HELPING YOU CHANGE MICHAEL Executive coach and facilitator HOBBS

HELPING YOU CHANGE MICHAEL Executive coach and facilitator HOBBS

Leaders who can’t hold a room don’t lead for long.

I coach and train leaders to communicate with clarity, presence and authority, drawing on a career as a professional actor and BBC presenter, and a research background in what actually makes leadership charismatic.

BOOK A CONVERSATION

Clients

About Me

I coach leaders to communicate with clarity and lead with authority.​​​​​

I trained and worked as a professional actor, on stage, television and film, before moving into presenting for the BBC, work that won a New York Film and Television Award. From there I wrote and produced documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and Five.

I hold an MSt in Coaching from Cambridge and a Professional Certificate in Coaching from Henley Business School. My research on Impostor Phenomenon used the Clance IP questionnaire alongside regression and cluster analysis, to investigate a subject that regularly matters to leaders I coach.

I now coach and facilitate leadership and communication skills for organisations worldwide, and have worked extensively in the Middle East and in conflict-affected regions, including with international humanitarian organisations.

Every session I run is built to be energising, entertaining and practically useful, where people leave with tips they can use straight away, not a slide deck they’ll never reopen. I avoid dry, PowerPoint-heavy “tell” sessions.

Skills

  • I coach leaders to speak with authority and hold a room; skills I learned first as an actor, not as a theory

  • I facilitate coaching skills programmes for managers who’ve never been coached themselves, and know why being skilled as a manager-coach matters

  • I bring research rigour to coaching. My Cambridge dissertation is built on statistical analysis, not anecdote

  • I understand the importance of training sessions being energised

Qualifications

  • MSt in Coaching, University of Cambridge

  • MBA, Henley Business School

  • Professional Certificate in Coaching, Henley Business School

  • Research on Charismatic Leadership, published as a Henley Working Paper

Assessments I use

  • Hogan Assessments certified: personality assessment used to understand leadership style, looking at identity, reputation and derailment risk under pressure

  • DiSC certified:  behavioural profiling used to improve team communication and working relationships

  • Social Styles certified: a model for reading and adapting to different communication and decision-making styles in others

Clients & programmes

  • Global high-end fashion brand: I wrote and produced five filmed coaching scenario scripts for their global leadership programme to develop leader’s coaching skills

  • Major long-haul international airline:  “Accountable Leader” programme, for mid-level and senior managers and pilots

  • A global gaming and entertainment company: leadership facilitation, delivered internationally, 4 cohorts since 2024, each with 15 participants

  • Global American food company: leadership programme for managers new to leadership, delivered across two cohorts

  • Saïd Business School, Oxford: Career and talent development programmes

  • A global design agency: storytelling and presentation skills for creative, strategy, and client-facing teams

  • Leading international tobacco and consumer goods company: Leader as Coach programme, developing coaching skills for people managers

  • Lee Hecht Harrison: associate facilitator

Testimonials

“Very inspiring and engaging. Lots of challenges along the way. Pushing your limits but in a constructive, structured and insightful way.”
LR – Media organisation

“Relaxed, confidence giving, thoughtful, personal, really knowledgeable and informative.”
TH – Finance.

“Inspirational; eye-opening and really liberating. Confidence building.”
EC – Pharmaceuticals

“Really informative. A great eye-opener and fantastic opportunity to understand how I can improve my presenting skills.”
DC – Insurance organisation

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please send a message.