An approach shaped by experience
I’m Shelley-Ann Pieterse, founder of GLIMMER Coaching. I’m an executive alignment coach and board chair based in Cape Town, working online with women leaders in South Africa and internationally.
I spent 22 years at Accenture, 7 of them as a Managing Director, leading global programmes from South Africa. These were demanding, high-pressure environments, where responsibility is constant, expectations are high, and success is visible from the outside. I understand what it’s like to carry ambition seriously. To be capable, driven, and relied upon. And to keep going, even when something underneath starts to feel misaligned.
Over time, I saw how easily clarity gets lost in these environments. Not because people aren’t thoughtful or self-aware, but because there’s rarely space to pause without judgement. To reflect without being told to fix, optimise, or push through.
That realisation changed how I think about performance, leadership, and success.
How that shapes the way I work
My work isn’t about motivation, diagnosis, or transformation for its own sake.
It’s about creating space.
Space to notice what’s sustaining you.
To see what’s draining your energy.
To make decisions that are grounded, intentional, and your own.
This is why everything begins with perspective, rather than action, pressure, or solutions.
The Snapshot and First Conversation are designed as entry points. They don’t tell you what to do. They sharpen perspective, so your next steps come from understanding rather than urgency.
What I don't do
I don’t work from the assumption that you need fixing.
The people I work with are already capable, driven, and carrying significant responsibility.
What's often missing is space.
I don't offer quick answers or push for action before there's clarity.
What I do offer is perspective.
And a way of working that supports sustainable success, respecting both ambition and humanity without asking either to disappear.
Having worked with leaders across global organisations and high-responsibility roles, I know how subtle the line is between sustainable success and depletion.
This work exists to help you notice that line, before it becomes a breaking point.
I’m a certified coach, with training in business, life, productivity, mindset and stress management coaching, along with the Enneagram and Ikigai. I also chair advisory boards for founder-led businesses, which keeps me close to how leadership decisions play out across a whole organisation, not just one role.
What I believe truly sets Shelley apart from other coaches is her deep, personal understanding of the real-world challenges faced in demanding work environments. With her own background in consulting and corporate life, she brings a rare blend of empathy and credibility. She doesn’t just listen — she truly gets it, because she’s been there too.”
- Bavini Naidoo, Managing Director
Shelley is exceptionally well organised, commercially focused and relentlessly goal oriented. She has a real ability to keep a group focused on what we are actually trying to achieve, rather than allowing good discussion to become an end in itself.”
- Craig Coldicott, Arche Advisory Board
Selected features and contributions
Elite Leaders
Profile feature on executive coaching and board leadership.
Veblen Director Programme
Group coaching facilitator, running regular sessions for directors on board-level perspective and values-led decision-making.
Board Chair
Chair and advisory board roles with founder-led businesses, drawing on 22 years of leading complex global programmes.
Podcast Guest
Conversations on perfectionism, burnout, boundaries and sustainable leadership, including Quietly Visible with Carol Stewart, Work and Wellness with Angela Davies, LeaderSips with Karlynn Holbrook, Productivity with Peace of Mind with Lindsey Hanson, and EnterpriseZone.