Where leaders come to
think out loud
and lead with intention.
HT Leadership By Design creates trusted spaces where leaders gain clarity, broaden perspective, and strengthen their leadership effectiveness through reflection, meaningful dialogue, and continuous learning.
Request a ConversationEvery leader reaches a moment where experience alone is no longer enough.
HT Leadership by Design is a private leadership practice that helps senior leaders lead with greater intention, deepen their purpose, strengthen their presence, and broaden their perspective so they can navigate complexity with sound judgment and create lasting impact.
Harriet Thornhill.
“Leadership is a journey. As leaders navigate new responsibilities, changing circumstances, and defining moments in their careers and lives, access to spaces that offer thoughtful reflection, deeper self-awareness, and continuous learning becomes essential to how they lead with purpose, influence, and lasting impact.”Harriet Thornhill, Founder, HT Leadership by Design
A world where the leaders who hold the room are never left to hold it alone.
Leadership Experiences Offered.
Senior Leadership Development.
Senior leaders at Director level and above, navigating increasing complexity, change, growth, and influence. Built on reflection, peer dialogue, and practical application.
How do I continue to grow as my responsibilities expand? How do I deepen my self-awareness and lead through constant change without losing perspective?
Executive Advisory and Coaching
Senior leaders who want a 1:1 professional and trusted coaching relationship to help them navigate the complexities and nuances of their leadership and career journey.
- Where can I be transparent and vulnerable with what I am experiencing to gain heightened clarity and perspective
- How do I continue to grow as my responsibilities expand?
Career Shifts
Leaders considering their next chapter, whether prompted by organisational restructuring, career change, entrepreneurship, board opportunities, retirement, or a desire to define what comes next.
What comes next for me? Where can I create the greatest impact? How do I navigate change with confidence?
Next Gen Leaders
High potential professionals in the early and middle stages of their careers, preparing for greater leadership responsibility and influence.
What capabilities will distinguish the leaders of tomorrow? How do I build credibility and influence early in my career?
Designed Engagements
Organizations seeking leadership experiences built to their specification, strengthening leaders, teams, and leadership culture against specific organisational priorities.
How can we invest in our leaders in a meaningful way? What leadership experience would best support our organisation's goals?
Reflective leaders are nearly twice as confident their organisations can adapt quickly to change.
McKinsey now puts a number on what senior leaders have long sensed. The leaders who make space for reflection are nearly twice as confident their organisations can move with change. Reflection is not the pause between the work. It is the work. This practice is built on that conviction.
Source: McKinsey & Company, The State of Organizations 2026Request a Conversation.
Thank you for your interest in HT Leadership by Design. Every engagement with this practice begins the same way it continues: with a conversation held in confidence.
Please share the information below, a member of the team will be in touch to arrange an introductory conversation.
Designed thoughtfully. Curated with care. Carried forward.
A private
leadership
practice.
Leadership by Design convenes senior leaders at the moments that continue to shape their leadership.
“This practice is for leaders at the moments that matter most in their leadership journey: the broader role, the unexpected pivot, the question of what comes next, or the resolve to continue with greater impact and clarity. The intent is the same throughout: a considered space, the company of peers, and counsel that endures.”Begin a Conversation
What the practice is.
The practice operates by introduction or invitation. Each cohort is intentionally selective and drawn from leaders whose work, conduct, and trajectory commend them to the room.
Cohorts are formed by sector, stage, and circumstance. The first, the founding cohort, is dedicated to women in leadership. Future cohorts will be announced as they are confirmed, and each will be shaped to the particular work of the leaders in the room.
Designed thoughtfully. Curated with care. Carried forward.
Leadership Experiences Offered.
Five ways this practice meets leaders where they are, each designed with intent for the moment at hand.
Senior Leadership Development.
Senior leaders at Director level and above, navigating increasing complexity, change, growth, and influence. Built on reflection, peer dialogue, and practical application.
How do I continue to grow as my responsibilities expand? How do I deepen my self-awareness and lead through constant change without losing perspective?
Executive Advisory and Coaching
Senior leaders who want a 1:1 professional and trusted coaching relationship to help them navigate the complexities and nuances of their leadership and career journey.
- Where can I be transparent and vulnerable with what I am experiencing to gain heightened clarity and perspective
- How do I continue to grow as my responsibilities expand?
Career Shifts
Leaders considering their next chapter, whether prompted by organisational restructuring, career change, entrepreneurship, board opportunities, retirement, or a desire to define what comes next.
What comes next for me? Where can I create the greatest impact? How do I navigate change with confidence?
Next Gen Leaders
High potential professionals in the early and middle stages of their careers, preparing for greater leadership responsibility and influence.
What capabilities will distinguish the leaders of tomorrow? How do I build credibility and influence early in my career?
Designed Engagements
Organizations seeking leadership experiences built to their specification, strengthening leaders, teams, and leadership culture against specific organisational priorities.
How can we invest in our leaders in a meaningful way? What leadership experience would best support our organisation's goals?
Designed thoughtfully. Curated with care. Carried forward.
For women navigating pivotal
moments of leadership.
Ten women at director level and above, gathered by introduction or invitation. The founding cohort is bookended by one-to-one sessions with the Lead Facilitator, a private conversation pre-cohort, and another once it concludes.
About the FounderFor women navigating pivotal moments of leadership.
For women navigating pivotal moments of leadership, the broader role, the unexpected pivot, the quiet question of what comes next, or the resolve to continue leading with greater impact and clarity.
If a leader comes to mind whose career leadership warrants a seat in this room, recommendations may be sent to harriet@htleadershipbydesign.com.
Three months. Bi-weekly. Designed with intent.
“This practice is for leaders at the moments that matter most in their leadership journey: the broader role, the unexpected pivot, the question of what comes next, or the resolve to continue with greater impact and clarity. The intent is the same throughout: a considered space, the company of peers, and counsel that endures.”Harriet Thornhill, Founder, HT Leadership by Design
Ten leaders. One room. Designed with intent.
Master classes led by experts
of national and international standing.
Each expert has been invited by Harriet to the cohort experience to lead a session within their domain. Together they reflect the disciplines that distinguish leadership at the highest levels, performance psychology, change, resilience, and the inner work of leading.
A faculty of national and international standing. A room composed with care.
Harriet
Thornhill
Harriet Thornhill is a respected leadership voice in the community, with over four decades of experience at RBC, Canada's largest bank by market capitalization. She held senior leadership roles across Canada and internationally, helping lead through periods of growth, transformation, and increasing complexity.
Throughout her career, she has mentored, coached, and developed leaders across diverse backgrounds, and is recognized for building strong teams and leading with clarity, intention, and humanity.
- Vice-President, Global Contact Centres · RBC
- Regional Vice-President, Greater Toronto Area · RBC
- Head of Retail Banking, Caribbean · RBC
- MBA
- ICD.D · Institute of Corporate Directors
Recognition
from those who
have led alongside.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors and as a proud Tyndale University alumnus myself, I am delighted to have Harriet serve in the role of Chancellor,” said Board Chair Ross Clark. “Demonstrated through her extraordinary leadership, Harriet embodies what we hope for students, who will emerge from Tyndale to live lives with passion and purpose, engage societal issues and make an impact in the lives of those around them.”
“Harriet is a respected leader whose influence spans business performance, leadership development, and community engagement. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated effective change leadership and built high-performing teams that contributed to a strong client experience, employee growth, and business results.
Beyond her professional achievements, Harriet is committed to creating opportunities for others, championing youth engagement, empowerment, and community development. She has not only broken barriers throughout her career but has held the door open for countless others to follow. I admire Harriet's leadership and integrity, and greatly value our friendship. ”
“As Regional President, Personal Banking, Harriet played a key role in shaping the RBC Caribbean strategy, which included a major regional acquisition. She amplified Caribbean Banking's performance improvement efforts, driving revenue growth by launching new sales forces in key market segments, delivering efficiencies through productivity enhancements, and structuring and developing local market leadership. Harriet left an indelible mark, making a significant contribution to both the employee and client experience.”
“As Vice President, Global Contact Centres, Harriet led a team of over 4,000 professionals providing investment, lending, and cross-border credit card and banking advice. Her leadership drove leading employee satisfaction scores and #1 call centre service awards year after year. From digital and social media support to launching the first AI virtual assistant in the company and Canadian banking industry, Harriet was a champion for innovation and digital adoption.”
“Harriet's deep leadership experience has brought tremendous value to our work together. Her leadership approach is grounded in integrity, collaboration, and a growth mindset, consistently driving thoughtful decisions and strong outcomes. Her insight and advisory are highly valued and regularly sought out.”
“As a business leader and coach, Harriet is recognized for her courageous and thoughtful decision-making. Her proficiency in empowering colleagues is exceptional, and her leadership methodology is firmly rooted in personal example, character, and integrity. Additionally, her aptitude for translating a strategic vision into tangible outcomes, while simultaneously cultivating talent, has consistently yielded sustained business results, enhanced service delivery, and meaningful impact.”
“Harriet is a leader par excellence!
She joined RBC Caribbean banking at an extraordinary time of significant challenge and transformation. During that time, Harriet led with clarity, purpose, authenticity and composure. Personally, her mentorship strengthened my confidence, expanded my perspective and deepened my approach to leadership. She created an environment where I felt supported, trusted and encouraged to grow even amid complexity and uncertainty. She taught me that true leadership is not just about inspiring performance but uplifting others along the way. Harriet's influence shaped an important chapter of my career, and I am eternally grateful for the enduring impact she has had on my professional journey.”
Forty years of leading. One practice designed.
A note to the
practice.
For enquiries regarding our Leadership Experiences, or to begin a conversation with the Founder.