ProFocus Exec was founded in 2017 by Harriet Lowe, a former operations director who spent fourteen years in manufacturing and logistics before retraining as a coach. During her corporate career, she sat through dozens of leadership development programmes. Most were forgettable. The ones that stuck had one thing in common: a coach who had done the job and could call out the behaviour that needed to change, clearly and without padding.
That observation became the founding principle of this practice. Every coach on our team has held a senior leadership role in industry before becoming a coach. They know what it feels like to inherit a demoralised team, to present a strategy to a sceptical board, or to fire someone you hired six months ago. That shared experience means less time explaining context and more time doing the actual work of coaching.
We started with three coaches and a handful of clients in the East of England. Today we have a team of seven coaches working with leaders in financial services, technology, healthcare, professional services and manufacturing across the UK. Our office is in New Smith, but most coaching happens by video or at the client's workplace.
We do not have a mission statement pinned to the wall. But there are four commitments that shape how we work, and we hold each other to them in monthly team reviews.
If a client's direct reports say they micromanage, we tell them. We do not soften it into "you could delegate a bit more." The 360 data speaks, and we make sure the client hears it accurately. Growth starts with an accurate picture, not a flattering one.
We measure progress by asking the people around you whether they see a difference. Pulse surveys at the mid-point and end of each programme give us data we can point to. If the people you work with do not notice a shift, the coaching has not worked yet.
Each coach works with no more than eight clients at a time. That cap means your coach can respond to an email the same day and take an unscheduled call when you need to talk through a decision before a meeting tomorrow morning.
We do not hire coaches straight out of coaching school. Everyone on our team spent at least ten years in a senior leadership role before training as a coach. They have made the mistakes, felt the pressure, and learned from both.
You will work with one of these people. Each brings a different sector background, so we can match you with someone who understands your context without needing a briefing pack.
Fourteen years in operations leadership across manufacturing and logistics. ICF Professional Certified Coach since 2016. Harriet works primarily with COOs, operations directors and general managers dealing with organisational complexity.
Twelve years as a finance director in professional services firms, followed by an MBA and coaching certification at Henley Business School. Marcus specialises in coaching CFOs, finance directors and leaders preparing for board-level roles.
Ten years leading technology teams at two FTSE 250 companies. EMCC Senior Practitioner. Sarah coaches CTOs, engineering directors and product leaders who need to bridge the gap between technical depth and executive communication.
We collect feedback at the end of every coaching engagement and publish our aggregate numbers here. These figures cover all completed programmes from January 2018 to December 2024.
All our coaches hold accreditation from either the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). We carry professional indemnity insurance and follow the ICF Code of Ethics. Our 360-degree diagnostic process was developed in collaboration with an occupational psychologist and has been refined over seven years of use.
We are a small practice by design. We have turned down growth opportunities that would have required us to lower our hiring standards or increase coach caseloads beyond eight. That decision costs us revenue, but it protects the quality of the work.
A discovery call takes 20 minutes. We will ask about your role, your challenge and what you have already tried. No sales pitch, no obligation.
57 Amanda Drove, New Smith, England, QR9 2KT, United Kingdom