As a highly qualified organisation consultant and executive coach with over 25 years’ experience, Nicky works with individuals and teams to address significant organisational issues.  Her background includes leadership roles in organisation and talent development, human resources, marketing and strategic projects.  She is equally at home working at board level as she is with front line staff, whether working with groups or one-to-one.  She brings intellect, insight, pragmatism, warmth and humour to her work.

Nicky’s main interest is in performance, culture and behaviour change, she also works with the complex interplay of strategy, operations, people and processes that can support but also hinder change.  Her approach usually involves heightening awareness of current realities and creating energy for, and ownership of change as well as developing confidence and skills to experiment with new ways of thinking and behaving. 

Nicky has held leadership roles in the technology and financial services sectors (Global Head of Talent Development, Standard Chartered Bank, Organisation Development Director Dell EMEA, HR Director, Marketing Manager and Strategic Projects Manager at Prudential (mergers and acquisitions).  For five years, she was a senior director of a successful consultancy specialising in leadership, organisation and culture change.  For the past ten years she has worked independently and established a global and diverse client base. She is a Programme Director on the WIG Exchange programme. She also works with Yahoo, Eversheds, KPMG, UK Cabinet Office, Bombardier Transportation, NYSE, and Microsoft.

Valerie works with individuals at Board level, Directors and High Potentials. Her qualifications and experience as a CEO in healthcare, a Non-Executive and as an Executive Coach and Leadership tutor, enable her to relate to clients in terms of both their business and psychological needs. She is widely known for innovative programme design and executive coaching that delivers results.

Valerie is an Independent Consultant, she is a Programme Director on the WIG Exchange programme and an Associate of Ashridge Business School.  She specialises in Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.  For 10 years she was the Ashridge Client Director for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office designing all their Senior Leadership Programmes as well as coaching the Board and Senior Ambassadors.  For the NHS, she worked as a partner in a consortium with Birmingham and Manchester Universities redesigning and delivering the Graduate Management Scheme.  Vodafone invited Valerie to design and deliver a global programme to review and develop the political engagement capability of their CEOs worldwide and to coach at Executive level.

Increasingly, she works with organisations to review and design strategic learning and development activities that will support the organisation and individuals in achieving their outcomes. Valerie enjoys working with creative tutoring methodologies which engage individuals and lead to genuine change. She regularly transfers learning from the arts and sports e.g. The England Cricket and rugby teams. She has also run coaching master classes for Wales RFU. Valerie has an interest in the development of women as leaders and has four years research experience around the representation and development of women at Board Level.  As Chief Executive of NHS Overseas Enterprises, a former International consultancy organisation for the NHS, she worked globally with Aid Agencies, Charities, the FCO, DFID and The British Council in developing Health Services Overseas.