Founder and CEO Coaching

I’m an accomplished and experienced CEO and NED based in London who enjoys working closely with people. Most recently, I led the scaling-up of a music technology company, and I’m excited to work with other Founders and CEOs to support them on their journeys.

My executive teams and boards have described me in the past as an approachable creative type with a curious and open mind; I love learning and talking to people. I’m not a typical corporate CEO; I didn’t set out to be a business person - I simply thrive on making stuff with talented people, and following that has led me to an amazing and unique journey so far.

My Journey

I’ve worked in music technology and the arts for over 20 years. Following an undergraduate degree in Acoustical Engineering, I attained a PhD in Psychoacoustics at the University of Surrey in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen. Whilst at Surrey, I taught Electroacoustics on the renowned Tonmeister® degree course before joining Focusrite, where I led the Artist, Brand, and Media Relations function.

In 2016 I joined Spitfire Audio as Head of Global Sales and Marketing. It was a small outfit at that point, but with impressive sales and an opportunity to grow. I had a clear vision for how we could continue to scale the business, strategically and organisationally, and the co-founders wanted to focus on their areas of expertise (product + brand). As a result, they with the board decided to appoint me as CEO. Over the next 5 years we grew from 10 to +100 employees, and quadrupled our revenues to 8 figures per year, all whilst remaining profitable. Spitfire Audio became a globally-recognised brand in the music technology space, partnering with the likes of BBC, Abbey Road, and being used by world-class artists and composers  across the world from U2 to Hans Zimmer, and Radiohead to Beyoncé.

Alongside this, I founded a record label and management company and had been an intern at Warp Records. 

While I was an outsider CEO, I’ve incorporated most conventional management tactics to lead teams. Over the years, I’ve led thousands of 1:1s, hundreds of leadership meetings and numerous board and committee meetings.

Relationships and driving performance in a motivating, inspiring way, have always been at the centre of my professional approach, and I’m passionate about management, organisational behaviour and how to achieve success through effective team work. 

I’m keen to share the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years and I find 1:1 coaching with Founders and CEOs a really enjoyable and impactful way to do it.

Do you need a coach?

Being the person who is running a business typically means that everyone in the organisation has some kind of coach, except you. It’s also pretty lonely at times. Working with me means that you’d have someone to check-in with who is focused on helping you succeed in a “safe space” where you don’t feel judged or put on the spot. This gives you a better chance to develop and progress your skills, as well as being able to reflect on things that aren’t working or issues that you’re experiencing before tackling them in the day-to-day.

What areas would we cover?

You’re the expert at your business and what it does - so we’re not going to be talking about specific technical and strategies. That said, I’ve had plenty of experience that  will help you ask yourself the right questions that help you remove any blockers to progress.

The focus is likely to be more on you, your wellbeing and focus, other people, and broader tools available to manage the role of a CEO and the core organisational responsibilities you bear.

We’ll often find ourselves deconstructing things that ‘aren’t right’ and spending time putting in place actions that you’ll commit to that see them improved or resolved.

Does it add value or just take up valuable time?

If you’re feeling supported, know what your focuses are, and are more measured when it comes to doing the things you said you’d do, then you will perform better and achieve more for yourself and for the company. For a relatively insignificant investment, you are creating the potential for significant gains and savings as a result of making better decisions. So  it does, yeah. If you don’t think it does - we can wrap it up.

(*The Football Team Analogy* - do you think a top flight club would progress, develop and keep winning games if they didn’t have coaching sessions as part of their schedule?)

What’s the format?

We’d meet twice a month for an hour, online (or in person on occasion if we’re in the same city). We’d review your objectives and spend time discussing specific issues/topics.

I’ll also be available on WhatsApp for adhoc questions etc.

How much does it cost?

I charge between £500 and £2000 per month. This rate depends on the size, type and funding of your organisation. Please get in touch to find out more.

I’m interested in finding out more - what are the next steps?

Great! Let’s set up a 25 minute call, learn more about each other and take it from there.

Get in touch.