Nice to meet you!
A little about me.
My name is Serene, and I am a strategic communications consultant with over 18 years of global experience across technology, digital health, venture capital, and fast-growing startups. My work focuses on helping brands and organizations communicate with clarity—internally and externally—so that what they say aligns with who they are and where they’re going.
I’ve worked directly with CEOs, founders, and leadership teams on everything from thought leadership and crisis comms to internal alignment and investor messaging. Whether navigating a major organizational shift or launching a brand into a new market, I help clients find the right message for the right moment.
In particular, the last six years of my career in digital health companies have given me the deep knowledge and a strong network to support organizations in the healthcare space, surgically and effectively.
I'm fluent in English, French, and Arabic, with a working knowledge of German, and have led teams and projects across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
My approach is practical, collaborative, and always rooted in goal-centric strategy. I believe that good communication should feel effortless, and largely invisible, because it’s thoughtful and intentional.
More about my background
My recent work includes leading global communications at Sidekick Health, where I helped shape brand and internal narratives, partnered closely with the CEO/CFO on investor strategy, and built the company’s Berlin office from scratch.
Prior to that, I served as Marketing & Communications Director at BECO Capital, where I drove PR strategy, built investor and founder engagement platforms, and produced large-scale industry events. I also served as a fractional CMO for multiple portfolio companies.
Earlier in my career, I co-founded Purple PR, a boutique agency for tech and lifestyle brands, and held senior communications roles at Unilever, Ogilvy, and Medicus AI. These roles gave me a front-row seat to growth, change, and transformation—and a clear sense of what kind of messaging builds trust along the way.
Outside of client work, I explore how people connect through stories, tools, and experiences.
I’m the co-founder of Forage, an iOS app that helps home cooks digitize and search their personal cookbook collections. It’s a side project built from a simple idea: cookbooks should be easier to use. I also co-founded gogogo.place, a travel planning and collaboration platform, and regularly write thought-leadership content on communication, brand strategy, and marketing.
What others have said
“Serene is an exceptional marketing leader and strategic storyteller who has played a pivotal role in shaping and leading Sidekick Health’s marketing and communications. As VP of Marketing and Communications, she seamlessly blended creativity with strategic execution, ensuring our mission to improve lives by digitizing care resonated across stakeholders—from patients and partners to investors and the broader digital health ecosystem.
Her ability to craft compelling internal and external narratives, navigate integrations with acquired companies, and elevate our positioning was truly impressive. Whether leading high-impact campaigns, driving thought leadership, or building and managing her team and our Berlin office, Serene brought clarity, vision, and innovation to every initiative. Her deep expertise across healthcare, tech, and venture capital made her an invaluable member of our team.
Beyond her professional skills, Serene is an outstanding collaborator—insightful, driven, and always a pleasure to work with. Any organization would be lucky to have her, and I look forward to seeing the impact she continues to make in the industry.”
Dr. Tryggvi Thorgeirsson
Cofounder and CEO
Sidekick Health
“Serene is as an excellent sparring partner for C-level executives who seek her advice frequently and on a wide range of issues. She also acts as a much appreciated mentor who helps her more junior colleagues grow professionally and personally.
When the team feels overwhelmed by complexity, they often look for her leadership to bring clarity. She makes marketing and communication fun, tangible and measurable like no one I have worked with before and since.”
Rafael Vartian
Managing Director
YanYan Ventures
“I had the pleasure of partnering with Serene Touma during her time leading communications at Sidekick. Working with her on all stages of a project—from brainstorming ideas and refining them to securing internal buy-in and executing them—was always a great experience. She fosters a culture of trust and collaboration, making it easy to bring ideas to life.
Serene has the ability to craft messages that resonate well across different channels, whether written or spoken. Her talent for creating meaningful content and facilitating engaging discussions was especially evident in the monthly Town Hall meetings she organized. She not only ensured these events were informative and inclusive but also created an environment where every voice was heard. She was deeply trusted by the people at Sidekick, helping many grow by encouraging and coaching them to present confidently at Town Halls.”
Hrefna Thoroddsen
SVP People & Culture
Sidekick Health
Professional Influences
My work spans investor relations, product storytelling, internal alignment, and high-stakes media prep across global teams and fast-paced environments. I’ve helped CEOs refine pitch decks, coached founders through tough layoffs, crafted messaging frameworks for acquisitions, and translated technical product strategy into human language. That hands-on foundation is what makes the framework both credible and flexible.
CEO Signal is shaped by the real-world patterns I've observed working alongside founders, CEOs, and leadership teams in early-stage startups, scaling tech companies, and high-growth venture-backed businesses. But it's also informed by the frameworks and thinkers that have consistently guided my own approach to communication.
Patrick Lencioni’s
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
This model provides critical insight into how leadership behaviors affect team dynamics, trust, and alignment. I use it to help CEOs understand how their communication style may unintentionally contribute to or help resolve team friction, especially during scaling or restructuring.
Amy Edmondson’s
The Fearless Organization
A research-backed framework that explains why teams thrive when leaders foster an environment where people feel safe to speak up. I apply it when guiding CEOs to adjust tone, presence, and vulnerability in communications, especially when building or retaining high-performing teams in fast-scaling environments.
Erin Meyer’s
The Culture Map
A critical lens for working with multicultural teams and international organizations. I use it to adapt executive communication strategies for founders leading across geographies, helping ensure clarity, trust, and alignment in diverse settings.
Daniel Goleman’s
Emotional Inntelligence
A foundational framework for understanding how leaders use emotional intelligence to guide teams, build trust, and adapt their presence to context. It helps inform how I shape tone and leadership voice in high-stakes situations like all-hands meetings or investor updates.
Hogan Assessments
While not administered directly, the insight from Hogan's model of strengths, blind spots, and derailers has shaped how I assess a CEO’s stress behaviors and potential messaging risks, especially during moments of high visibility or change.
The Enneagram & MBTI
While not formal diagnostic tools in my process, these offer helpful cues about motivation, stress responses, and interpersonal dynamics. I use them to tailor coaching and message formats to match each leader’s natural rhythm and relational style.