voting system for a large US county before the 2020 elections.

To extend impact across leadership teams, Gena also teaches seminars on business development effectiveness.  For example, she has developed and delivered a training module on executive presentation effectiveness, addressing both content development and oral delivery.  She will be teaching this seminar multiple times for one client to train their leadership teams across four business units serving the federal government.

Prior to 2017, Gena worked for CGI, a global IT and business process services firm, for 11 years. Her most recent role was as Vice President for Strategy and Best Practices for the US business unit. In this function, she co-developed and delivered a CGI-wide training program for business development effectiveness, teaching in the US and globally. For nearly a decade, Gena also led large, strategic sales pursuits for both state and local government and commercial accounts, typically in the $50-250M range.

Prior to CGI, Gena worked for American Management Systems (AMS) for 5 years in executive support, business strategy, marketing communications, and business development for state and local government. Before joining AMS, Gena served in Florida government for 14 years, primarily as a policy analyst leading teams researching state program performance to recommend improvements to the Legislature. She also served as a researcher and administrator for three governors.

Gena has a BA and a Masters of Public Administration from the Florida State University, where she is a University Fellow. She resides in Arlington, VA and Valley Lee, MD.