Dr. Minoo Zarbafi
About me
Business experience. Coaching perspective. Genuine curiosity about people.
I'm Dr. Minoo Zarbafi.
For more than 15 years, my career has taken me from strategy consulting at Roland Berger to digital partnerships at Bertelsmann Investments, working with startups and scale-ups, operational leadership as a COO, and entrepreneurship as the founder of Refinery One. My academic background is in business administration and organizational psychology. My PhD sits at the intersection of both disciplines, focusing on responsible investment.
I've spent much of my career helping companies navigate change. Today, I also work with the people navigating it.
I know what ambitious environments feel like from the inside: the pressure, the pace, the opportunities, and the moments when the path that once made sense suddenly doesn't anymore.
Growing up between Persian and German cultural influences and moving between professional worlds shaped how I see identity: not as fixed, but as something we continue to discover and develop.
My own path has never fitted neatly into one box: strategist and entrepreneur, corporate and startup, analytical and intuitive, advisor and coach.
I am naturally curious about people. Not the polished version on LinkedIn. The person underneath it.
Experience I bring into the room.
Business and leadership
15+ years professional experience
Strategy consulting at Roland Berger
Digital partnerships at Bertelsmann
Startup and scale-up leadership
Chief Operating Officer with responsibility across Marketing, Sales, Business Development and HR
Founder and Managing Director of Refinery One
Advisor to founders and leadership teams across startups and scale-ups
Experience across strategy, operations, organizational transformation, growth and leadership
Coaching and personal development
NLP Master Practitioner
Teacher of Presence
Human Design
300h Yoga Teacher
PhD in Business Administration & Organizational Psychology
Coaching is not psychotherapy and does not diagnose or treat mental-health conditions.
Deep enough to understand what drives you.
Pragmatic enough to change what you do.