They've had a plan their whole professional lives. And now they don't.
That's the space I work in.
Experience of change — professionally and personally
I spent thirty years in global technology and cyber security leadership, most recently as a Managing Director and Global Head of Cyber Risk Culture and People Security. Much of that work was about how people make decisions, form habits and respond under pressure.
What I learned is that having the right processes and systems in place is only part of it. People need clarity, confidence and the ability to act — especially during change. That's true in organisations, and it's true in life.
Alongside the career, I had my own run of transitions: redundancy twice, international relocations, health challenges, loss, and stretches where things stopped feeling clear. Over time I became more interested in what helps people through those moments, and what gets in the way.
Stepping back
In 2023, my role was made redundant.
Rather than move straight into another leadership position, I stepped back. I bought a second-hand sailing boat in New Zealand, named her Finding Ikigai, and spent fifteen months at sea in the South Pacific.
Then another year working out what came next — fourteen months out of a suitcase, packing and unpacking nearly seventy times, retraining as a Certified Results Coach, then making the decision to move to Portugal.
It took me a good two and a half years to feel settled. That's longer than I expected, and I say so to clients often, because taking a while to work out what you want is not a sign you're doing it badly.
- 2023Role made redundant at the height of a thirty-year career
- 15 monthsAt sea in the South Pacific aboard Finding Ikigai
- 70 movesFourteen months out of a suitcase, and retraining as a coach
- PortugalA home, a practice, and a next chapter still being written
What this means in practice
Since then I've retrained as a Certified Results Coach with Authentic Education, focusing on behaviour change, what holds people back, and how to make progress that lasts.
I combine that with experience of leading teams through change — helping you make sense of what's changing, work through what's getting in the way, and move forward with more clarity and direction.
Some of the people I work with can see a change coming and want to get ahead of it. Others are already out the other side. Starting earlier is easier, but wherever you begin, the work is the same.
What I bring
- Global leadership experienceThirty years leading across cultures, teams and complex environments, with a focus on behaviour, risk and how people respond under pressure.
- Lived experience of transitionsNot one moment, but a series: redundancy and the identity change that follows, international relocation, health challenges, loss, and years spent in high-pressure environments.
- Neuroscience-informed coachingTrained in how the brain drives behaviour, how habits form, and how to create change that actually lasts.
If something feels like it's changing, that's usually the right place to start.
Even if you can't quite define it yet. Book a conversation, or begin your own reflection with the Snapshot.