Empowering Leaders in Creative and Cultural Sectors Through Coaching

After 30 years as a senior leader in the creative sector, Stephen studied for the Meyler Campbell Mastered Programme, which is accredited internationally by The Association of Coaching, qualifying in 2022 with a High Distinction for his thesis. Alongside his professional responsibilities, Stephen now also specialises in coaching CEOs and founders, along with high-potential people, many of whom have creative backgrounds and are working for creative and cultural organisations.

The leaders he coaches, and their organisations, benefit from his deep experience of the commercial realities of business combined with the opportunity to work within a trusted space in honest, questioning reflection on how to chart a path to success.

With strong client bases in London and Bristol, Stephen works in-person (either at client offices or his own) and remotely.

“Stephen has such a talent in guiding you to your own conclusions on things and its truly enjoyable working with him. I look forward to my sessions! I feel that I have a clear direction in what’s important to me now, how I want to lead, how I want to show up and work and how I want to get there. Having this support and belief in me and the guidance to get to this point has truly been invaluable and I couldn’t be more grateful.“

Marketer and Innovator, Music Industry

How I work

Whether you are a CEO, Founder, Director, or Rising Star, I’ll work with you as an equal partner, developing you as a leader, and will seek to bring new clarity and enjoyment to your role. I will help you to create change successfully, and to thrive personally and professionally in a demanding world.

I work with leaders, and potential leaders, at all stages of their journey, to help them clarify the changes they need to make to move themselves, and their organisations, forward. Our sessions create a place of trust where you can face opportunities, frustrations and fears calmly, and approach challenges honestly and creatively.

In each session, I’ll seek to help you to understand yourself, and those around you, through careful use of questioning, personality evaluation and feedback. I will bring my own experience into the conversation, while also recognising that the leaders and potential leaders I work with have within them the knowledge, talent and conviction to carve their own path. I can help to broaden your reference points and clarify the outcomes you’re seeking, and I’m there to encourage and steer you, applying challenging questioning and relevant observation.

“Stephen helped me own my strengths and see best how to find a way forward that energised me and allowed me to grow. His one-line questions, often stopped me in my tracks and unlocked new possibilities. I recommend him without reservation, particularly to anyone involved in the creative industries.”

Publisher, Global Media Business

The Process

An initial chemistry session of 45 minutes will identify the changes that the client wishes to make, and allow us to get to know each other.

If the work is being sponsored, I then generally find it appropriate to have a 3-way conversation between the organisation, client and me, to ensure alignment on the outcomes we are seeking through the coaching process.

Then a programme of sessions will be organised, either in-person, remote or a mixture of the two. The number of sessions depends on the assignment but is usually for an initial 6, though as few as 3 can be enough to address some issues.

What my clients say

“Stephen is a skilled coach who works with you to identify what you want to achieve and what steps are necessary to make that happen. He offers challenging and pragmatic insights delivered through a friendly and engaging approach. The experience helped me develop new perspectives on problems left unaddressed for too long and clarify where I want my career to take me next”

“My sessions with Stephen have been enormously clarifying and have given me a renewed focus that has had an immediate and direct impact on myself and the company. Having someone of Stephen’s experience has been enormously helpful to developing our strategy. I can’t recommend Stephen’s coaching highly enough”

“Coaching with Stephen is a dynamic, thorough, enjoyable, and career enhancing experience. His approach empowers your own personal style, leaning into your strengths and being realistic about your needs, to clearly break down challenges and how to master them, mentally and practically. Switching seamlessly between asking the impactful questions, sharing the wisdom of his own impressive career achievements and analysing more philosophically where the next great opportunities may be, sessions with Stephen are always enlightening, inspiring and motivating in a way that stays with you so that, crucially, you feel ready and excited to implement what is discussed in the real world.”