Ad Infinitum Partners

Ilka is the most passionate and committed thought leader in the field of individual and team coaching. She has vast and dedicated experience of performance coaching teams and individuals. Ilka is quickly able to get to the heart of the matter and guides you to a welcoming and viable future state. Ilka has directly impacted the growth and success of Bastion Advisory from inception in 2019 until today through her dedicated and selfless support of the team. Thank you Ilka!

Ilka facilitated a two-day strategy workshop for our team and did an outstanding job. Her methodologies created a clear structure for the discussions and quickly got everyone aligned. She has a very disarming and inclusive approach, which enabled her to draw out exactly what was needed from the group. As a result, the team reached a shared, fully bought-in direction with clear, actionable deliverables. I would highly recommend working with her.

Ilka’s wisdom, deep experience, and quick brain come so fully into the facilitation space when she works, landing messages and ideas with potency and charisma. Her ability to read a system accurately and decide in the moment what it needs is remarkable. I love working and thinking with Ilka, and I learn so much every time I do.

I have worked with Ilka for over ten years and experienced her as a rare leader and coach who can link systemic change at the individual leader level, the leadership team level and the whole organizational transformation level. She focuses on what the business and its stakeholders need, and she brings passion, care, and clarity to her work. She is a key partner for Renewal Associates both in Africa and internationally.

Leadership for systemic change is complex, demanding work. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with Ilka as she spearheaded this in the business FirstRand arena, and through this have gained some key insights. Firstly, that Ilka is someone who innately sees and takes into account the ecosystem of the transformation and that change is more than just a shifting of mechanical or technical functions. She inspires through holding the gaze on both the horizon and the immediate detail. Secondly, she deeply understands the critical function of culture, mindsets, and relationships in the transformation process; how this calls for patient, persistent encouragement and support – and that for the kind of lasting change we need it takes a journey and not a simple in-and-out intervention. Our decade of working together has seen some profound organisational and leadership shifts taking effect, often in very tough circumstances, and throughout it all Ilka has stayed true to the vision of a just and sustainable world… AND infused it all with creativity and delight. What a privilege it’s been!

I have worked with Ilka for over 20 years, and I have always found her to be intellectually curious about the business, the people, and importantly the linkages between them. She is a truth teller, unafraid to bring the real conversations into the room, and she creates a space for people to sit in discomfort so that real change can take place. As one of the internal coaches on our flagship program, Ilka was always assigned to leaders with unique potential to lead and make a difference. With her in their corner, they took on more responsibility and thrived. Ilka has a great sense of the world, and truly sees how people can do better by being better. I always loved working with her.

Ilka’s deep practical experience in a large corporate environment allows her to distil the core matters to cover for a team in a manner that’s executable. It allows the team to take ownership and keep building on the initial themes in a positive and productive manner.

I have had the privilege of working with Ilka Dunne for more than seven years across a number of Senior Business Leaders Executive Programs, initially at Rand Merchant Bank and later across the broader FirstRand Group. During this time, I have consistently been struck by Ilka’s rare ability to create and hold spaces where real learning, reflection and transformation can take place. Ilka is a true specialist in applied and embodied learning. She does not treat leadership development as a purely intellectual exercise. Instead, she creates experiences that help leaders access deeper levels of self-awareness, explore the connection between personal and collective achievement, and translate insight into meaningful action. One of Ilka’s greatest strengths is her ability to translate systems thinking into practical, grounded leadership practice. She enables leaders to step beyond the narrow boundaries of their roles and see the wider systems they are part of: their organisations, their industries, and the societies they serve. Importantly, she does this in a way that expands perspective without overwhelming people, helping them discover how their leadership can become more intentional, more impactful and more responsible. Ilka works with ease across sectors and disciplines, bringing together diverse perspectives in ways that spark creativity and action. She is exceptionally skilled at holding spaces for creative thinking while guiding groups toward practical outcomes. Working with her is always both a privilege and a powerful learning journey.