I am an experienced EMCC-accredited coach with a focus on transformational coaching relationships to further careers, enable transitions, or grow businesses. I have a Masters in Organisational Psychology.
My style is open, informal, and honest. I am passionate about creating trusting and honest relationships with clients and helping them get to the ‘truth’ of a career or professional situation by taking the time to understand their core beliefs. I then support and encourage them towards a credible plan for change.
I was a Partner at KPMG LLP (the business advisers) for 14 years in management consulting, focusing on M&A strategy and organisational change. I was recently an Executive Director at UK Government Investments (HM Treasury) working on governance reviews and board effectiveness for arm’s length bodies. Before that, I ran a programme for social impact specialists Social Finance addressing the needs of children in care for local authorities.
I coach on business growth & strategy, career planning & transition, relational issues, management & leadership, board facilitation and skills, confidence and imposter syndrome.
- For those looking at business growth and strategy (Incl. work/life balance), I tend to follow a very goal-focused approach, using strategic visioning and 90-day planning, to create robust plans from which clients gain a sense of ownership and achievability.
- For issues around career transition and career breaks (and particularly how to maintain self-confidence during liminal periods) I use a sense-making, discovery and planning approach using Schein’s ‘career anchors’
- For relational issues with colleagues or stakeholders, I use a combination of 3600 (Insightful Edge accred.) and ‘perceptual positions’ to take the emotional defensiveness out of the situation, to gain insight, and to create a solution
- And last but definitely not least when it comes to mental resilience, I am trained as a mental fitness coach with Cognomie: measuring mental fitness and helping to build it in these fragile times.
Qualifications
EMCC Practitioner; Diploma in Transformational Coaching, (Catalyst14) EMCC-accredited 2021
MSc, Organisational Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London 2024
AMCT, Associateship, Association of Corporate Treasury
BA (Hons) Geography, University of Liverpool
Representative client assignments
Private Equity Finance Leader – career and confidence coaching, appreciative enquiry and working on mindset
Investment Director, ESG Investment Fund – helped her transition to new team manager role, dealing with team conflict and leadership skills
CIO, Ministry of Defence – facilitated a renegotiation of governance structure of technology function and leadership conflict within Executive Board
KPMG Partner – helped map out a career plan and role development into market leading role
Board-level Operations Director, Financial Institution – helped with challenges of confidence and liminality during major role change
Recent clients & testimonials
Montagu Private Equity, Bridgepoint Capital, Advent Private Equity, Nationwide plc, Civil Service Learning, KPMG LLP, Ministry of Defence, Harvey Nash Group, Merck, Frontline.
“I think Robin is so effective as a coach because he has a unique combination of career experience (and therefore credibility) without bringing any personal bias to our discussions; being able to listen as well as contributing / actively making suggestions to further the thinking process; and [he’s] a genuinely kind person to work with.”
Deal Executive, Private Equity 2023
“Robin’s coaching was inspirational. He really helped categorise my thoughts and actions on a day-to-day basis. The themes and tools are really helpful in organising decision making”
Senior Partner, KPMG 2023
“Robin was incredibly encouraging to me, reflecting on my self-understanding, breadth of reading and ability to hold myself to account. He also reflected that sometimes I may ‘over-think’ and could be gentler with my self-criticism. He blended very well a combination of creating space for me to think, sharing models that gave helpful structure, and stepped in with more direct reflections. Together, it was challenging and supportive.”
CEO, UK Non-Profit Care Provider 2023
“He is one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with – he combines a deeply compassionate character with a wealth of real-world experience and academic rigour. He’s easy to connect with, it feels safe to explore tough subjects and he brings a practical forward momentum too which makes the coaching feel real rather than conceptual”
Senior Executive, Nationwide 2021
“Robin is one of the unique consultants who is able to grasp the complexities of the wider context and translate this into effective, practical and preferable solutions. He manages, along the way, to provide advice and coaching to clients and team members that acts as a multiplier on the delivery of effective outcomes.”
CIO, Ministry of Defence
“I felt a real sense of release – from being able to talk about some of the things that were going around and around in my head. I came away with an action plan and a means to weigh up the pros and cons of different actions and possibilities”
Local Authority Executive