C-Level Leadership Mastermind
Earn Influence. Rise to the C-Suite
CLevel Mastermind is the elite leadership accelerator for tech leaders ready to grow their clarity, communication, and confidence—and rise to the C-Suite.
Enrolling now for the August cohort | Limited spots available
As Seen In
Mahesh’s coaching approach is highly insightful and results oriented. He adeptly identified areas where I could improve my leadership skills, communication, and decision-making processes. Through thought-provoking questions and practical exercises, he guided me to explore my potential, confront my limitations, and cultivate a growth mindset.
Mark Eimer
Chief Technology Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health
The program helped me think bigger and broader. I got a roadmap of what it takes to be successful in the C-Suite. Mahesh’s empathetic style and business acumen bring it all together.
Stuart Lee
Chief Privacy Officer, VMWare
Your Talent Isn’t the Issue — It’s Visibility, Influence, and Strategic Communication That Unlock Growth.
You’ve worked hard. You’ve delivered results.
But in a noisy hybrid world, that’s no longer enough.
Many Directors and VPs in tech are left wondering:
- Why am I overlooked when I’m outperforming?
- Why am I not getting tapped for bigger roles?
- Why is it harder to stand out in a hybrid, AI-driven world?
If you’re performing but not progressing, it’s time to learn how top leaders shift from execution mode to executive mode — and start building influence where it counts.
But When You Join the CLevel Mastermind? Everything Changes.
You become the leader your teams want to follow—building trust, inspiring action, and driving results.
Your influence and impact multiply. As you grow, so does your ability to lift others and shape the future.
Funding rounds close with greater ease. Investors are drawn to your clarity, vision, and network.
Leadership isn’t about luck or connections alone. It’s a skill—a proven system you master with the right guidance. And that’s exactly what the CLevel Mastermind delivers.
What Tech Executives Say About the Mastermind
Hear from leaders who’ve accelerated promotions, expanded their networks, and gained clarity through the program.
Nivedita Ojha
Vice President, Product Management
Mahesh helped me establish myself as a visionary leader in my organization. As a leader of people and an owner of a portfolio of products, I deal with many complexities and opportunities. Mahesh has been there as a coach and a thought partner. There have been several challenges in my journey, and Mahesh helped me think through these to make effective decisions. Mahesh balanced asking the right questions and advice, and provided the best strategies to elevate my org, the product vision, and the business performance.
Hyo Jung Song
VP of Mobile
Executive coaching from Mahesh helped me develop my leadership skills and influence across the organization. His advisory work empowered me to maximize my impact within and outside the division. Mahesh brings a rich perspective as a business leader, technologist, and coach. He humanizes and simplifies complex situations I find this combination refreshing because it is very hard to find an executive coach who has been there and done that. I highly recommend working with him to improve your organization and business through practical skills and powerful advice.
Adam Stone
CEO, Start Adam
Mahesh helped me with clarity and communication and empowered me to elevate my work. I highly recommend working with him
Shirish Tatikonda
Head of Data Science and ML Engineering
Mahesh’s advisory work has added tremendous value to my growth as a leader in the technology industry. He has been instrumental in my learning leadership and strategic skills necessary to unlock my true potential and also change my career trajectory towards the true north. If you are looking to grow and get advice from someone who has done it all Mahesh is the right executive coach for you
Sudha Thota
Senior Director of Product Management
I could not have found a better advisor than Mahesh to help me grow as a leader. What sets Mahesh apart is that he has himself walked the walk a few times in startups and in trillion-dollar companies. Mahesh understands success takes as much EQ as IQ. He took the time to fully understand my organizational strengths and aspirations. He is very insightful, quick to see the blind spots, and accelerates growth through his leadership and AI experience. Mahesh helped me transform to achieve both personal and professional growth. I feel very empowered to have an authentic, direct, strategic, compassionate, knowledgeable, and experienced person like him as my exec advisor and advocate.
Eric Jones MSHIA,BSN, RN
Director, Clinical Informatics
I could not have found a better advisor than Mahesh to help me grow as a leader. What sets Mahesh apart is that he has himself walked the walk a few times in startups and in trillion-dollar companies. Mahesh understands success takes as much EQ as IQ. He took the time to fully understand my organizational strengths and aspirations. He is very insightful, quick to see the blind spots, and accelerates growth through his leadership and AI experience. Mahesh helped me transform to achieve both personal and professional growth. I feel very empowered to have an authentic, direct, strategic, compassionate, knowledgeable, and experienced person like him as my exec advisor and advocate.
Shikha Jain
Machine Learning PM
After 7 long years at Western Digital, I was ready to switch careers. Mahesh provided me the much needed professional guidance every step of the way – from planning to developing new skills, and to believe in myself. I could have never done it without his leadership and AI advisory work. Thanks to Mahesh, I am now a part of a Fortune 5 company. We cannot achieve big goals by ourselves. We need the right advice at the right time from someone who has been through the journey themselves. Working with Mahesh has been life-changing for me.
Kent Lopez
VP of Sales
Mahesh approaches board and C-Suite advisory with a mixture of mentorship and partnership. My role involves working with partners and board members in the US and worldwide. His approach improved the dynamics with my team, my relationships with the board, and my rapport with the execs. Mahesh has a lot of empathy and deep comfort with scaling systems and knows what it takes to grow the business in a competitive landscape. The Customer NPS and Employee satisfaction scores got much better because of working with him.
Henderson Jones
Sr. Director, Infrastructure and Security
Mahesh approaches board and C-Suite advisory with a mixture of mentorship and partnership. My role involves working with partners and board members in the US and worldwide. His approach improved the dynamics with my team, my relationships with the board, and my rapport with the execs. Mahesh has a lot of empathy and deep comfort with scaling systems and knows what it takes to grow the business in a competitive landscape. The Customer NPS and Employee satisfaction scores got much better because of working with him.
Vijay Kristipati
Head of Engineering
Leadership in the age of AI requires you to uplevel yourself and your teams. Every engineering leader focused on building Executive Presence should work with Mahesh. As an engineering leader, building a strong executive presence is crucial for your success. Many engineers struggle with the “soft skills” required to thrive in the executive suite. But with Mahesh’s guidance, you’ll transform those perceived weaknesses into powerful strengths. The impact of your work will shift from simply being competent to attaining true excellence.Mahesh is a remarkable coach with an unparalleled engineering and product background. Coaching with Mahesh will empower you in ways you never thought possible. You’ll gain crystal-clear clarity on your leadership abilities and presence.
Bhuvana Ramachandran
Director, Software Quality
Mahesh has been an invaluable guide and mentor on my leadership journey. His deep understanding of leadership dynamics, coupled with insights on team alignment, has empowered me to navigate complex challenges with confidence and resilience. His work emphasized aligning with my teams and the teams across the broader organization to drive what was mission critical. Some strategic and high-impacting initiatives need courage and his work on organizational culture provided me exactly what I needed. One of Mahesh’s standout qualities is his keen observation and perceptive feedback. Through constructive and candid conversations, Mahesh helped me identify and capitalize on my strengths while offering constructive insights into areas for improvement.
Monisha Kanoth
Sr. Data Engineering Manager
Mahesh is sharp, wise, funny, highly accomplished, and incredibly knowledgeable, and someone who advocates and roots for you.His enthusiasm for your potential is infectious :). He has coached and supported me as I navigated growing into senior technical leadership. Mahesh is direct and won’t hold back from saying what he sees is preventing you from growing. I appreciate his candor, his wisdom, and his uncanny trait of saying the precisely right thing that you need to hear at the perfect moment. My only regret is not meeting him earlier in my career!
Gautam Kumar
Director of Analytics
The enterprise AI strategy work I did with Mahesh has added tremendous value to my organization. He has been instrumental in my learning leadership and strategic skills necessary to unlock my true potential and also change my career trajectory towards the true north. If you are looking to grow and get advice from someone who has done it all, Mahesh is the right executive advisor for you.
Mark Eimer
Chief Technology Officer
Mahesh’s coaching approach is highly insightful and results oriented. He adeptly identified areas where I could improve my leadership skills, communication, and decision-making processes. Through thought-provoking questions and practical exercises, he guided me to explore my potential, confront my limitations, and cultivate a growth mindset. One of the key strengths of Mahesh is his deep understanding of the corporate landscape and the challenges executives face.
Jeff Paul
CEO and Founder
I recommend this program with no hesitation. Employee engagement, customer growth, and board relations are critical for every CEO to address. Mahesh helped us with these areas through Active Leadership training. Mahesh brings his Fortune 500 experience and playbooks to help CEOs evolve and grow with their business. I highly recommend this program if you want to build an exceptional company!
Kris Rudeegraap
CEO
Mahesh truly understands what it takes to formulate and deliver product-led growth. Mahesh is a great advisor for founders and CEOs. Personally for me, Mahesh quickly understood the need for us to scale and came up with effective strategies for us to incubate a new line of products. His background from large tech giants and experience with startups makes him a unique partner.
Subhan Ali
Sr. Manager, Data Science and ML
NVIDIA is at the forefront of the AI revolution. Mahesh is the best advisor I could’ve ever asked for. There are a lot of things to look for in an organizational advisor: are they personable? Do they provide value to me? Do they help me clarify my purpose and how it maps to my job? And there is the most important question: do they get results for me? The answer to all of the above is unequivocally yes with Mahesh. He will work with you from the ground up to help you realize your full potential and realization. He is a true professional and I could not recommend him more. In the tech industry or otherwise
Jogender Singh
Senior Director of Engineering
As a Director of Engineering, I had very few people I could go to for advice. Mahesh thoroughly assessed how I was managing up, down, and sideways. Mahesh helped me with critical areas when I needed it the most. First, he helped me elevate my personal and professional brand. Mahesh made me a powerful storyteller. My thought leadership and the impact of what I did was immediately noticed by my leadership and my teams.
Jean David Ruvini
Head, of AI
AI adoption happens at scale at Meta. We have a culture of innovation. As my executive advisor, Mahesh helped me strengthen my leadership skills and increase my executive presence. Mahesh has industry experience and very power-packed advice that matters when you work with senior execs. I have worked with him for several years, and he has helped me skillfully navigate the uncertainties in fast-paced and very complex environments. Working with him also gave me the strategies to make my team high-performance and accountable. His business acumen, tech background, and work ethic make Mahesh unique.
Amit Chachnek
CEO and Founder
Mahesh helped us prepare how to get in front of large investors and made our pitch impactful by including key insights that matter. He has an uncanny ability to understand what customers want and how to approach large enterprise clients. He helped raise the bar on problem-solving and communication which were both crucial for our high-growth startup. I truly appreciate what Mahesh does for CEOs and their teams.
Building social capital isn't luck, it's a formula. We'll Show You How.
How Does It Work?
Over the past two decades surveyed over 10,000 leaders, and coached high performing leaders and teams to achieve great outcomes
Curated Peer Cohort
Grow alongside an invite-only group of leaders navigating the same visibility, influence, and leadership challenges you are.
Weekly Live Sessions
12 weeks of strategic coaching, frameworks, and powerful networking
Real-Time Application
Apply everything you learn directly to how you lead your team, manage execs, handle hybrid friction, and navigate AI change.
Inside the C-Level Mastermind: What You’ll Learn and Practice
Weeks 1–3: Inner Clarity
Weeks 4–5: Executive Presence
Weeks 6–8: Execution Excellence
Weeks 9–10: Bold Decisions
Weeks 11–12: Expansion + Planning
Participants of the Mastermind Reported:
- 78% increase in executive presence and communication confidence with senior leadership
- 43% increase in clarity and influence when managing across functions and reporting lines
- 39% boost in confidence handling high-stakes conversations, presentations, and visibility moments
- 52% improvement in navigating office politics and building trust with peers and upper execs
- 32% increase in strategic networking and peer collaboration across the cohort and beyond
- 41% increase in confidence to speak up in meetings and lead with authority, even remotely
And they have gone on to...
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- Develop executive presence that commands respect and influence at the highest levels.
- Present with confidence to C-Suite executives and board members, making their ideas heard and valued.
- Earn nominations for coveted leadership roles within their organizations.
- Increase their organizations’ engagement scores by inspiring and aligning their teams.
- Earning promotions by leveling up their leadership skills.
- Finding a new job because of the work they did in the mastermind.
- Making lifelong friendships.
- One was even surprised to be nominated as the successor to the CEO.
The Clevel Mastermind Framework
Phase 1: The Inner Foundation (Weeks 1–3)
Week 1 – Your Leadership Identity
- Understand why you lead the way you do
- Identify your leadership values and "default" patterns
- Exercise: Leadership Lifeline + Vision Mapping
Week 2 – The Psychology of Influence
- Explore Human Needs and Decision-Making Patterns
- Learn how your mindset affects others
- Exercise: Human Needs Self-Assessment + Scenario Mapping
Week 3 – Leading from the Inside Out
- Master emotional and physiological state for consistent leadership presence
- Rituals and habits for staying grounded under pressure
- Exercise: State-Switching Framework + Real-World Triggers
Phase 2: Communication Mastery (Weeks 4–5)
Week 4 – Influence Through Communication
- Advanced communication strategies (tonality, language, body)
- Understanding how others hear you in hybrid settings
- Exercise: Role-Play with Tonality + Influence Patterns
Week 5 – Commanding Executive Presence
- Core dimensions of presence: gravitas, communication, and credibility
- Tools to project confidence under pressure and influence without authority
- Exercise: Presence Drills + Peer Roleplay Feedback Coaching
Phase 3: Tactical Leadership in the Real World (Weeks 6–8)
Turn insight into action — across hybrid teams, executive stakeholders, and peers.
Week 6 – Managing Up, Down, and Sideways
- Political intelligence and clarity in org dynamics
- Speaking truth to power without fear
- Exercise: Map Your 360° Influence Strategy
Week 7 – Hybrid Visibility + Executive Presence
- How to stay visible without being loud
- Executive storytelling in meetings, updates, and emails
- Overcoming proximity bias when you're remote
- Exercise: 3-Minute Influence Moment Challenge (Live Practice)
Week 8 – Leading in AI-First Organizations
- What AI is really changing about leadership and org culture
- Making smarter decisions with humans + data
- How to co-lead with AI without losing human intuition
- Exercise: AI x Human Judgment Matrix + Scenario
Phase 4: Unshakable Confidence (Weeks 9–10)
Break limiting beliefs and step into your next-level leadership.
Week 9 – Breaking Beliefs + Building Courage
- Rewire inner narratives that hold you back
- Build courage muscles through language and behavior shifts
- Exercise: “Fear to Fuel” Guided Breakthrough
Week 10 – Becoming the Decisive Leader
- From hesitation to confident action
- Leading through ambiguity and rapid change — org change or scale
- Exercise: Decisive Decision Framework + Live Coaching Round
Phase 5: Integration + Expansion (Weeks 11–12)
Lock in transformation and prepare to scale your leadership impact.
Week 11 – The Network Advantage: Social Capital & Career Durability
- How to build a trusted circle that fuels your growth
- Building social capital within and outside of work
- Coaching for growth and career cushioning
- Exercise: Relationship Map + Peer Coaching Practice
Week 12 – Your 90-Day Action Plan
- Design your roadmap to lead with clarity, influence, and momentum
- Commitment to action + collective celebration
- Exercise: 90-Day Masterplan + Graduation Ritual
What You’ll Walk Away With
- Clarity in how you lead — and why others follow
- Visibility with decision-makers and senior execs
- Tools to influence cross-functionally, even when remote
- A stronger leadership presence in high-stakes settings
- Confidence in fast, complex decision-making
- Strategic responses to AI disruption and hybrid friction
- A 90-day action plan and peer network to accelerate your growth
Mahesh M. Thakur
Chairman and CEO, Thakur International
Master Certified Coach, Board Member, Keynote Speaker
Mahesh M. Thakur is Chairman and CEO of Thakur International and a globally recognized authority on executive leadership and organizational culture. As a Master Certified Coach, he has delivered over 10,000 hours of executive coaching to C-Suite leaders.
As a VP of Product Management, he managed business units with $600M+ P&L responsibility and led the launch of several experiments and created a culture of testing and learning. Drawing on his leadership experience at Microsoft, Amazon, Intuit, and GoDaddy—including working alongside Bill Gates and Satya Nadella—Mahesh has developed proprietary frameworks that help organizations build agile, high-performing teams.
Mahesh’s insights have been featured in Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and Business Newswire. He is a certified Board Member from Stanford and served on the board of SaaS innovator Reverie, which was acquired by Reliance Jio, India’s largest conglomerate, to accelerate digital transformation at scale. He is passionate about helping organizations and their leaders unlock their full potential and foster adaptive, high-growth cultures.
You’ve Led from the Middle. Now It’s Time to Lead from the Front.
You’ve waited for the right opportunity. This is it.
This isn’t a course. It’s a room of power players. And it’s your invitation to step in, speak up, and grow with a powerful peer network by your side.
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