Executive coaching and leadership development for organisations

I help HR and L&D leaders give their senior leaders and teams the clarity to deliver when nothing stands still. I work with organisations across the UK and Europe, in person or online.

Book a 15-minute introductory call See what I do

Looking for coaching for yourself?

Kathryn Kernick in a mustard velvet blazer, smiling, with a soft-focus building behind her

I've sat in all three chairs

I've run the business.

Full P&L responsibility and a seat on senior leadership teams, so I understand the pressure your leaders are under.

I've designed the programmes.

Nearly 30 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Korn Ferry and leading assessment providers, most recently leading the development of AI-enabled coaching and practice programmes, so I know what makes development stick.

I've coached the leaders.

One to one and as teams, from first-time leaders to the C-suite.

Experience across multiple sectors, including financial services, professional services, technology, FMCG and defence, in the UK, Europe and globally.

Decisive enough to act. Open enough to adapt.

Your leaders are being asked to deliver through constant change: economic pressure, restructuring, new technology and teams already stretched thin. The plans that worked a few years ago don't hold for long now.

Waiting for certainty isn't an option. What makes the difference is leaders who can set a direction, hold it with conviction and change course when they need to, while bringing their people with them. And you need development that shows up in how they lead and how the business performs, not just in a programme evaluation.

What I do

Executive coaching

One-to-one coaching that gives a leader an honest read on how they're really landing — most valuable at the moments when the job itself changes shape.

Find out more

Senior team coaching

Coaching for an intact leadership team that happens inside the day job, not alongside it, until it can run itself well without us.

Find out more

Leadership development

Cohort-based programmes built around the challenges and real transitions your leaders and your high potentials are actually facing.

Find out more

How I work

I'll tell you if I'm not the answer.

Whether it's coaching, team development or a leadership programme, I'll give you an honest view of what will make a difference, even when that isn't something I deliver.

Every voice in the room.

The best answers come from the whole team, not just the loudest voices. I make sure every perspective is heard.

Growth that delivers.

Development is an investment, and it should show up in how your leaders and teams perform, long after the work ends.

Serious about the work, not about ourselves.

Rigour and decades of experience, with warmth and a sense of humour. People do their best thinking when they can be themselves.

Selected work

A few examples from my career, shared without naming clients.

C-suite succession

A succession development programme for a global organisation preparing its next generation of senior leaders, built around three immersive experiences in different global locations, each focused on a different capability for leading through disruption. I recognised the opportunity, shaped the programme and managed the client relationship throughout, while a trusted team of specialists delivered it. It went on to see over seven in ten participants promoted or moved into bigger roles, and won an industry award for its design.

AI-enabled coaching practice

A coaching skills pilot that paired traditional coaching practice with AI-powered conversation simulations, so managers could rehearse difficult performance and development conversations safely before having them for real. I managed the client relationship and oversaw delivery throughout. The organisation's own data showed a clear shift from directive to coaching-led conversations, with leaders reporting they felt better equipped to handle the complexity of their teams.

A flagship leadership programme

A leadership development programme for a large manufacturing organisation, built around two transitions: moving into a first leadership role, then into senior leadership. Rather than an off-the-shelf model, it was co-created with the client and mapped to their own leadership behaviour framework, combining individual coaching, peer learning and on-the-job application so people were challenged to think differently, not just informed. I identified the need, brought in the right team and managed the client relationship throughout as it was delivered across multiple cohorts. It created a common leadership language across the business, and the organisation reported a real shift in behaviour and culture as people moved into these roles.

Let's talk about what your leaders need next.

Book a 15-minute introductory call Send an enquiry

Looking for executive coaching for yourself? Find out how I work with individual leaders