experienced support for complex leadership
strategic coaching and advisory
Otus Advisory works with senior leaders and organisations where judgement, reputation and direction matter.
An Introduction to Otus Advisory
As a senior leader with more than thirty years’ experience across higher education, industry, government and the not-for-profit sector, I understand leadership from the inside. Many of the challenges my clients bring to coaching and advisory conversations are ones I navigate in my own professional life.
Alongside executive coaching, I provide reputation and strategic leadership advisory support to institutions and individuals working in complex, mission-led and highly visible environments, where public trust, accountability and reputation matter. This work supports organisations in stewarding their long-term reputation, while also helping leaders think clearly about their own credibility, visibility and impact.
Having lived and worked internationally — in Europe, Hong Kong, the USA and Australia — I bring strong cultural awareness and empathy, enabling rapport to be built quickly across different contexts. Empathy and kindness sit alongside clarity, challenge and professionalism.
I am accredited by the Institute of Leadership and hold an Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching. This professional foundation underpins my work as both an executive coach and strategic adviser, bringing rigour, ethics and sound judgement to complex leadership and reputation challenges.
I also speak and write regularly on leadership, reputation and trust in mission-led organisations, contributing to sector debate and practice alongside my advisory and coaching work.
My clients include senior executives, CEOs, COOs, C-suite leaders and emerging leaders across higher education and allied mission-led sectors in the UK, Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia.
At the heart of this work is a commitment to thoughtful, values-led leadership — not only for individual success, but for its ability to shape organisational culture, reputation and trust over time.
To find out more about how I work, please get in touch.
Why choose Otus Advisory?
The Otus is a small European owl – elegant, observant, and wise. My work reflects those same qualities: thoughtful, personalised, and focused on helping you make well-judged decisions in complex situations.
Every engagement is different. Whether we are working together in a coaching, advisory, or blended capacity, there is no off-the-shelf toolkit. We start from where you are and shape our work around your context, your challenges, and the organisational realities you are navigating.
Having spent much of my career on senior leadership teams in large, complex and mission-led organisations, I understand first-hand the realities of leadership: competing priorities, ambiguity, and decisions made under sustained pressure. Alongside coaching, I bring strategic advisory experience in reputation, communications, governance and organisational change — and I am comfortable moving between reflection and practical counsel when that is what will be most helpful.
I work with leaders who want space to think clearly, test assumptions, and make decisions they can stand behind. I am not afraid to ask difficult questions and, when it serves the work, to take clients beyond their comfort zone.
I work with clients as whole people, recognising that leadership is shaped not only by experience and intellect, but also by how we respond — physically, emotionally and cognitively — to pressure and uncertainty. My training as a yoga teacher informs this perspective, helping leaders notice patterns that can quietly influence judgement, behaviour and decision-making.
This attention to the individual is always connected to the organisation they lead, influence or serve.
At the heart of my practice is partnership. You set the direction; I help you create clarity, perspective and momentum. I don’t offer ready-made answers, but I do help you find your own — and, where appropriate, provide experienced advice to support the next step in your professional journey.
How I can help you
I work with leaders and organisations at moments where reputation, judgement and direction matter — often during periods of change, complexity or heightened scrutiny.
My work frequently focuses on reputation development: supporting individuals to lead with credibility and confidence, and organisations to act and communicate in ways that build trust over time. This may involve navigating transitions, stepping into visible leadership roles, managing competing priorities, or addressing complex organisational challenges where reputation, culture and decision-making are closely intertwined.
Some clients come feeling stuck or uncertain; others arrive with multiple ideas and competing demands. Our work creates the space to think clearly, prioritise well and take purposeful next steps — with attention to both personal leadership and organisational impact.
Much of this work sits at the intersection of leadership, reputation and organisational systems.
Who is this work for?
I work with senior leaders, founders and organisations at points of transition, pressure or possibility — often where leadership judgement and reputation are under close scrutiny.
Clients typically come to me when they are stepping into a new role, navigating significant change, or reassessing direction. Some feel stuck or pulled in too many directions; others have momentum but need space to think clearly, prioritise and decide well.
My work spans both executive coaching and strategic advisory, which are distinct in purpose and approach. Coaching creates structured space for reflection, challenge and sense-making, supporting individuals to find their own answers and strengthen their leadership over time. Advisory and consultancy work, by contrast, draws directly on my experience of senior leadership in large, complex and mission-led organisations, offering perspective, analysis and advice on organisational, reputational and strategic challenges.
Much of my advisory work supports leaders and organisations dealing with visible, complex issues — including reputation development, communication through change, governance, and decision-making under scrutiny. Coaching clients often value the rigour, independence and depth this experience brings, even where advice itself is not part of the coaching relationship.
Clients often tell me they value working with someone who understands both the human and organisational dimensions of leadership, and who is clear about the boundaries between reflection and counsel.