Top 17 Project Management Mentors & Coaches to Learn From in 2026
The right project management mentors and coaches can sharpen how you think, plan, and lead. I've pulled together the best voices in the field—practitioners who've navigated real delivery pressure and can help you do the same. Whether you're managing cross-functional chaos or trying to level up your frameworks, these are the people worth learning from.
Top 17 Project Management Mentors & Coaches
Below are the profiles of the top project management mentors & coaches, covering who they are and the impact they’ve made in this space.
Brett Harned
Brett Harned is a project management coach, consultant, and author of Project Management for Humans, with more than 20 years helping creative teams improve how they plan and deliver work.
Through coaching,…
Brett Harned is a project management coach, consultant, and author of Project Management for Humans, with more than 20 years helping creative teams improve how they plan and deliver work.
Through coaching, consulting, and fractional leadership, Harned works on communication, realistic planning, delivery leadership, and healthier collaboration. He also founded Digital PM Summit, giving project managers a long-running forum for learning from peers.
Susanne Madsen
Susanne Madsen is an executive coach, author, and trainer who specializes in leadership for complex projects and founded Susanne Madsen International and the Project Leadership Institute.
Her books include The Power of…
Susanne Madsen is an executive coach, author, and trainer who specializes in leadership for complex projects and founded Susanne Madsen International and the Project Leadership Institute.
Her books include The Power of Project Leadership and The Project Management Coaching Workbook. Madsen blends project leadership, executive coaching, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence to help managers lead global teams, handle pressure, and grow into stronger leaders.
Asya Watkins
Asya Watkins is the founder and CEO of Women Of Project Management, an author and advisor with two decades of leadership experience across healthcare, business, and project environments.
Watkins built Women Of…
Asya Watkins is the founder and CEO of Women Of Project Management, an author and advisor with two decades of leadership experience across healthcare, business, and project environments.
Watkins built Women Of Project Management around community, career development, education, and mentorship, with a particular focus on supporting Black women in the profession. Her work helps project professionals strengthen confidence, leadership skills, visibility, and career direction.
Laura Barnard
Laura Barnard is the founder and CEO of PMO Strategies, co-founder of Global Transformation Group, author of The IMPACT Engine, and a longtime leader in PMOs and business transformation.
Barnard helps PMO…
Laura Barnard is the founder and CEO of PMO Strategies, co-founder of Global Transformation Group, author of The IMPACT Engine, and a longtime leader in PMOs and business transformation.
Barnard helps PMO and transformation leaders connect projects to strategy and measurable business outcomes. Her IMPACT Engine System, training, consulting, and community work emphasize leadership, stakeholder alignment, governance, and practical ways to turn strategy into execution.
Mike Clayton
Mike Clayton is a project management educator, author, and founder of OnlinePMCourses, drawing on earlier experience leading complex client projects as a senior manager in Deloitte’s London office.
Clayton turns project management…
Mike Clayton is a project management educator, author, and founder of OnlinePMCourses, drawing on earlier experience leading complex client projects as a senior manager in Deloitte’s London office.
Clayton turns project management concepts into practical learning through courses, books, videos, coaching, and mentoring. His teaching spans core PM skills, risk, stakeholders, leadership, change, and career development, making his work especially useful to project managers building capability.
Bill Dow
Bill Dow is Director of Enterprise PMO at UW Medicine and a project management author whose work spans PMO design, project communications, governance, reporting, and delivery practices.
Dow has written practical guides…
Bill Dow is Director of Enterprise PMO at UW Medicine and a project management author whose work spans PMO design, project communications, governance, reporting, and delivery practices.
Dow has written practical guides on building, running, and shutting down PMOs as well as project communication tools. His mix of enterprise PMO leadership and published guidance gives project professionals a practitioner-led perspective on delivery, reporting, and organizational PM maturity.
Ricardo Viana Vargas
Ricardo Viana Vargas is a project management specialist, author, and former PMI chair who has led major global initiatives and served as a project and infrastructure director at the United Nations.
Vargas…
Ricardo Viana Vargas is a project management specialist, author, and former PMI chair who has led major global initiatives and served as a project and infrastructure director at the United Nations.
Vargas teaches and writes on project delivery, transformation, risk, and AI in project management. Through books, courses, keynotes, and his podcast, he translates experience from complex global initiatives into lessons on decision-making, leadership, and turning ideas into results.
Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor is an international keynote speaker and project leadership author best known for The Lazy Project Manager and his practical approach to productive laziness and smarter delivery.
Taylor challenges project leaders…
Peter Taylor is an international keynote speaker and project leadership author best known for The Lazy Project Manager and his practical approach to productive laziness and smarter delivery.
Taylor challenges project leaders to reduce busywork, sharpen prioritization, and focus effort where it creates the most value. His writing, speaking, and coaching connect smarter delivery with stronger leadership, better decisions, and sustainable performance.
Bruno Morgante
Bruno Morgante is the founder and CEO of Mantegora, a project and PMO leader, mentor, coach, advisor, and speaker focused on helping people develop and turn ideas into practical results.
Morgante coaches…
Bruno Morgante is the founder and CEO of Mantegora, a project and PMO leader, mentor, coach, advisor, and speaker focused on helping people develop and turn ideas into practical results.
Morgante coaches and mentors project professionals on skills, confidence, mindset, and ownership of their development. His broader work spans project and program delivery, PMOs, change, communication, and leadership, with an emphasis on empowering people to deliver impact.
Kiron Bondale
Kiron Bondale is a senior project management consultant, trainer, author, and mentor with more than 25 years of experience across traditional, agile, PMO, portfolio, and change environments.
Bondale has managed projects, built…
Kiron Bondale is a senior project management consultant, trainer, author, and mentor with more than 25 years of experience across traditional, agile, PMO, portfolio, and change environments.
Bondale has managed projects, built and led PMOs, and advised clients across industries. His writing and training emphasize pragmatic change, risk, governance, agile practices, and the people side of delivery, giving project managers practical guidance for leading through complexity.
Benjamin Chan
Benjamin Chan is a project management leadership coach and founder of CLYMB Consulting, with more than 20 years of experience spanning project leadership, delivery, and management consulting.
Chan helps project managers build…
Benjamin Chan is a project management leadership coach and founder of CLYMB Consulting, with more than 20 years of experience spanning project leadership, delivery, and management consulting.
Chan helps project managers build leadership confidence, strategic insight, and the skills to move from project knowledge to stronger execution. His coaching and workshops focus on self-awareness, mindset, decision-making, leadership development, and translating insight into action.
Varun Anand
Varun Anand is a co-founder of EduHubSpot and a PMI-authorized project management trainer whose work centers on PMP education, professional mentorship, and project management career development.
Anand has spent more than a…
Varun Anand is a co-founder of EduHubSpot and a PMI-authorized project management trainer whose work centers on PMP education, professional mentorship, and project management career development.
Anand has spent more than a decade teaching PMP candidates and helping professionals build practical project management knowledge. His work at EduHubSpot combines certification preparation with mentorship and career guidance, supporting learners as they strengthen skills and advance.
Michael Delis
Michael Delis is president of Project Management Centre (PMC), a project and portfolio management firm, and is a senior agile coach, consultant, and instructor with more than three decades of experience.
Delis…
Michael Delis is president of Project Management Centre (PMC), a project and portfolio management firm, and is a senior agile coach, consultant, and instructor with more than three decades of experience.
Delis works across adaptive, predictive, and hybrid project delivery, combining consulting, coaching, training, and methodology development. He also built and delivered McGill University’s Agile Project Management program, bringing deep practitioner and teaching experience to project leaders.
Nilotpal Ray
Nilotpal Ray is a senior project manager and project management educator who creates PMP certification coaching and mentorship content through PMPwithRay, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Udemy courses.
Ray combines hands-on project delivery experience…
Nilotpal Ray is a senior project manager and project management educator who creates PMP certification coaching and mentorship content through PMPwithRay, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Udemy courses.
Ray combines hands-on project delivery experience with exam coaching and online education. His work covers PMP preparation, project planning and control, process improvement, automation, and continuous improvement, giving aspiring and practicing PMs both technical and career-focused guidance.
Gabriela Gutierrez
Gabriela Gutierrez is a keynote speaker, leadership trainer, PMP, and founder of Gutierrez Coaching & Training, with extensive experience in project management and business transformation.
Her coaching, mentoring, and speaking center on…
Gabriela Gutierrez is a keynote speaker, leadership trainer, PMP, and founder of Gutierrez Coaching & Training, with extensive experience in project management and business transformation.
Her coaching, mentoring, and speaking center on the people side of project leadership: communication, influence, stakeholder engagement, and connection. She gives project managers practical ways to strengthen leadership skills that help teams align, build trust, and deliver with greater impact.
Uri Galimidi
Uri Galimidi is an executive coach and founder of The Will To Change, following senior consulting roles at Accenture, Oracle, and PwC leading complex global business transformation programs.
Galimidi works with project…
Uri Galimidi is an executive coach and founder of The Will To Change, following senior consulting roles at Accenture, Oracle, and PwC leading complex global business transformation programs.
Galimidi works with project managers, IT professionals, and management consultants on career growth, leadership, and complex delivery. His blend of executive coaching and hands-on transformation experience helps project leaders strengthen judgment, stakeholder skills, and the capabilities needed to lead demanding work.
Ashley Jackson-Beers
Ashley Jackson-Beers is a business and project leadership coach and founder of Ashley Beers Consulting, drawing on more than 20 years in project management delivery and business consulting.
Jackson-Beers coaches individual project…
Ashley Jackson-Beers is a business and project leadership coach and founder of Ashley Beers Consulting, drawing on more than 20 years in project management delivery and business consulting.
Jackson-Beers coaches individual project managers and PM teams using real projects rather than theoretical scenarios. Her work builds clarity, leadership confidence, delivery discipline, and shared structures for priorities, risks, meetings, and stakeholder communication—practical support for PMs navigating complex work.
Selection Methodology
We selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
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We look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
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