Chris Roberts

My focus is to work with people in leadership positions to bring about change and growth within their organisations. My mentoring and coaching style helps to create the right environment for people to learn and develop and to accept and embrace the need for change

My approach

With 20 years in leadership positions, I fully understand the need for coaching to be firmly set in the context of its strategic business benefit in improving individual and team performance.  I believe the major benefit of my focus and approach is to make change happen by

• Concentrating on a business outcome
• Creating the right environment in which change can happen
• Creating the will and wish to change
• Focusing on actions and delivery
• Creating responsibility for delivery for the benefit of the team and the organisation
• Creating self awareness in order to understand a person’s impact on themselves and others.

Through the use of strong listening, questioning and challenging skills delivered in a supportive and positive way change becomes exciting and fulfilling.

My focus

I coach, mentor and advise appropriately Partners, Directors and Senior Managers in leadership positions or with leadership aspirations on 

• Increasing their impact to create benefit for their organisations
• Increasing their performance
• Developing or learning new skills for a new career step or future assignement
• Introducing successful change programmes with significant impact on people
• Reviewing board and management [performance]
• Developing coaching and mentoring programmes

My experience

As COO and CIO at a major global law firm and life assurance company for 16 years, I have an indepth understanding of the professional services business.

I am accredited as a Senior Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), having originally qualified as a coach/mentor with the OCM in 2005 gaining their Advanced Coaching and Mentoring Certificate

I have an interest in blending sports and business coaching and deliver new coach intake programmes for British Triathlon as it develops as a “sport for all”.

I strongly support the implementation of robust standards for coaching and mentoring through  training, accreditation and supervision of coaches and am an Executive UK Board member of the EMCC.

Mike Taylor

Raising business performance is my focus as a Coach, challenging and inspiring leaders to enhance their business leadership and deliver outstanding results. Very pragmatic, my approach is based on 15 years Board / Executive committee experience in blue chip organisations.

My approach

I draw on my background of growing profits and operational delivery across four different financial services markets in the UK and mainland Europe to challenge individuals and teams and to encourage changes in behaviour that bring lasting benefits to the organisation. 

By building trust and rapport quickly, I stimulate and inspire individuals to reach higher professional and personal goals. I use a combination of sharp technical skills and an acute understanding of what is needed to make individuals want to stretch themselves and their colleagues in a lasting way. Part of that is in helping them identify and focus on clear goals, doing the right things, not just doing things in the right way.

My focus

I advise and coach leaders within financial and professional services, private equity and publishing on 

• Improving business and individual performance
• Delivering major change, including in relation to M&A and other corporate transactions
• People leadership and effective communications to create a following
• Supporting senior female leaders to succeed
• Developing influencing skills, dealing with other senior leaders / external stakeholders and key clients

My experience

As a former buyer of corporate legal services, I have first hand client knowledge. This, combined with my business leadership background and keen interest in helping businesses to grow through their people, has led amongst others to many challenging assignments in the legal market: 

• Partner, law firm - raising self awareness and developing communication and people leadership skills
• Managing Associate, law firm - preparing for partnership
• General Counsel, Financial Services - developing her leadership skills and setting a new strategic direction for her legal department
• CTO, law firm - building influencing and networking skills to increase his business contribution
• Head of L&D, law firm - helping to develop strategy and implement plans to increase the firm’s performance culture

I qualified as a coach with Strathclyde University / The School of Coaching in 2005 and was one of the EMCC’s  first group of 15 to achieve European Individual Accreditation (as Senior Practitioner) in 2009.  My other qualifications include Corporate Treasury Diploma, FCT and Banking Diploma, FCIB, BSc (Hons) degree in Statistics, St Andrews University.

Marina Dieck

My focus is to work with people who want to develop and realise their leadership potential, maintain balance and build professional and leadership capabilities.  My coaching philosophy is that individuals hold the key to their success and my role is to facilitate and encourage their journey.

My approach

Drawing on my extensive business and coaching experience, I have a holistic and non-directive approach that integrates the needs of the individual and the organisation. My style has been described as practical, engaging and offering the appropriate level of personal stretch and challenge. I get to the heart of an issue through insightful questioning.  Trust and rapport come quickly enabling me to ask the difficult questions that challenge clients thinking and explore areas not thought of before.

This is achieved through:

• a deep understanding of human behaviour
• tailoring my approach to the needs and preferences of each client
• developing a heightened awareness of the leaders impact on individuals, their team, and their organisation
• creating a safe environment to learn and practice new skills enabling successful change
• incisive and intuitive questioning combined with strong listening skills
• a good sense of humour

 All of these combined help clients to make rapid and sustainable progress.

My focus

I coach, mentor and advise leaders and aspiring leaders in diverse organisation in both private and public sectors on

• Transition effectively through change
• Team development coaching to enhance team performance
• Supporting women in navigating the labyrinth route to leadership and find success on their own terms
• Challenging self-limiting beliefs and building on strengths to develop confidence and leadership capability
• Managing conflict at work and coaching upwards to deal with difficult leaders
• Improving performance by establishing what needs to change and why, and how the changes need to be effected
• Supervise coaches to ensure coaching quality and best practice and to provide education and support to the internal coach

My experience

Having held international HR management positions for many years in the IT industry, latterly as HR Director for Microsoft in the UK, I am acutely aware of the need to make the most of the talent in any organisation.

Examples of my experience include: 

• Operations Director – enhanced his leadership capability through developing his assertiveness skills
• HR Director – Law Firm – first 90 days accelerated his ability to have an immediate, positive impact on the organisation
• Director, Corporate Audit services – developed her leadership and impact skills, increased self-confidence and ability to manage a difficult boss

I am accredited as a Master Coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) having qualified as a coach in 2000. As a founder of the EMCC European quality award (EQA) for coach training organisations.  I am committed to the implementation of standards for coaching and mentoring through training, accreditation and supervision of coaches and am an Executive UK Board member of the EMCC.  My other qualifications include a Certificate in Coaching Supervision, Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resources and a BSc in Psychology and Computing.

Susan O’Brien

Susan’s commercial background includes nearly 20 years director / senior executive level in marketing and branding at Sky and Virgin Media plus consultancy roles for Vodafone Group, Astro Malaysia, Sky Italia and Project Kangaroo (an online video-on-demand service with the major UK broadcasters) and LOVEFiLM.

She specialises in coaching media clients and senior women in business. Susan has first-hand experience of what it takes to hold positions of responsibility and leadership successfully, giving her business and behavioural experience at senior executive level.

Susan is a self-motivated individual whose enthusiasm and ‘can-do’ spirit inspires and energises those who work with her. She coaches directors, senior managers, teams and individuals to unlock their potential, identify and build on their existing strengths and raise their game, leading to improved performance levels.

Susan is a keen sportswoman who enjoys competing in long-distance running and cycling and recently completed her first duathlon. She embraces the link between physical fitness and clarity of being and her commitment to personal fitness is an integral part of her practice of self-improvement and tapping into inner potential.

Susan holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and is a member of the Marketing Society and the Institute of Directors.  A qualified Coach-Mentor, she recently completed a Transactional Analysis (TA) programme at the University of Oxford. And with an active interest in supporting the Coaching Profession’s development, Susan is the Director of Marketing and Executive Board member for EMCC UK.

Julia Taylor

Julia has 20 years’ experience of marketing and business development within international professional services.  Based in London and Hong Kong, she has worked throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Having worked at Linklaters and Simmons & Simmons, Julia has a thorough understanding of how law firms work. She was heavily involved in developing business plans, generating revenue and managing client relationships. Before taking up the role of Marketing and Business Development Director, she undertook a major international rebranding project for Simmons & Simmons.

Julia has worked with a diverse range of partners, lawyers and business services people, often trying to inspire them to adopt a new approach or to do something outside their comfort zone.  She was instrumental in introducing a coaching and mentoring approach at Simmons & Simmons, with her worldwide team of 70 being the first to attend the Coaching and Mentoring Programme.  

Julia holds a postgraduate diploma in Marketing.