Biography

Biography

Cynthia Burnham, MBA, America's #1 Charisma Coach, is a leadership consultant, former Wall Street Senior Vice President, and the author of “The Charisma Edge: A How-To Guide for Turning On Your Leadership Power.”

She has been called “riveting” and “life-altering” by those who have heard her speak. Her expertise is based on lessons learned from over 30 years of successful independent and corporate business experience, where she discovered that leadership charisma is a learnable skill, combining a commanding presence, an understanding of corporate politics and realities, and a deep commitment to helping others bring out what is best and most powerful in themselves. Most recently, she has focused on researching the neuroscience of leadership behavior and the circuitry of confidence.

Since 2005, she has been living near her hometown, in the mountains east of San Diego. From there, she coaches one-on-one, conducts workshops and speaks widely throughout the U.S. Her recent clients have included companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Sony, SAIC, Qualcomm, Illumina, State Farm Insurance, Northrop Grumman and L-3. 

Prior to her move home, Cynthia was Senior Vice President, Director of Employee Relations & Learning for UBS Financial Services, Inc. in New York and New Jersey, in the 20,000-person division of UBS AG formerly known as PaineWebber.  In that capacity, she lead multiple functions, including a field and home office training department, an internal conflict resolution department, human resources policies, and Diversity. She also participated in extensive global initiatives with other UBS divisions. Before PaineWebber, Cynthia ran a successful consulting, speaking and training practice.  She began her career with nine years in consumer packaged goods sales, sales management and sales training, first with Gillette, Safety Razor Division, and then with Duracell, USA.

Cynthia earned an M.B.A. in Marketing from U.C.L.A., and a B.A. in Creative Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She is also a professional singer/songwriter and a certified Laughter Yoga Leader. More information can be found at her website:  www.cynthiaburnham.com, and she can be reached at cindy@cynthiaburnham.com.