
Awa Diaw
5.0
(4)
Strategic Thought Partner for Leaders navigating complexity
Studied at Kelley School of Business (Indiana)
Works at Microsoft
Available tomorrow at 5:30 PM UTC
Open to be flexible with hours, please feel free to message me directly and we can find a time that works best.
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Awa's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $175/hr
Get help with Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Intelligence, and .
Awa also coaches for Executive Coaching, Career Coaching, and General Management. View all.
Awa’s Leadership Coaching Qualifications
Experience level: Executive
I bring over a decade of experience working with senior leaders at Microsoft and in institutional governance, with deep expertise in organizational design, leadership development, and strategic HR. At Microsoft, I’ve coached VPs through critical transitions, guided leadership teams through post-acquisition integration, and helped executives gain clarity on complex decisions amid competing priorities. I’ve also served as Chair of the Bowdoin College Alumni Council and its Diversity Committee, leading governance and strategic decision-making at the institutional level. My approach is grounded in real-world experience with power dynamics, organizational complexity, and the isolation that comes with senior leadership. I specialize in creating space for leaders to surface unseen blockers, strengthen their decision-making, and move forward with clarity and confidence. I hold certifications as a Prosci Change Practitioner, OKR Coach, and Agile Scrum Master, and I bring practical tools from organizational psychology and adult development to my work.
Awa can help with:
Diversity and Inclusion
Emotional Intelligence
Problem Solving
Conflict Resolution
Change Management
Ethical Leadership
Time Management
Coaching and Mentoring
Awa also coaches for Executive Coaching, Career Coaching, and General Management. View all.
About Awa
I am a senior HR Business Partner at Microsoft, where I design and scale leadership systems across global teams. I partner with senior leaders across regions and cultures to drive organizational clarity, talent strategy, and executive effectiveness in complex, high-growth environments. My work sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. I help leaders move from operational delivery to strategic influence by sharpening decision-making, narrative clarity, and cross-functional alignment. I have personally navigated a career pivot into tech and executed an international move from the United States to France, building my career inside a global organization while adapting to new cultural and business environments. That experience gives me a practical understanding of reinvention, positioning, and leading across diverse teams and backgrounds. If you are ambitious and ready to operate at the next level of leadership, I will help you think more strategically, influence more effectively, and accelerate your trajectory.
Why do I coach?
I coach because I have seen how often capable leaders underestimate their leverage. Throughout my career, I have worked with global teams across cultures and markets, and I’ve learned that advancement is rarely about working harder. It is about thinking systemically, communicating with precision, and positioning yourself intentionally. When I pivoted into tech and relocated internationally, I realized that success required more than competence. It required strategic self-awareness, clarity of narrative, and the ability to operate across diverse stakeholders. Coaching gave me the frameworks to do that. Now I help others accelerate their growth with the same level of intentionality.My goal is not simply to help you perform better in your current role. It is to help you think and operate at the level above it.
Work Experience
Senior HR Business Partner
Microsoft
June 2023 - Present
HR Business Transformation Manager
Microsoft
July 2020 - June 2023
Diversity and Inclusion Manager
Microsoft
July 2019 - July 2020
Delivery Manager
Microsoft
May 2017 - August 2017

Risk Assessment Analyst
NYC Department of Education
January 2015 - July 2016
Graduate Hall Director
Barnard College
August 2013 - May 2016
Education

Kelley School of Business (Indiana)
MBA
2016 - 2018

Columbia University - Teachers College
Master of Arts (M.A.), Education Policy and Social Analysis
2013 - 2015
Activities and societies: Center for African Education, YWCA Policy Fellow, TASC Program Evaluator
Bowdoin College
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Africana Studies/ French
2007 - 2011
Activities and societies: African Alliance, African American Society, Muslim Student Association, Indoor Track and Field, Intersection Dance Troupe
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