Isabella is available for hire
Hire IsabellaIsabella Brusati
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Milan, Italy
Toptal member since July 6, 2026
Bio
Across financial services and manufacturing, Isabella has spent over 20 years building post-merger integration and organizational change programs. Her toolkit centers on SAP S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, and Microsoft Copilot. While at Lloyds Banking Group, Isabella led a GBP 20+ million divestiture across 15 countries with 85% talent retention against a 65% benchmark.
Career Highlights
Senior Change Director
Isabella Brusati
Certification Highlights
Certified Executive Coach (CEC)
Center for Executive Coaching
Digital Transformation
IMD Switzerland
Case Studies
Stargate
Change ManagementChange Readiness AssessmentResistance ManagementEnterprise Change Management (ECM)Stakeholder EngagementStakeholder Analysis
Expertise
- ADKAR Change Model
- Change Leadership
- Change Management
- Culture Management
- Digital Transformation
- Enterprise Change Management (ECM)
- SAP S/4HANA
- Stakeholder Engagement
Work Experience
Senior Change Director
2025 - PRESENT
Isabella Brusati
- Delivered independent change management and post-merger integration practice serving senior transformation leaders on ERP, digital, AI, and post-M&A programs.
- Led change management for a 12-country SAP S/4HANA rollout across European manufacturing sites (EUR 60+ million, 2,000+ users) for CBS Consulting Germany (SAP Premier Partner), achieving go-live on schedule and measurable adoption across all markets.
- Owned change strategy, stakeholder engagement, training design, communications architecture, and go-live readiness across all markets.
- Ran organization-wide change impact assessments and readiness surveys across 12 countries, feeding intervention sequencing and resource allocation into SteerCo governance reporting.
- Mapped the employee experience at each stage to identify adoption friction and co-designed solutions with local HR and line leaders, resulting in a 47% reduction in identified resistance within six months.
- Designed and delivered leadership coaching and capability sessions for sponsors and line managers across 12 countries to equip them to lead change conversations and manage resistance.
- Built and managed a network of 125 change agents across 12 markets, running induction and performance monitoring to sustain plant-level engagement.
- Applied project management disciplines to coordinate change activities, dependencies, risks, milestones, and readiness across the 12-country SAP S/4HANA implementation.
- Used business analysis, stakeholder interviews, and process mapping to identify operational impacts, adoption barriers, role changes, and local implementation requirements.
- Facilitated stakeholder alignment between the SteerCo, programme leadership, local HR teams, functional leaders, and the network of 125 change agents.
Focus areas: Change Management, Post-M&A Integration, SAP S/4HANA, Stakeholder Engagement, Leadership Coaching, Adoption and Usage, SAP ERP, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Mapping, Stakeholder Alignment, Stakeholder Communication, Enterprise Change Management (ECM), Change Communication, Change Leadership, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Change Readiness Assessment, Governance, Project Management, Prosci ADKAR, ADKAR Change Model, Training, Employee Engagement, Business Analysis, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Post-merger Integration, Process Mapping, Business Communication, AI Adoption
Director and Senior Change Management Strategist
2019 - 2025
Prosci
- Built the Italian operation from inception by recruiting and leading a team, establishing client relationships, and growing revenue 250% over three years with over 95% client satisfaction and over 85% repeat business.
- Managed full P&L for Italian operations and contributed to European group revenue as a senior leadership team member.
- Selected for the Tiger Team on European Target Operating Model redesign for a 100+ person professional services firm.
- Served as trusted CXO-level advisor to Fortune 500 clients across SAP S/4HANA, digital transformation, AI implementation, and post-acquisition integration.
- Owned change management strategy, capability building, and post-integration adoption for post-acquisition integration projects with Fortune 500 clients.
- Delivered capability programs for the Lenovo change team by certifying approximately 40 practitioners with application to AI and Microsoft Copilot adoption.
- Tailored change capability and practitioner certification for internal change and HR teams at Unilever, ABB, Barilla, Sage, and Reply.
- Designed and ran Center of Excellence programs serving 5,000+ employees with an average 40% improvement in adoption rates.
- Certified 1,000+ change practitioners across 40+ countries.
- Served as visiting lecturer at ESCP and MIP Politecnico di Milano EMBA programs. Published on change management by AIDP and HRC Group. Delivered keynotes at Torino Digital Days and AHK.
Focus areas: Change Management, SAP S/4HANA, Digital Transformation, Prosci ADKAR, ADKAR Change Model, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Change Readiness Assessment, Change Leadership, Change Communication, Change Impact Assessment, Enterprise Change Management (ECM), Change KPIs, Hypercare, Adoption and Usage, AI Adoption, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Leadership Coaching, Workshop Facilitation, Business Communication, Organizational Transformation, Target Operating Model Design, TOM, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Alignment, Stakeholder Analysis, Stakeholder Interviews, Business Readiness, Board of Directors, Management Consulting, Culture Management, Facilitation, P&L Responsibility, Business Development, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Resistance Management, Change Management KPIs
Group PM
2018 - 2019
The School of Coaching
- Increased profitability by 10% by redesigning the Service Product Blueprint and improving the commercial and operational logic behind service delivery.
- Led an operational change program to embed the new service model, aligning stakeholders, clarifying roles, and supporting adoption across impacted teams.
- Improved service delivery effectiveness by translating the redesigned Service Product Blueprint into clearer processes, responsibilities, and performance tracking mechanisms.
Focus areas: Digital Transformation, Coaching, Training, Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Process Mapping, User Adoption, Change Communication, Business Readiness, Business Communication, Adoption and Usage, Strategy
Independent Senior Consultant and Director
2008 - 2018
Isabella Brusati Consulting
- Served as senior change and organizational transformation practitioner at the C-suite and program board level across global financial services with full change lifecycle.
- Led change delivery for a GBP 20+ million post-acquisition divestiture across 15 countries affecting 3,000+ employees. Handled change strategy, communications, training, stakeholder management, and transition support.
- Managed seven direct reports and built C-suite relationships across acquiring and divesting entities through complex commercial and regulatory negotiations.
- Restructured employee transition communications and line manager support tools. Schieved 85% talent retention against a 65% benchmark.
- Introduced proactive risk governance that cut program delays by 30%. Maintained over 90% stakeholder satisfaction over an eighteen-month delivery.
- Designed and delivered cultural integration and organizational change following a GBP 45B bailout affecting over two thousand employees. Delivered all regulatory milestones and ROI targets on time.
- Led HR process integration following the USD 50B Merrill Lynch acquisition. Redesigned workflows, delivered change communications and training, and achieved GBP 1.5+ million annual savings with engagement scores maintained.
- Directed cultural transformation grounded in psychological safety and behavioral accountability. Eliminated GBP 2+ million legal exposure, and cut litigation by 80% within twelve months.
- Partnered with the CFO on an HR optimization program. Facilitated engagement interventions and leadership alignment sessions. Accelerated adoption by 25% against baseline.
Focus areas: Change Management, Organizational Transformation, Divestitures, ADKAR Change Model, Adoption and Usage, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Stakeholder Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Culture Management, Post-merger Integration, Enterprise Change Management (ECM), Change Management KPIs, Due Diligence, Standardization, Change Impact Assessment, Change Readiness Assessment, Change Communication
Change and Project Manager
2007 - 2008
Hammonds LLP
- Raised employee retention by 23% through a targeted organizational change program focused on leadership alignment, employee engagement, and improved ways of working.
- Diagnosed the key organizational drivers behind employee turnover and translated findings into focused interventions to improve retention and workforce stability.
- Strengthened manager ownership of retention by engaging leaders, aligning priorities, and embedding practical actions to improve employee experience.
Focus areas: Change Management
Deputy Manager and Change Lead
2003 - 2006
Peninsula
- Established the firm's first change management center of excellence to standardize transformation processes.
- Advised major corporate clients, including Mitie, Chelsea Football Club, and American Express, on employment law and HR matters, helping them manage workplace risk and avoid unnecessary legal escalation.
- Supported clients in preventing employment tribunal exposure by strengthening compliance, improving employee relations processes, and resolving disputes before they escalated.
Focus areas: Change Management, Employment Law, Change Leadership
Education
2002 - 2006
Master's Degree in Human Resources Management
University of Manchester - Manchester, UK
2000 - 2001
Master's Degree in Labor Studies
Universita Degli Studi Di Milano - Milan, Italy
1991 - 1998
Bachelor's Degree in Legal Studies
Universita Degli Studi Di Milano - Milan, Italy
Certifications
APRIL 2026 - PRESENT
Certified Executive Coach (CEC)
Center for Executive Coaching
JUNE 2025 - PRESENT
Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner
Genos
DECEMBER 2024 - PRESENT
Systemic Team Coaching
AoEC
DECEMBER 2023 - PRESENT
Digital Transformation
IMD Switzerland
DECEMBER 2022 - PRESENT
Business Sustainability
University of Cambridge
SEPTEMBER 2022 - SEPTEMBER 2027
EMCC Global EIA Senior Practitioner
EMCC Global
NOVEMBER 2020 - PRESENT
Leadership Circle Profile (LCP 360) Certified
Leadership Circle Profile (LCP 360)
MAY 2019 - PRESENT
Prosci Change Management Practitioner and Advanced Certified Instructor
Prosci
APRIL 2019 - PRESENT
Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner
Prosci
Skills
Finance
Due Diligence, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Rating
Industry Expertise
Law, Professional Services, Employment Law
Other
Change Management, Post-M&A Integration, SAP S/4HANA, Stakeholder Engagement, Leadership Coaching, Digital Transformation, Organizational Transformation, Organizational Change Management (OCM), AI Adoption, Resistance Management, Prosci ADKAR, ADKAR Change Model, Change Readiness Assessment, Change Leadership, Change Communication, Change Impact Assessment, Enterprise Change Management (ECM), Change KPIs, Adoption and Usage, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Workshop Facilitation, Coaching, Training, Stakeholder Analysis, Culture Management, Post-merger Integration, Change Management KPIs, Standardization, Executive Coaching, Emotional Intelligence Coaching, The Leadership Circle, Leadership Development, Process Mapping, Stakeholder Management, Business Analysis, Management Consulting, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Communication Management, Communications Management, SAP ERP, Post-merger implementation, Stakeholder Mapping, Stakeholder Alignment, Stakeholder Communication, Stakeholder Interviews, Organizational Readiness, change, Business Communication, Corporate Communications, Governance, Employee Engagement, Business Readiness, Facilitation, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), User Adoption, Strategy, Divestitures, Human Resources Management, Hypercare, Team Coaching, Project Management, Business Planning, Board of Directors, Investment Banking, FMCG, Manufacturing, Legal, P&L Responsibility, Target Operating Model Design, TOM, Business Development
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