Maria Kordowicz is Professor in Organisational Psychology and Director of Psychology, Counselling & Research at Regent’s University London, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King's College London. She is a Chartered Psychologist through research and teaching and a Chartered Manager. Maria brings almost 20 years of senior leadership experience spanning academia, healthcare systems, and organisational consultancy. Her work integrates organisational psychology, health services research, and executive leadership practice to improve culture, performance, and workforce wellbeing across complex institutions. She co-develops the WHO and MSF-endorsed psychometric tool PSYCHLOPS alongside Dr Peter Schofield at King’s College London.

Professor Kordowicz previously served as Director & Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Interprofessional Education & Learning at the School of Medicine, and as Director & Senior Lecturer in Business Psychology at the National Centre for Organisational Resilience at Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln. In these roles, she led interdisciplinary research programmes examining relational leadership, professional identity, and system reform. Alongside her expert team, she also established a global interdisciplinary network at the University of Nottingham through successful grant generation and a scoping evaluation. Her scholarship has shaped understanding of how belonging and workplace dignity influence outcomes in healthcare, criminal justice, and public service settings.

She formerly worked at King’s College London as a Quality Improvement Research Fellow, where she led large-scale qualitative and mixed-method evaluations across NHS and community systems and was the Programme Lead for the Master’s in Public Health. She has secured competitive research and evaluation funding, both in higher education and commercially, and published on organisational culture, relational systems, and workforce resilience. Her books, including 'Quality Improvement in Health and The Absurd Workplace', translate academic insight into practical frameworks for those navigating structural change. Maria’s prize-winning PhD from King’s College London, an ethnographic organisational study of underperforming general practices, was supervised by Professor Ewan Ferlie and the late Professor Mark Ashworth.

Alongside her academic leadership, Professor Kordowicz has held senior and executive roles within at major London Trusts. She was also Chief Executive of ResPeo (Researching People Ltd) for eight years, a consultancy supporting organisations to embed evidence-based, relational approaches to leadership and cultural change. Through this work, she advised senior executives, boards, and small business leaders on research and evaluation, sustainable growth, wellbeing, and inclusive strategy. Maria has regularly featured within popular national and international media as an expert speaker on subjects related to workplace wellbeing.

Professor Kordowicz is a doctoral supervisor, external examiner, and Visiting Professor at the City Institute of Higher Learning in Canada. She is a Fellow of multiple professional bodies, including the Royal Society of Medicine, serves as Trustee of the University Mental Health Advisors Network, and is a longstanding School Governor, formerly chair. Maria is also a member of the Association for Coaching and coaches executive leaders. Find more information at https://www.mariakordowicz.com.