In their words.

“Chris's listening skills — clearly honed over years of volunteering — drew things out of me in a way I didn't expect. I'm not a natural talker, but the questions made it easy. (A shared love of sporting analogies helped too.) Beyond the listening, Chris brings genuinely off-beat suggestions — improv classes, for one — paired with real accountability. I'm making solid progress on exactly the issue I came in with.

“When I started, I wasn't really sure what help I needed. I just knew that things could be better, and I needed coaching to get there. Fast forward a few months and I'm in a completely different place.

“I recently worked with Chris during a period of professional turbulence, where my employer had been acquired by a multi-national corporation. The coaching process helped me unpick these detrimental changes to my work life and the emotions that came with them. We then worked on defining my values and goals and finding confidence in my own abilities again. This ultimately helped springboard me into a new chapter of my life with a senior role at a new company where life is good.

“Through the coaching sessions with Chris, I was able to break things down, enabling me to find a manageable path forward. The sessions also helped me to self reflect on my own accountability and encouraged me to feel more in control of what was happening. We agreed tangible actions that I could carry out between our sessions which made me feel like I was progressing and gathering momentum.

“Engaging in life coaching with Chris was a significant step for me, as I typically find it challenging to talk about myself or prioritise personal development. Growth often requires stepping outside of one's comfort zone, and while Chris encouraged me to do so, his approach was always gentle and supportive. Even moments of silence during our sessions felt purposeful and never uncomfortable.

“Chris' style is one of genuine curiosity and gentle challenge which helps facilitate self-reflection. Through our work together, I've been able to set myself goals, find joy and prioritise my own wellbeing and self care which in turn allows me to be a better mum and employee.

“Some leaders manage programmes; others shape people. Chris is firmly in the latter category. As a Senior Programme Manager, he brought much more than delivery expertise, he brought a genuine ability to coach, mentor, and bring out the best in people.

“When I joined the transformation program, my workstream was in poor shape from a delivery perspective and I had 4 significant risks to tackle. It was immediately overwhelming for me to tackle with such tight delivery timelines. When I took these risks to Chris, I immediately saw the coaching aspect of his leadership style. He didn't try to tell me how to approach re-baselining the delivery plan and mitigating the risks, he coached me to break down the problem and attack it systematically.

“Chris has an unusual combination of considerable experience and genuine interest in people. He will challenge you, sometimes quite directly, but always with the intention of helping you think differently and arrive at a better answer. Importantly, he doesn't need that answer to be his.