Executive Coaching and Training
Executive coach and therapist with a background as a senior leader and founding CEO of The Dyson Institute.
What do I do?
I partner with organisations to support their senior leaders when performance and relationships come under strain, and to build coaching-led cultures that strengthen team leadership. My work spans both corporate environments and family-owned businesses, grounded in executive experience and deep psychological training.
Coaching for Leaders Under Pressure
Helping organisations retain the people they cannot afford to lose.
When a high-performing leader begins to struggle, the organisational impact is significant and often hard to address directly.
I partner with HR and People teams to support senior executives experiencing burnout, relational strain and overwhelm.
This is coaching, not therapy, but it is underpinned by a depth of psychological training most coaches do not have.
Combined with my experience as a senior executive in a global business, I offer a level of understanding, challenge, and safety that supports your most valuable people, strengthens their leadership and helps retain the talent your organisation depends on.
Coaching for Family Owned Businesses
Enabling senior leaders to lead effectively across both commercial and family systems.
Since my time at Dyson, I have developed a particular interest in family-owned businesses, where commercial priorities and family dynamics intersect in complex and often unseen ways.
I work with senior leaders – both family members and non-family executives – to navigate this landscape with greater clarity, alignment and trust. Drawing on both first-hand experience and deep psychological training, the work often focuses on understanding the relational patterns that shape decision-making, leadership and culture.
It is work that benefits from discretion, care and a thoughtful approach, strengthening both the business and the relationships that sustain it.
Coaching Skills Training for Managers
Equipping leaders to develop their people, not carry them.
Many organisations invest in leadership development, yet still see managers default to (micro)management.
I partner with HR and People teams to equip managers with practical coaching skills they can apply immediately, turning everyday conversations into opportunities for ownership, growth and performance.
The impact is tangible: less pressure on leaders, more capable and resourceful teams, and stronger accountability.
Crucially, leaders learn they no longer need to have all the answers, creating space for more strategic thinking, more sustainable leadership and a more engaged workforce.
Who have I worked with?
What do they say?
“Duncan is a quite outstanding coach: he managed to get right to the heart of my challenges, and even more impressively identified concrete actions and practices that could help, all while treating me with empathy and respect. He is VERY good at this, and working with him was a very positive and helpful experience, that has had measurable effects on both my productivity and well-being.”
Colm-cille Caulfield
Professor and Head of Department
Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics
University of Cambridge
“This was a very unique approach. The level of accountability that was required of me was very empowering and clarifying. I feel in a short amount of time, I was able to really understand where my blocks were and now have the tools to move through them with measurable outcomes. Duncan has a sound balance between support, accountability, humanity and results.”
Kira Heuer
CEO
Bib & Soda
"Duncan is sure to remove any scepticism you may hold on business training programmes – his genuine and personal approach nurtures extremely valuable and absorbing sessions. His skills naturally encourage self reflection and awareness, and thereby identify areas for focus and development. I certainly left the programme with an enthusiasm and willingness to deliver the change."
David Trotter
Head of Supply and Operations
Nuby UK
“I would highly recommend working with Duncan. Feedback from managers has been overwhelmingly positive. As a facilitator, Duncan is able to hold the space very well, making those present feel both comfortable and challenged. The pace of the session was spot on – I am sure, in part, due to his skill in being able to be flexible with the content depending on the response of those present. We are very much looking forward to continuing our work with Duncan over the coming years.”
Bella Atkinson
Programme Director
Unlocked
My background
Before focusing on executive coaching and therapy, I held senior leadership roles across business, education, and the social impact sector. In 2017, I was appointed by Sir James Dyson as founding CEO of The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology – a pioneering university embedded within industry.
Earlier in my career, I co-founded a leadership development company delivering programmes to organisations across the UK, US, and Asia, and began my commercial career at Procter & Gamble. Across these roles, I have delivered thousands of hours of one-to-one coaching and training.
I trained with leading institutions including the Co-Active Training Institute, the International Coach Academy, and The Minster Centre, Europe’s leading integrative psychotherapy school. I am accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and a member of the Trusted Coach Directory.
