WE ARE COACHES
We are people make it work. We work as coaches, within a professional community with a shared commitment to support the cultural sector to change, develop and transform. As coaches we support colleagues across the cultural sector to realise their potential, manifest their intentions and own their personal growth and development. We do this work to support the cultural sector to change, develop and transform
Dr Caroline Murphy
Consultant and coach
Dr Caroline Murphy
Consultant and coach
Hi there, I am Caroline. I am fascinated by what makes organisations and teams tick, and I love working in contexts that focus on how to get organisational mission, vision, culture and objectives aligned in ways that really explore the potential of teams and individuals to be their best, think differently and make positive change. I like to be hands on, get under the skin of organisations, and work collaboratively and creatively to find new ways of navigating the inevitable challenges and bumps on the road that all organisations face. This often means developing strategic planning, creating impact frameworks, mentoring and coaching individuals and teams, and thinking about key areas of focus such as resilience, inclusivity and diversity, or how to make a genuine difference for individuals and communities. When I think about the characteristics I love in a client, I suppose I get a buzz out of working with organisations who have a really clear sense of their creative and cultural mission, and who are just as motivated by the social impact their work creates. I love working with organisations who are interested in how their strategy and mission contribute to bigger vision – such as place-making, sector development and civic role. I value honesty, integrity, warmth and humour and try to bring these qualities to all of my professional relationships. I have worked in and with cultural organisations for over 25 years, both as a consultant and in leadership roles. Organisations I’ve worked with recently include Northumbria University, Theatre Hullabaloo, Leeds 2023, Stephen Joseph Theatre, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Northumberland County Council, TIN Arts, Arts Council Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. I suppose my specialist areas are strategic and business planning, leading cultural change, arts and social impact, and partnership development.
Bev Morton
Coach and Consultant.
Bev Morton
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, I’m Bev.
I love to facilitate important conversations about things that matter with individuals. I love to work alongside people who have something important and knotty that is getting in that way of them realising their individual potential and subsequent leadership impact and to help them unpack it and move forward.
I love clients who are open to possibilities, those who have no preconceived idea about how to get to the goal but have a goal in mind – it is often that what they think they want/need in itself is a piece of work and I love to find the openness and trust in a client who is prepared to let go of what that might be.
Some of the clients I have worked with over the years include: UnLtd (social enterprise), Clore Leadership Programme – Fellows and Short Course participants, Clore Social Leadership Programme – Fellows, Donmar Warehouse, Orangebox, in addition to individual writers, directors, social entrepreneurs and artists.
I would love to do more coaching work around helping people to look at aligning themselves to the best context for them, which generates the greatest wellbeing, resilience and impact.
“Bev Morton works as coach to a number of Fellows throughout the last four years, and has been highly effective, challenging and supportive in this role. I greatly enjoy working with her, and would recommend her wholeheartedly.” Siobhan Edwards, Clore Social Leadership Programme
“I have told many people about my sessions with Bev. I say that the opportunity to talk to someone in an honest, safe, open environment about yourself and your work is an amazing privilege. I would recommend this coaching to everyone”. Maria Ragan, Head of Exhibitions, Horniman Museum.
My specialist areas include facilitative coaching based in emotional intelligence, self leadership, wellbeing and resilience.
Kim Gowland
Coach. Consultant.
Kim Gowland
Coach. Consultant.
Hello, I’m Kim. I work with cultural leaders and managers to help them to help them bring about positive transformation in their careers and wider lives. Typically, the kind of issues we work on include strategic decision making, identifying and focusing on priorities, improving professional relationships, dealing with overwhelm and building confidence, influence and authority, team development and leadership skills, work-life balance and navigating career/role transition. I believe passionately in helping leaders and managers to be authentic, to fulfil their leadership potential, and to look after their own and others’ wellbeing. I love to work with clients who are thoughtful, creative, open-minded and have strong values.
During a 25 year career in the cultural sector, I held senior roles at Manchester Art Gallery, the Museum of Science and Industry and mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). As an ILM7 qualified Executive and Leadership Coach, clients have included the Science Museum Group, Manchester Art Gallery, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester Craft and Design Centre, Stoller Hall, Chester Zoo and English Heritage.
Nice things people have said about me and my work include: "My coaching sessions with Kim have changed how I lead my team and how I manage my workload. Kim is a staggering good listener. She can distil the key issues from a range of ideas, asks brilliant and insightful questions, which really get to the heart of the issue and make you think about something in a new way. Working with Kim has not only improved my work life, but also my home life and the balance between the two". "Working with Kim quite literally changed my life. When we met, I was exhausted and feeling completely out of control of my work / life balance. From the very first session it felt as though a fog was lifting and for the first time in years I could see more clearly and make better decisions". "Kim is supportive, warm and engaging and immediately puts you at ease".
My specialist areas include cultural leadership coaching and supporting clients to navigate periods of transition.
Annette Corbett
Coach and consultant
Annette Corbett
Coach and consultant
Hi there, I am Annette Corbett. I enjoy supporting individuals, groups, and organisations with defining their vision and telling their story. This used to take the form of producing and fundraising, but latterly has manifested itself through facilitation, team awaydays, and supporting strategic and organisational development. I love to watch connections being formed - there’s something so exciting about seeing an idea take shape. I get very enthused by other peoples’ ideas and helping them figure out how to make those ideas a reality.
I value working with people who are open, collaborative, curious, and enthusiastic – who are ready to make changes to their ways of thinking or working. It’s rewarding to be able to help an individual or organisation through a place where they might feel stuck; providing them with the clarity to take their next steps, and perhaps giving them a little nudge along the way!
I’ve worked across a number of roles and organisations over the years, including Arts Council England, Goldsmiths College, Teatro Vivo, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, Artistic Directors of the Future, and Brixton House.
Wellbeing is a passion for me, especially where it relates to leadership. I believe we need to shift away from the age-old adage that ‘the show must go on’ and towards models of leadership rooted in equity, humanity and compassion. I value being able to bring my own personality to my practice, and seek out opportunities to bring a sense of playfulness and joy to my practice that supports people in feeling comfortable to explore sometimes complex and challenging ideas.
Some nice things clients have said about me include;
“She has an incredible perceptive ability to create and enhance strategic problem-solving solutions reaching the desired objective.”– Nike Jonah, Director, PACE; Board, European Cultural Foundation and Bush Theatre
“The quality of [her] work was further informed by a real in depth understanding of the sector.” – Gerald Lidstone
“It was a joy to work with her and I look forward to doing so again in the future.” – Sophie Austin, former Artistic Director, Teatro Vivo
“F**king hell Annette, you were amazing” – David Micklem, Culture Reset
I suppose my specialist areas include group and one-to-one coaching around wellbeing and resilience; Goal-setting and accountability; Interrogating and developing new ideas; Clarifying vision, mission and values
Chris Gorry
Consultant & Coach
Chris Gorry
Consultant & Coach
Hi, I'm Chris. I'm driven by social impact and ensuring arts and cultural organisations are genuinely serving the audiences or stakeholders they are intending to serve. I enjoy working with organisations to develop their Artistic and Operational Co-Creation methods and delivery plans, to ensure equitable and inclusive engagement frameworks. I have experience in leading festivals, producing, local authority creative compact work, programming, youth and community arts in both small project funded organisations and for Arts Council England, National Portfolio organisations. I'm experienced in entrepreneurial approaches, mixed model income generation, scale up and theory of change driven business planning.
I've worked for a number of organisations as both a freelance and employed member of staff including; The Spark Arts for Children, Warts and All Theatre (Founder), Royal & Derngate, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Almeida Theatre, The Point, The Castle Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre.
As a values driven leader, it all comes down to the Vision and Mission for me! I enjoy rigorously evaluating how organisations Vision, Mission and Values are embedded in everything from Governance to PR and marketing. I'm also a theatre director specialising in co-creation, so I love working with all kinds of artists, and have previously led a number of Diversity and Inclusion driven Talent Development initiatives co-ordinating national and international partnerships. Deep down I'm driven to ensure that arts and culture is accessible to everyone, and you'll usually find me exploring a provocation or two, on how to make this industry more relevant and inclusive to places, spaces and people.
Philipa Deller
Coach and Consultant.
Philipa Deller
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, I’m Philipa
I really enjoy partnering with leaders and managers to ensure they have a pragmatic people strategy to enable them to meet, and ideally exceed, their goals. I relish being given a problem and working with managers to find a solution. My broad generalist experience enables me to support teams through every aspect of the employee journey.
It’s great to work with people who are passionate about their jobs and the teams they work with; they are up for a challenge and to be challenged. They may be stumped by an issue but are keen to work it through with others.
On the flip side, I have plenty of experience of working with people who need to be persuaded about the benefits of organisational change, engaging their teams or addressing difficult people issues. These often become the most successful collaborations.
I have worked in a number of sectors in a permanent and consultancy capacity; these include the Metropolitan Police Service, TUI Travel PLC, Friends Life and Aviva..
I want to continue to work in a variety of organisations and sectors. Working in the cultural sector is of particular interest as it would enable me to combine my professional career with my personal passions. I enjoy adapting my knowledge, skills and experience to new organisations, bringing a fresh approach and outlook. Experience has shown that I do this successfully by really getting under the skin of an organisation and by having a can-do attitude.
A number of senior leaders have given me good feedback. After a recent major restructure, the board-level sponsor said ‘she did a completely brilliant job….partnering us through the change. She truly understood what we were trying to achieve, gave great advice and support. I have huge respect for her’.
Having held HR roles for over 20 years, I have in-depth experience in a number of areas. These include recruiting people at every level, partnering and coaching senior leaders to develop and achieve their people and business goals, providing the expertise and support for change programmes, working with leaders to engage their teams and resolving people issues through mediation or by following a process.
Dr Eve Poole
Coach and Consultant.
Dr Eve Poole
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, I’m Eve.
I love leaders. I love figuring out how to help them become leadersmiths, and I love helping them figure out how to take their organisations forward. I love helping them in transition, and I love helping them help those around them to be great too. I’m lucky enough to have worked with leaders at all levels, across the sectors, with a particular focus on top leaders, talent and succession.
Some of the organisations I’ve worked with include: FCO, MOD, ODPM/DCLG, IDeA, Clore Cultural and Social Leadership Programmes, BBC, Channel Five, Tesco, EY, Atos KPMG, Time Warner, Thomson, RWE, Orange, Rexam, Varta, Ecolab, IHG, WHSmith News, Astra, Roche, Lufthansa, Network Rail, Body Shop, RHM, RBS, St Paul Travelers, Ace, M&G, Barclays, BNP Paribas Fortis, GE, Royal Shakespeare Company, the Natural History Museum, ACEVO, NSPCC, Traidcraft, Church of England.
I would love to do more work introducing people to the idea of leadersmithing.
Some nice things that clients have said about me:
“As a lecturer and coach, Eve is an outstanding professional, with a wonderful ability to make complex theories come alive for for mixed ability groups. She is highly engaging and energising. Eve ensures that each individual is inspired to achieve their learning objectives in a memorable and thought-provoking way.”
“Eve has a brain the size of a planet. In it she holds, I believe, just about all the secrets a leader needs to be successful at a high level in fast-paced, complex organisations. She is an engaging speaker, challenging coach and a completely, utterly reliable deliverer of results.”
My specialist areas include senior leaders and leaders in transition, coaching and action learning, learning and development, and organisational ethics.
Dr Dawn Langley
Coach and Consultant.
Dr Dawn Langley
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, I’m Dawn.
I love working with individuals to help them clarify and achieve specific goals. I love working with people who are keen to experiment and test out ideas, who are curious about their own development and open to learning.
Over the years I ‘ve worked with a range of organisations including: Arts Council England, English Heritage, The Crafts Council, Mercury Theatre, Royal Central School for Speech and Drama, Emergency Exit Arts, North Bristol NHS Trust, Carillion, Oxfam, The WI, University of Durham, Cultural Co-operation and Hampshire County Council.
In the future, I would love to do more work with individuals looking to set up new businesses, change career path or change the way they work within an organisation.
Clients have been very kind in recognising the experience and wealth of resources I can offer:
“I am grateful for your considered, structured, – and warm – approach. “
“I am feeling very buoyed up by the process – I’m starting to see what I can do, and what might be possible.”
My specialist areas include working with individuals on identifying personal strengths and goal setting.
I can offer wide-ranging approaches to suit the specific needs of individual clients -drawn from my practice, my academic research and my own experience. I often bring together perspectives and resources from very different sectors to help clients consider alternatives they might not otherwise have thought of.
Joanne Launder
Coach and Consultant
Joanne Launder
Coach and Consultant
Hi there, I'm Joanne. I really enjoy supporting people and organisations to identify their needs and aspirations and to deliver at their best. That could be through supporting them in the organisational changes and transformations that they are trying to make or supporting leaders to optimise their individual impact and performance. I love supporting problem solving, analytical thinking and looking at things with a real attention to detail.
As a consultant and freelancer I am led by my motivation and commitment to working with people and organisations that are looking to make a positive lasting impact and a real difference to people’s lives, supporting them to deliver at their best. I love organisations and people that display openness, integrity and transparency. I have worked strategically with Arts Council England, British Library, Carnegie UK Trust, Libraries Unlimited, Libraries Connected, Wellcome Trust, WOW festival & Southbank Centre, Local Authorities and a range of public library services across the UK, Exeter Cultural Partnership and the Higher Education sector. I’d love to do more talent nurturing, supporting organisations to build leaders at every level and enabling leaders to thrive. I really enjoy mentoring, employee engagement, managing people, performance and relationships. My specialist areas include; working within the arts, culture, libraries and charities sectors. Leadership, organisational change and development, running a charity, governance and sector change. I love working with communities and in partnership. My background is as a qualified and chartered librarian, but over the past 10 years I have worked in senior management roles in the library and charity sector with a focus on creating sustainable organisa-tions which make a real difference to communities and individuals. I’m an empathetic, innovative and resilient leader with a strong track record in organisational delivery, operations and development within the culture sector. I’m experienced in leading cultural change within a large, growing organisation, engaging with staff, communities and strategic partners to deliver lasting transformational changes.
Hannah Corneck
Coach and Consultant.
Hannah Corneck
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, my name is Hannah Corneck.
I love being an agent for change. As a coach, leadership trainer, creative facilitator and problem solver, it is a privilege to work with individuals and teams who are curious about themselves and excited about releasing potential through change.
Characteristics I love to find in a client include people who are curious, creative, ambitious and brave. I like to have fun when I work and enjoy people who relish learning and exploring new ways of doing things to get great results.
Some of the organisations I have worked with include BBC, Channel 4, S4C, ScreenSkills, Arnolfini, University of Nottingham, University of Western England, Asian Arts Agency and IBM.
What I’d love to do more of in the future includes working with individuals, teams or organisations who want to change the way they tell their story. Change is challenging and working in partnership with people to think creatively about different ways of reaching their desired goal is where I find my joy and job satisfaction.
Nice things clients have said about me include:
“extremely astute”
“Hannah inspires transformational learning and does it with authenticity”
“She builds trusting relationships quickly and is a joy to work with”
“Hannah has an abundance of enthusiasm, energy and joy in all she does”
“a fantastic presence. Smart, supportive and above all, utterly authentic”
“practical and inspirational! “
“creative, dynamic and multi skilled”
“a joy to work with and completely reliable”
Robbie Swale
Coach.
Robbie Swale
Coach.
I love all coaching, but there are two things which can make it particularly special. If someone is in a particularly stretching role or time in their work – perhaps following a promotion or during a period of change for the organization they work in or lead – the learning can be so rich, and the short- and long-term returns for the client very high. Secondly, it’s exciting to work with someone at a point where they are particularly stuck: helping them open to the possibilities available can lead to inspiring change for people.
There are many, but in particular I love people who are ambitious – for themselves, but also for their work – and want to have a real impact on the world.
Previous clients include Clore Leadership Programme, Department for International Development, Swiss Re, Royal Opera House, Sound and Music, UCL Union.
‘Working with Robbie over the last three months has had a transformational impact on my career direction and ambition.’
‘Something that had felt so far away and so unattainable had been reached through Robbie’s coaching and my commitment to just do and see where we ended up.’
‘I would highly recommend Robbie to anyone who is facing what feels like an insurmountable hurdle, whether it's personal or professional - at the end of your time with him, I'm confident that you will end your sessions knowing exactly what you're going to do to address it.’
‘My advice: if you really want to make change in your life - or in the world - take a step out of your comfort zone, have a sit down - in person or virtually - with Robbie.’
My specialisms include Leadership, management challenges, career strategy and confidence.
Alongside my coaching, I also write. I write a weekly blog during my twelve-minute train journey into London, and less regular longer posts. They are mainly posted on LinkedIn, and you can find them by searching for me there or Googling my name.
Lynne O’Neil
Coach and Consultant.
Lynne O’Neil
Coach and Consultant.
Hi there, I’m Lynne.
I love taking clients outside themselves to explore the magic within, unlocking their potential and witnessing them own their talents and gifts.
I love working with clients who have honesty, vulnerability, ambition, the courage and curiosity to grow.
Some of the organisations I have worked with include: NHS, Glasgow City Council, Cultural Enterprise Office, Scottish Opera, Scottish Dance Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, The Skinny Publishing, NVA Public Arts, WASPS Artists’ Studios, Loretto Housing Association, Scottish Institute for Enterprise, Skillset Scotland, Ogilvy Group, Edinburgh Book Trust, Ethnic Minority Enterprise Company, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Traverse Theatre, Federation of Scottish Theatre, Money, Models, Mission.
In the future, I’d love to do more international work with entrepreneurs, bringing mindfulness into coaching practice, walking and talking coaching and creating change programmes in off site spaces.
Some nice things clients have said about me:
“Lynne had helped me strike at the essence of what I really wanted, re-establishing myself as a creative artist, backed by her positive support as well as practical tools to keep me on track was totally unanticipated, and brilliant!”
“Lynne’s coaching had such a profound impact for me, that I’ve been inspired to become a coach and train to be a professional dream-unlocker myself.”
My specialist areas include leadership, business and personal coaching, group facilitation/action learning, business skills for creative entrepreneurs and visioning.
Dr Claire Antrobus
Coach and Consultant
Dr Claire Antrobus
Coach and Consultant
Hi there, I’m Claire.
I love getting involved with leadership development, organisational development and change, strategy development with non-profits, particularly in the arts/culture sector and education.
I enjoy working with clients who are ambitious and passionate about the role of culture and education in society.
Some of the organisations I’ve worked with include: Tate, Hepworth Wakefield, Turner Contemporary, mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), British Council, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Cumbria Museums Consortium, University of the Arts, Mission Models and Money, University of Leeds, The Poetry School and Creative Scotland.
In the future, I would love to do more work in organisational development, team and leadership development.
Some nice things that clients have said about me:
“The safest pair of hands I know.”
“I would recommend her without hesitation if you want the sort of consultant who will try and get to the bottom of the issue at hand and help you do what needs to be really done. She is an excellent critical friend, someone who will tell you what you might not want to hear, but nevertheless need to hear. In short: fiercely intelligent; analytical; results-driven.”
“As an independent consultant to cultural organisations, Claire’s reputation is second to none in the UK. She is an original and creative thinker in cultural policy, in particular focusing on the real needs of artists within the cultural and wider economy. Moreover, she delivers – on time, on budget and with a complete understanding of the brief given to her.”
My specialist areas include organisational development, change management, strategic planning, coaching, action learning, creative and cultural sector, visual arts/ museums sector, cultural policy and non-profit governance.
Caroline Collier
Coach and Consultant
Caroline Collier
Coach and Consultant
Hello, I am Caroline. After a thirty five- year career in the arts and cultural fields, most recently as Director of Partnerships and Programmes at Tate, I set up my own practice in the summer of 2018. I wanted to collaborate with other people to draw on my deep and varied experience as a director and CEO of arts organisations and to apply coaching skills in order to support organisations and individuals to succeed in a complex and fast changing environment, where people often feel strained.
I have led multi art form organisations, reported to local authorities and independent trusts, worked for regional and national museums, devised artistic programmes, curated and organised exhibitions, produced a pantomime, written about art, delivered major capital projects and worked as a funder and strategist regionally and nationally. During twelve years at Tate, my responsibilities included the two regional galleries, learning and research across the four museums and UK and international partnerships. I am qualified at senior practitioner level as a coach-mentor, recognized by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). Throughout, I have taken inspiration from art, people, animals and the natural world.
I believe that career success and enjoyment of life are heightened through developing an inner sense of purpose and meaning. When I feel I can make a difference, I work with organisations and individuals to increase their core strength and vision, encouraging flexibility, imagination and pragmatism. I help foster a culture of reflection and learning to achieve effectiveness. I adapt my approach to suit the style and needs of specific cultural contexts, different kinds of organisations and diverse individuals. I measure my effectiveness by the impact that my work has on others.
Pearl Jordan
Coach and consultant
Pearl Jordan
Coach and consultant
Hi there, I’m Pearl! The work I love doing is performance and wellbeing based and looking at how closely the two are entwined. How we ‘be’ inside impacts how we perform outside. And I love helping people to go within, identify their unique rhythm and to dare to dance freely on the stage of life.
My passion is self-leadership and authentic, creative, self- expression. Questions such as who am I? what do I want? bring a ‘tingle to my fingers and a tingle to my feet’ because in that space, truth is bubbling up inside, a voice is about to be released, clarity is on the horizon and a renewed confidence is about to soar and lead the way. It is an honour to be able to facilitate this process for individuals and teams, through coaching, workshops and speaking. Characteristics I love to find in a client are a willingness for deep change, taking full responsibility for their process, a client who feels the fear of vulnerability and shows up anyway and who is ready for fun along the way. Some organisations I have worked with include Brunel University, The Pipeline Executive Leadership Summit, , Ready Steady Go Pre-school Nurseries, Centre of Advanced Training, Swindon Dance, The Professional Speaking Association, LAMDA, British Association for Performing Arts Medicine, One Dance UK. I would love to bring my directing skills to team building development. Over the years I have witnessed such personal and professional growth within individuals and groups, way beyond the stage, that it has inspired me to want to provide team building programs through the art of performance. I consider working with clients’ to be a two way street, I learn from them as they learn from me.
Nice things clients have said about this journey include... "Pearl Jordan is an energetic and intuitive trainer...Her sessions made us think about why we do what we do and helped us to believe that we can achieve great things".... "such positive energy, we left after her much engaging talk recharged and ready to win the race..." evokes a sense of trust, respect and wisdom"... "I felt relaxed and safe and revealed truths in myself I hadn’t acknowledged before’...A wrap around experience of love"... "she is so intuitive and I felt truly held while being free to explore all aspects of me..." I was left feeling SO clear and energised. The last thing I wanted to say was that I am positively enthusiastic about real lives and encourage new stories for a better life.