Marilyn Volpe
Founder & President

At the heart of communicating is the need to make "human contact." Once that vital connection is made new ideas and concepts, policies and procedures, principles and practices even song lyrics can come alive and resonate with an audience.

Marilyn Volpe has embraced this philosophy and employed it in two distinct, and wildly diverse careers. Training and entertaining.

Following her graduation from the University of Connecticut, Marilyn joined Bank of America in San Francisco in the early 1970's, working her way up to Vice President of Global Information Systems.

Her interpersonal skills, combined with an innate sensitivity, were a perfect match as she managed the bank's new business services operations in Hong Kong, Manila, London, Tokyo and Caracas. Working with a hugely diverse customer base fostered in her the need to make human contact the center of her professional and personal life.

The listening and training skills she developed have served her well. In fact, it was listening to her own heart that started her on a second career in the early 1980's.

Marilyn, feeling the need for reinvention, moved to Italy to follow her dream to be a singer. Her ability to make human contact, and hit a high "C", combined to make her a success. She appeared on Italian television, recorded her first album and lived the life of the entertainer for nearly five years.

In 1989 she returned to New York and was recruited by Learning International (now AchieveGlobal) as a training consultant. She developed and delivered sales, management and customer service programs across the country. All the while, continuing to embrace her singing career. The combination of training and entertaining brought out her best.

1993 brought a new challenge when Marilyn decided to start her own consulting firm. Building on her business experiences and the feedback from hundreds of senior managers and business professionals who had attended her seminars, she launched The Madison Consulting Group.

Focusing on individual and small group coaching and highly targeted training solutions, Marilyn's new venture began drawing the attention of some of America's premier firms. They included: American Express, Citigroup, Deloitte Touche, Fidelity Investments, Global Crossing and more. Her business grew to include more than 40 consultants and associates offering more than 65 different seminars and programs, many tailored to meet the specific needs of her clients.

No - she hadn't given up her singing career. She appeared with Frank Sinatra at New York's Tavern on the Green where she recorded a live CD of her performance. She also performed at upscale New York City supper clubs, including Rainbow & Stars and the Algonquin's Oak Room, performing the great American standards of George Gershwin, Cy Coleman, Rogers & Hammerstein, and others. She had found a way to combine the passion of art and the skill of communication in one career. Today, Marilyn holds a rare distinction as a member of both the National Arts Club and the Society of Human Resources Managers.

Making human contact is at the heart of the operations and curricula of The Madison Consulting Group. Marilyn welcomes your interest.