About Us
The Company
Ancora LLC is a provider of professional services in the areas of organizational development, talent management, leadership development and executive coaching. Focused on our customers' specific needs and company culture, Ancora is adaptive, nimble, practical in its approach, creative in its thinking and decisive in its action. We develop close working relationships to best serve our clients - we are highly responsive.
Ancora specializes in working with organizations going through change or transition, designing and implementing programs and processes where none previously existed, and in some cases, revising practices that no longer align with a company's goals and may be impeding progress.
Collaborative and inclusive, Ancora has the ability to connect with and relate to employees at all levels - from the C-suite to craft labor - and our diverse industry experience gives us a solid foundation from which to draw. No two companies are alike, and neither are Ancora's solutions. Put us to work to produce high quality deliverables for your company on time and on budget.
Valerie M. Laborde - Founder and Principal
Valerie Laborde is an organizational consultant and certified executive coach with a diverse background in organizational development, talent management, leadership development and change management with multinational organizations. She has worked across multiple industries, including oil and gas, offshore construction, manufacturing, technical services, information technology and finance with global experience spanning Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. She has extensive experience collaborating with C-suite executives on strategy development to enhance organizational effectiveness.
Valerie's corporate background encompasses approximately 18 years in leadership roles with notable global organizations, and 11 years as Founder and Principal of Ancora LLC focusing on organizations in transition and companies attempting financial turnaround. She excels in entrepreneurial environments and has maintained her practical, hands-on approach in supporting her consulting and coaching clients.
Valerie has successful experience designing and implementing global talent management strategies programs and processes where none previously existed, integrating performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, targeted leadership development and executive coaching. She delivers large-scale organizational initiatives for clients, aligning internal communications programs with change management to ensure adoption of new strategies, processes, structures, and technology.
As an executive coach, Valerie has a sense of urgency in supporting her clients to achieve their best outcomes through structured coaching processes, personality and behavioral assessments, multi-rater feedback and detailed development planning. She coaches individuals at all organizational levels, including C-Suite executives, senior management, regional and functional heads, and emerging leaders and works extensively with global executive leadership teams on increasing productivity through effective team dynamics.
Valerie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University and a PCC (Professional Certified Coach) credential through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She is certified in multiple assessment instruments, including Hogan; Hogan 360; EQ-i 2.0 (Emotional Quotient Inventory); EQ 360; Actualized Leader Profile (ALP); ALP 360; Group Culture Profile; Change Style Indicator (CSI); DLP 360; DRiV Insights; and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). She is based in Houston, TX.
