Majority of leadership training today holds balance sheet impact as the best indicator of realised potential – this is a critical (and counterproductive) mistake.
KOTA was created to rectify that mistake, and recontextualise what it means to be an effective leader.
Founded by Edel Marron, Ph.D., in 2024, KOTA’s personal development programmes prioritise bettering the person first, helping individuals and groups connect with their truer, stronger sense of self.
Our unique, holistic and empathy-centred approach, backed by years of industry research, results in stronger leaders, better employee engagement, fortified commitment, and ultimately a better bottom line.
We're on a mission to help workplace leaders reach their truest
potential.
Our Story
KOTA was created in 2024 by Edel Marron, Ph.D., as a direct response to today’s lacking leadership training and its forgotten focus on the ‘personal.’
An employee engagement and wellbeing veteran of early 20 years, Edel was fed up with the same surface-level ‘lip-service’ that’s recycled by every training programme. She felt there was no real sense of what leadership is truly about, its impact on employees, and on the business overall.
KOTA’s approach cuts right to the heart of common business pain points, like lack of employee engagement and retention, low satisfaction, and dwindling performance.
Our programmes are designed to develop leaders emotionally, socially, and attitudinally so that they can become the best version of themselves and in turn, contribute to the best version of their business. They are also applicable to educational settings and the wider community context.
‘Kota’ means ‘ally’ or ‘friend’ in the Sioux language. Just as we expect leaders to have their employee’s back, KOTA will support you every step of the way, providing guidance to create meaningful, lasting change in the workplace.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
― Maya Angelou
“If you prioritise bettering the person, the better leader will rise.”
Edel Marron, Ph.D.
Our Founder
With nearly 20 years’ experience as an employee engagement and well-being consultant, leadership and marketing communications practitioner, researcher, and lecturer, Edel launched KOTA in 2024 to share her hard-won expertise with others.
She has served as a consultant, course director, and lecturer on the topics of organisational behaviour, leadership and management, interpersonal communications, and brand management to learners across the UK and Ireland, including at the Ulster Business School, Ulster University, Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT), and Southern Regional College (SRC).
Edel holds a Ph.D. in Employee Engagement and Workplace Wellbeing, an MBA, and a BSc Hons in Communication, Advertising, and Marketing from Ulster University.
Our Vision
