Our Founder

About Tom Kereszti

Founder · Leadership Disciples

Legacy Builder. Leadership Culture Sage.

Tom Kereszti’s mission is to help international C-suite executives create healthy company cultures that not only thrive today but build the future leaders of tomorrow.

Born in Hungary, raised in the melting pot of New York City, and shaped by decades of international C-suite leadership across six continents, Tom developed an instinctive ability to connect with anyone, in any country, any culture — from the shop floor to the boardroom.

“My greatest legacy isn’t built in boardrooms — it’s the family I’ve built with my wife Kathy and our daughters Nicole and Alexandra.”

Tom's Story

The Journey

Tom’s path has been extraordinary. As the CEO of a $400M global company, he navigated the complexities of international business, restructuring struggling companies into profitable enterprises and leading global acquisition projects across Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East. He directed a $1B merger and managed $100M companies in Central America and Eastern Europe.

Through leadership roles at industry giants like Colgate-Palmolive, Philips, Reckitt Benckiser, and the Strauss Group, Tom discovered that businesses flourish when their cultures are robust and their teams cohesive. Leading across borders and cultures became second nature, enabling him to build and mentor high-performing executive teams worldwide.

Tom’s educational foundation includes engineering from NYU and an MBA from PACE, supplemented by leadership development through the Wharton Fellows and Harvard Business School Executive Education programs.

What Matters Most

When Tom looks back on his career, his greatest accomplishment isn’t the companies he started, restructured, acquired, or sold. It’s how his daughters Nicole and Alexandra turned out and the love that he and Kathy have built as a family. Leadership in the workplace is meaningless without leadership at home. The same principles that transform organizations — trust, empowerment, investing in people, and building something that lasts — are the ones that build strong families. That’s not just something Tom teaches. It’s how he lives.

What Tom Does Now

After retiring from his corporate career, Tom authored the best-selling book C-Suite and Beyond: The Four Keys to Leadership Success, distilling his global leadership experiences into actionable principles. His second book, CultureWerk: The Twelve Pillars of Leadership Multiplication, is a deep dive into the first and most critical key — culture.

Today, Tom serves as:

  • An industry influencer, author, and speaker
  • A strategic advisor and mentor to C-suite executives
  • A provider of high-impact workshops and masterminds for emerging executives and culture transformation
  • A leadership competency architect helping executives master essential C-suite skills
  • A consultant leveraging AI tools to benchmark and elevate leadership and company culture

Tom shares his leadership insights through keynote addresses and workshops across South Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the United States.

Tom’s Philosophy

Tom believes in empowering self-led teams and nurturing future leaders who can drive sustainable growth and profitability. His approach is grounded in the principles of honesty, integrity, trust, and empowerment — all founded on Biblical values.

Early in his career, Tom did not receive formal leadership training and believed leadership was about individual success. However, midway through his journey, he experienced a major shift, realizing true leadership was about empowering teams to share a common vision, build trust, and achieve collective goals — not about him, but about something much bigger than any one person.

Tom & John Maxwell

Tom met John Maxwell in 2004 during John’s book signing of Today Matters, forming a lasting friendship and mentorship. Today, Tom is proud to be a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member, Coach, Speaker, and Trainer, as well as a DISC Certified Consultant.

John’s mentorship profoundly shaped Tom’s leadership philosophy. His teachings on intentionality, the Law of the Lid, and the 5 Levels of Leadership helped Tom understand that leadership is not about position but influence. Through his guidance, Tom learned that servant leadership — putting others’ needs first and helping them develop their full potential — creates the strongest, most sustainable organizations.

Through John’s mentorship, Tom became a dedicated student of the science of leadership. As he studied these principles, he discovered that he had actually been implementing many of them throughout his career without recognizing the formal concepts behind them. The terminology and frameworks gave structure to what he had intuitively developed over decades.

“At John Maxwell Leadership, we are people of value, who value people and love to add value to people.”

Our Maxwell Leadership Development Network

Leadership Disciples partners with world-class Maxwell Leadership certified professionals to extend our impact and serve clients across industries and geographies.

Richard Sprunger

Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member

Richard Sprunger’s journey began with 15 years of service as a Navy SEAL, including five combat deployments, followed by 22 years as a Firefighter Paramedic. Drawing on decades of high-stakes leadership and frontline service, Richard is now a professionally trained relationship, communication, and leadership strategist. He is dedicated to helping individuals transform their lives, relationships, and careers — empowering clients to step into excellence and become the best versions of themselves.

John Wiedemann

Certified High Performance Coach

John Wiedemann is a founding member of The John Maxwell Team and one of only 600 Certified High Performance Coaches worldwide. With over three decades of experience spanning healthcare, pharmaceuticals, finance, and high-tech industries, John has worked with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurial startups. He focuses on empowering ambitious professionals, talented teams, and companies to unleash their potential and achieve extraordinary results.

Why Work With Us

4 Reasons to Choose Leadership Disciples

01

Global Boardroom Experience

Our strategies were forged across six continents, inside Fortune 500 boardrooms and on factory floors in emerging markets. You get frameworks tested in the real world — not theory borrowed from a textbook.

02

Leaders Who Multiply Leaders

We don’t create dependency — we build self-sustaining leadership cultures. The ultimate test of our work is what happens after we leave: teams that perform, grow, and develop the next generation without you.

03

Frameworks That Move People to Action

Friday inspiration fades by Monday. Our workshops, coaching, and masterminds are built to create transformation that sticks — with accountability systems, measurable milestones, and real-world implementation from day one.

04

Relationships That Go Deep

From CEOs to frontline teams, from San Diego to Singapore — we connect with people at every level. Authentic relationships are the foundation of every engagement, and our global network of colleagues and clients is proof.
testimonials

What people say about Tom:

CultureWerk is not another leadership book built on theory—it’s a masterclass forged in the real world. Tom Kereszti doesn’t just talk about culture; he shows you how to engineer it, protect it, and multiply it so your organization can thrive long after you step out of the room. What makes this book rare is its focus on leadership multiplication, not leadership dependency. Too many organizations rise only as high as their most visible leader. CultureWerk teaches you how to embed leadership so deeply into your culture that your people self-correct, and your mission outlives any single personality. Through the Twelve Pillars, Tom delivers a practical, global, and deeply human blueprint for building teams that perform with excellence and impact across generations. This is the kind of book that changes how you lead on Monday morning—not just how you think on Sunday night. If you are serious about building a culture that scales, lasts, and multiplies leaders at every level, CultureWerk is not optional—it’s essential.
Chris RobinsonUSA Today Bestselling Author, From Drift to Drive
Executive Vice President, Maxwell Leadership
Different companies, different industries, strategies, technologies, and products — peel it all back, and what ultimately leads a company’s success is culture. This book focuses precisely on that — on what truly transforms organizations into lasting legacies. It brings together the vast experience, deep insights, and extensive knowledge that Tom — whom I’ve had the privilege of knowing since our early days at Strauss— possesses.
Erez VigodmanCo-Founder Terra-A AG
Former President & CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals
ADAMA and Strauss Group
I get asked to ‘endorse’ a lot of books these days, and I always count it an honor. This book is quite different in the fact that I know the author personally and have had the privilege of seeing firsthand the fruit of his life up close. As a member of my church, Tom is a brilliant man, originally born in Hungary who immigrated to the USA and this book carries a potent fusion of old world Austro/Hungarian nobility, fused with ‘new world’ USA entrepreneurial pragmatism. Tom’s writing is witty, insightful, warm, challenging, uplifting and informing all at the same time. The CULTUREWERK is a masterpiece blueprint for success and legacy in your life. It will challenge you to reach for new heights, challenge the ceilings and limitations over your life, while simultaneously inspiring you to reach new horizons that await you. CultureWerk will equip you to pioneer new territories and ultimately discover the greater you that God always intended for you to find. I heartily endorse this great work!
Jürgen MatthesiusFounder Awaken Church
I was fortunate to meet and overlap with Tom while living in various places all over the world. In Prague, London, and in the U.S., I witnessed firsthand Tom's ability to attract and lead people. Using his vast international and cultural experience, Tom created the four 'Keys of Influence,' which are a must study for anyone interested in improving their business and lives in this new interconnected and global world.
Yury Paradserial entrepreneur and venture capitalist
Leadership is exhibited when people step up and take action. This is especially true in challenging times. Tom was a perfect example of leadership for our team. He said what needed to be said, took appropriate actions, and drove results. Tom was always an inspiration as we worked together. He was always loyal, smart, with a get it done attitude but always with genuine respect and caring for people. If you put all of the above together it defined a true and respected leader.
Dr. Frank A. MorelliDPS
Tom’s leadership qualities helped set direction to our company by identifying the pillars to build on and areas that needed to be restructured. Tom helped identify & implement a new vision and returned our company to growth and profitability. Tom’s leadership & drive, integrity, hard work & people coaching skills were a testimony to his character and our results.
Romana Vencalkcova
I have known Tom for many years and he has helped me tremendously throughout my career and he is one of the reasons for who I am and where I am today. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to be a better leader. Highly recommended.
Jiri KulikEVP, and regional president, LARMEA JDE Peets
Tom is a brilliant business executive, not only because he is open-minded to understand the characteristics of each market, but also because he presents an excellent strategic analysis and orientation
Ricardo Brandao

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Maxwell Leadership

Certified Team Member

DISC Certified

Behavioral Assessment Facilitator

Live2Lead San Diego

Host · 4 Consecutive Years

Published Author

C-Suite and Beyond · CultureWerk