SaaS, Professional Services, Architecture, Energy, Finance, and more. UK and globally where the work matters.
Trusted by leaders at
There is a useful number in the social science of work: in procedural jobs the best people are about 2x the average. In creative jobs they are 10x. Twice versus ten. A 2x company gets better; a 10x company gets remembered.
CEOs are paid for the second kind of work. The decisions are non-routine, the calls are ambiguous, the consequences are large. So while strategy matters and spreadsheets matter, what compounds growth - quietly, relentlessly, year after year - is leadership. The right team exponentially multiplies what is possible. The wrong leadership puts an unnecessary ceiling on it.
I learned this running the Sunday Times' fourth most successful company in the UK. The strategy was sound. The numbers were rigorous. What turned the company into a top-five performer was the development of the leaders around me, and the discipline of helping good people make better calls under pressure.
For 21 years that has been my full-time work. CEO coaching. Leadership development. I hold a PhD in Leadership and Business Transformation, and have led growth, change and operational programmes across the UK, US, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
I have spent a lifetime learning how to do things at the highest level - this same instinct now goes into one job: helping CEOs do their highest-level work.
The practice is based in London. Clients run multi-million revenue businesses across the UK and globally, and they come to me when they want to think clearer, decide better, and execute with confidence.
Cut through complexity. Get the signal in the noise.
Frame the call. Weigh the trade-off. Move.
Turn the decision into team action - and outcomes the board can see.
"It's like Speed for CEOs."
"Superb John. You are world class. Thank you."
"For me, the most practical outcome I wanted from these sessions was to pick up new tools and implement what I need to do - to be more effective, get faster results, achieve better outcomes, with less stress. John is doing exactly that, which is brilliant."
"John doesn't just help you think, he helps you think better. The sessions have brought clarity to partnership growth, governance, and broader leadership decisions at a critical stage of growth. The thinking is structured, the challenge is thoughtful, and the outcomes are practical. Serious support for serious roles."
"John is an exceptional leadership coach. He has a real gift for helping you bring structure and clarity to opportunities, turning complex situations into manageable, actionable steps. Every session leaves you feeling more focused, capable, and equipped to lead with impact."
"I have had the good fortune to have regular sessions with John - every one is as exciting as the last. I always emerge with fresh insights and ideas. John doesn't remind you how clever he is - he makes me think I'm cleverer than I thought I was."
"You really are gifted at this. You should charge people a lot more - but not me, obviously."
"I am quite clear that I am better set for future successes because of John's invaluable guidance and advice. If you are thinking twice about engaging with John, then don't hesitate - just do it."
Coaching exceptional CEOs is a small niche. There are many coaches who have studied. Some have built modest companies. There is, as far as I know, only one who has grown a top-five UK company and now coaches CEOs full-time, for the joy of it.
If you've found this page, there's a reason for it.
Trusted confidant. Champion of your deepest, most closely held goals. The person who can call bullshit on a bad approach, or hand you the golden solution. Who puts you in the frame to do your clearest, most insightful thinking. And, occasionally, gives you the answer when you can't see the wood for the trees.
CEOs of multi-million revenue businesses across SaaS, Professional Services, Architecture, Energy, Finance, and more. London-based with clients across the UK, US, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. The common thread: founder-led or founder-adjacent businesses at the inflection points where the next decision matters.
Three things. First, I have run a business at scale myself - the Sunday Times' fourth most successful company in the UK - so the coaching comes with a commercial lens, not just a behavioural one. Second, where it helps, I challenge thinking hard and bring an outside perspective most CEOs don't get from anyone on their payroll. Third, every engagement is built around your business, not a programme - private, outcome-focused, and accountable to results the board can see.
Engagements are open-ended partnerships, not fixed programmes. We agree outcomes upfront, work to them, and review progress in writing. In practice every client I have coached has chosen to keep the conversation going - one calls it “the most valuable conversation of the month.” The first conversation is no-commitment and strictly confidential.
Yes - alongside experienced CEOs running scaled businesses. The work is the same in shape: helping you cut through complexity, frame the right calls, and move faster with less stress. The difference is the questions we ask in week one.
CEO coaching is delivered online, by choice. The CEOs I coach run their businesses from anywhere in the world; the work meets them there. London, New York, Dubai, São Paulo: same conversation, no diaries to wreck. Board and Chair roles are different. Those are in person where the meeting requires it.
All client work runs through my firm, Leaderverse Group. The first conversation is no-commitment and strictly confidential.
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