Anya Smirnova

Leadership Coach - London

Anya’s clients are women leaders and high-potential individuals who are committed to developing self-awareness and finding new, creative ways to:

• Navigate critical transitions from expert to leader, progressing to partner, board or C-level roles.
• Develop leadership styles that are effective and authentic.
• Re-energise careers that feel “stuck”, build success that is fulfilling and sustainable.
• Gain space to think in a busy and often lonely leadership journey.

Anya has 1200+ hours coaching experience with high-performing international and PLC-level organisations (eight of the top 10 law firms, BlackRock, KPMG, Moody’s, The Red Cross). She also has experience working with rapid growth and change organisations like Deliveroo.

She has worked with clients from new managers to board and C-level leaders, and occasionally friends in distress.

Many of her clients are professionals achieving “success with an accent”, who want to define their leadership style in contexts where being different from the majority (gender, culture) can challenge leadership identity.

Anya has a strong interest in women’s health’s impact on confidence and career progression.

Anya also coaches groups and is an experienced facilitator. She delivers leadership programmes and facilitates strategy days for organisational clients.

APPROACH

Clients describe Anya’s style as thoughtful, purposeful and candid - offering both support and challenge to enable lasting change.

Anya balances reflection with action. Coaching starts with building self-awareness: understanding drivers, strengths, beliefs and blind spots. Then exploring impact on others and the wider business. She brings a systemic lens, considering the context within teams, organisations, families and wider systems.

She acts as your thinking partner: listens carefully, plays back what she hears, sees and feels, and helps you clarify what you are really aiming for, organisationally and individually. She challenges clients to aim higher and supports them to focus, prioritise, set boundaries, communicate effectively and follow through on meaningful change.

Anya uses a range of approaches to make coaching effective (Hogan, Strengths and Inclusive Leadership Compass), alongside creative methods. If relevant, she may share experience and resources.

BACKGROUND

Anya is a “recovered solicitor”, having worked in a top law firm. She served as a board member and founded a healthcare start-up, bringing strong commercial, strategic and organisational insight to her coaching.

Anya works in English and Russian, converses in French, and brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by living in the UK, Russia, France and Singapore.

She is based in London with her husband and two sons. Anya is a school governor and enjoys snowboarding (with no intention of switching to skis, despite her growing wisdom!). She’s the author and voice of the audio guide for the Isautier Rums museum on Réunion Island, a must-visit if you travel there.