MISSION

Corgel Group believes that individuals with the talent and intelligence to advance their careers often fail to do so because the skills needed for career growth are not intuitive—they have to be learned. Our objective is to help these people fulfill their professional goals by teaching them the methodology of career development. Our dedication to this objective is underscored by our commitment to donate all net proceeds from our business to fund college scholarships for bright, deserving young women and minorities. It is not monetary gain, but the reward associated with helping people grow and organizations thrive that drives us.

We teach individuals and institutions the Corgel Method, a deliberate, proven process for career growth and personal gain. This method has been developed and refined over several decades and hundreds of engagements with professionals seeking to advance their careers.

Solutions for individuals and organizations

We invite individuals and institutions wishing to learn more about the Corgel Method to explore our website and complete the Request for Assistance (click on Contact) to initiate a conversation with Jim. Individual client engagements can be implemented in person or by telephone; Jim will travel to conduct group and/or individual sessions for graduate business school programs or for meetings with corporate HR professionals and talent managers. Individuals are charged on an hourly fee basis; organizations are charged a per-engagement fee, plus travel expenses. As noted, Corgel Group is a nonprofit organization that donates all net proceeds to fund college scholarships.

Jim Corgel

Jim Corgel (Jim’s surname sounds like “cordial”) began his 38-year IBM career with a series of sales leadership roles, each with increasing responsibility. Joining the company as a territory representative in South Bend, Indiana, he subsequently served as Branch Manager in Chicago and later as General Manager, Distribution Industry, for the Europe/Middle East/Africa region. In his final position Jim was responsible for IBM’s worldwide relationship with independent software vendors. He also managed key partnerships with the development, academic and venture capital communities that comprise IBM’s industry-leading ecosystem of influencers.
 
Jim’s business experience includes leadership roles in sales, business operations, marketing and specific industry customer segments. On three occasions he led IBM into completely new markets—including IBM e-business hosting services, the NetGeneration Business and IBM Higher Education—building experience in new business design, deployment and measurement.

Helping people help themselves

Jim became interested in career development when, as an IBM senior executive, he was asked to mentor high-potential performers who were reaching a critical stage in their career. He found that otherwise bright, capable and motivated people had goals—they knew where they wanted to go—but no well-defined plan for getting there. Often, personal qualifications that would make one a logical candidate for a desirable position were not well communicated nor were they documented in specific terms that state what business metrics one has accomplished, what new leadership skills have been uncovered and the client functions or market segments in which one feels most comfortable. Over many years, Jim has an all-star “batting average” at mentoring professionals who went on to upper management and executive positions.

An active volunteer

Jim holds a BA and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where he serves as Chairman of the Undergraduate Advisory Council. He is a founding partner of HUBSTART, a Westport, Connecticut-based investment and advisory group that actively assists early-stage companies and community organizations. Jim is a member of the board of trustees of the American Management Association; a partner in the Connecticut chapter of Social Venture Partners, a group dedicated to building business efficiency in nonprofit organizations; and is active in a number of nonprofit organizations in Connecticut.
 
Recently, Jim has presented the Corgel Method at group sessions with students at the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate School of Business and the University of Connecticut’s Executive MBA Program.