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Paul Stevelman is an ICF-certified (ACC) executive coach and the Founder and CEO of Stevelman Group. He is also certified by the Center for Executive Coaching—one of the nation’s leading programs for business coaching — and by Genos International as a Certified Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner.

From 2015 to 2023, Paul served as Chief Executive Officer of NatWest US and as Chairman of RBS Securities.  Prior to 2015, he built a successful career as a corporate attorney, beginning at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft and later joining Greenwich Capital Markets, which subsequently became NatWest/RBS. Paul is a graduate of Columbia College (BA, ’85) and New York University School of Law (JD, ’88).

Paul built his coaching practice on a 30-year leadership journey that spanned the trading floor, the boardroom, and the general counsel’s office.  As U.S. CEO of NatWest Markets — and later as U.S. Chair and Global Sponsor for Talent and DEI — he led large-scale transformation under pressure, turning around performance, simplifying complexity, and keeping people at the center of every decision. That experience now fuels his coaching philosophy: helping leaders elevate performance with clarity, confidence, and empathy.

A people-first operator, Paul believes that culture is a performance system, not a slogan. At NatWest US, he partnered with the global management team and board to reset culture and strategy, sharpen risk appetite, and rebuild a lean, tech-enabled platform — moving from losses to profitability, reducing cost-to-income, strengthening governance, and improving the firm’s risk control rating. While those metrics reflected success, Paul emphasizes the human dimension behind them: transparency; authentic communication in volatile moments, steady decision-making, and deep investment in teams.  These same levers now underpin his coaching work with clients — leading through change, managing career transitions, executing strategy with discipline, and cultivating “people first” relationship-driven leadership that compounds over time.

The most significant challenge I’ve faced in my career began in 2015, when I was appointed CEO of NatWest U.S., based in Stamford, Connecticut. At the time, I was serving as Co-General Counsel. The bank’s U.K. board was under immense pressure from the British government to reduce the scale of our global operations after the financial crisis. As the new CEO, I was asked to lead a massive restructuring that would reduce our U.S. workforce by nearly 80%.

For our incredible US team, this meant that the business as we knew it was over. It was devastating for the outstanding professionals who had built their careers, families, and communities around an organization they loved. For many, their personal and family stability depended on the sustainability of this business — now in crisis. The strategic plan called for us to be wound down, replaced by a much smaller, refocused business model. Understandably, this sent shock waves through the region, and most staff immediately began to seek new roles. Our management team shared a legitimate fear that the announcement would irreparably damage our reputation with employees, competitors, regulators, and, most importantly, our clients. The board, recognizing the difficulty, set a modest mission: maintain operational stability and regulatory compliance during the wind down. Expectations were low — revenues, talent, and client confidence were all projected to erode.

But we didn’t just survive — we thrived. Many great people chose to stay. Many of our top clients stayed, too. Revenues predictably declined, but costs came down even more, and profit margins improved. We stayed close to our clients and regulators, communicating transparently about our new strategy and the path forward. In every conversation — with colleagues, regulators, or clients — we led with humility, authenticity, and transparency.

By the summer of 2023, when I amicably left NatWest, we had achieved something few thought possible: a rebirth of the U.S. business and seven consecutive years of profitability. Against all odds, we made it — together. That turnaround was the result of many factors, but above all, it was driven by an inspired management team and staff who stood by one another through challenges, through COVID, and through uncertainty about both the business and their own futures. Our people felt valued. They were inspired to succeed. They understood the mission and the vital role they played in it. They exceeded expectations and redefined our story — from wind down to renewal.

I still remember the night before my first address as CEO. I was pacing, asking myself: What business do you have leading this group through this crisis?  Was this a mistake? After all, I was a corporate lawyer, not a banker or trader or risk manager. How could I possibly lead them through this?

The answer became the foundation of my leadership — and later, my coaching philosophy. I couldn’t lead by trying to be a better version of everyone I managed. I had to be the best version of myself. And most importantly, I had to energize an entire region of talent to move forward with confidence, energy and clarity in the face of uncertainty and doubt. So, I created a plan of action where I could lean into my own strengths: caring about our people, speaking honestly to them about where we were and what we were facing, building confidence, clarity and trust. I began by engaging with stakeholders across every level, listening to their concerns and explaining to them how we could succeed and achieve success as challenging as it may have been — earning trust and credibility one conversation at a time. My vision for the Stevelman Group is to apply that same approach for each of our clients: to identify your strengths, create a plan to move you forward, and elevate you beyond your expectations.