Executive Coach
Birmingham, Bristol & Oxford
I was lucky to get the opportunity to work with Claire for 12 months during a period of leading a new team through major transformation and the help she gave me was completely game-changing. She helped me navigate the dynamics and personalities of the people I was working with, work out how to lead in a way that was focused and inspiring but also very authentic and achieve positive outcomes in very challenging circumstances. In the year I worked with Claire I also went through some very tough times personally and she offered so much support and helped keep me focus whilst also balancing what I needed to do for myself personally v professional. Claire’s approach was perfect for me - she was direct, challenging, constructive and helped me stay focused, she shared lots of methods and ideas which were incredibly helpful and she was always available when I needed her input. Working with her was also really fun, and she helped me see the bright and funny side of some of the more challenging situations I found myself in, which had I not worked with her would have definitely overwhelmed me. By the end of the year I genuinely felt like the time I’d spent with Claire had completely changed my approach to working and my outlook. We had to end our sessions because I ended the year getting a fantastic new role - but I’m hoping we get to work together again. I’d recommend Claire to anyone and everyone. S.W.
Claire has worked with me during the past 12 months re my career progression on topics ranging from complex and senior non-executive directorship nomination processes to securing senior consultancy roles. She has advised my skillfully on how to use my network to win influence and visibility at the right time and opportunity. Her international experience enabled her to be an effective sparring partner when business and regional cultures were a challenge. Among her strong skills set is an impressive ability to keep "the main thing" or main next step or excruciating challenge, under razor-sharp focus until a solution presents itself. She is equally strong in understanding the powers and limits of using intuition as a tool. She will insist on revisiting an agreed plan of action to make sure there are no blind spots, and no wrong turns. She likes to use sports strategy analogies to make any game plan come alive. With her help I navigated successfully difficult communication situations, seized influencing opportunities (and pitched right), and have secured the extension of a large consultancy contract in the Middle East, and am en route to winning a top NED role in the European banking sector. I have been a diplomat and Ambassador in my previous career, and am now successfully pursuing a portfolio career made up of NED roles, trusteeships and consulting assignments. Anne Ruth Herkes, Berlin Germany
I worked with Claire over an 8 month period and I found her to be amazing- She keeps it real and in my sessions with her I felt that I could lay it all on the table , the good , the bad and the ugly ! I had moved into a new role in work and was dealing with a team that hated change and my own manager who wanted me to change them and produce a great team but he himself ran a mile from any type of awkward situation as he hated being the bad guy . From the start I felt I could be totally honest with Claire and in doing so we worked really well together . Claire helped me see things from different perspectives and also gave me tools to aid me dealing with different type of personalities . I really enjoyed working with Claire and will be forever grateful as I now feel I have a toolkit that I can use in lots of different situations and not just in my professional life but in my personal life also - DC FD
“I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to recommend Claire as a coach — and as a colleague. I worked closely with Claire for two years while I was Head of Curriculum at Iclif in Malaysia. I came to depend on Claire not only for her coaching and classroom capabilities for our clients, but as a sensible and sensitive sounding board for me as well. Whether operating internally as a member of the team, or externally in helping our clients, Claire is unfailingly insightful, kind, straightforward, conscientious and just plain smart. I also saw her ethical grounding at work in one particularly difficult situation. Her deep background in the corporate world and her wide experience in the world itself serve her and her clients well.” KS, Founding Principal & Chief Client Officer.