Thomas applied to INSEAD, drawn by its reputation for intellectual breadth and international perspective. What he found exceeded his expectations. “I thought management wasn’t really a science,” he laughs. “But I was blown away.” Professors Manfred Kets de Vries, Landis Gabel, and Sumantra Ghoshal left a lasting impression. Professor Kets de Vries, in particular, ignited Thomas’s passion for psychology. “He was so smart and mischievous. His lectures invited you to look closer and not stop looking.”
That influence would prove pivotal. After INSEAD, Thomas joined BCG, where he spent 17 years, eventually becoming a partner and leading the healthcare practice in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. But the pressure of leadership took its toll. “Three months into partnership, I was waking up at 4 a.m. with anxiety,” he says. A suggestion to try coaching led to a personal transformation, and a new professional calling.
While still at BCG, Thomas enrolled in a two-year intensive coaching program. “It was a turning point,” he says. Eventually, he left consulting to focus on coaching and team facilitation full-time, integrating his scientific background with a deep understanding of human behaviour.
This journey culminated in the publication of two books, the first an inside-out leadership journey, and the most recent, Espresso Your Mind. Both were edited and published by his friend, fellow INSEAD alumna, Rachna Chowla MBA’09D. His latest book, structured as an A-to-Z of psychological concepts, is designed to make complex ideas accessible to a broad audience.
Espresso Your Mind is now available in the INSEAD library, and alumni can request it through the school’s lending service. “Writing a book is one thing,” Thomas reflects. “Publishing it and making it meaningful is another. But it’s been incredibly rewarding.”
Looking back, Thomas credits INSEAD with opening his mind to new disciplines and ways of thinking. “It was a place where economics, psychology, and strategy all came together,” he says. “It changed the trajectory of my life.”
Today, Thomas continues to coach leaders and facilitate cultural transformations, drawing on a rich blend of scientific rigour, psychological insight, and spiritual depth. His work is infused with a sense of playfulness and purpose - qualities he believes are essential not only in leadership but in life itself. Whether through silent retreats, poetry, or his latest book, he remains committed to supporting others reconnect with their inner clarity and courage.
His advice to current students and recent graduates is characteristically thoughtful: “Everyone lives a life to the extent to which their nervous system has decided it’s safe. Learn to regulate your inner world. That’s where real leadership begins.”
For Thomas, the journey from molecules to mindsets has been anything but conventional. But it’s precisely this eclectic path - rooted in curiosity, shaped by INSEAD, and refined through years of introspection - that makes his story so compelling. It’s a reminder that the most meaningful careers are not always planned, but discovered through openness, resilience, and a willingness to evolve.
