Unlocking potential and lifting performance
Executive Coaching
Our experienced coaches design bespoke and transformative coaching programmes to address a wide range of different challenges. These include dealing with complexity and change, career transitions, performance challenges, or burnout risks.
Whilst each coaching engagement is unique, our key principles are consistent: we identify core motivations and focus on unleashing potential, we help deepen awareness, and we devise practical, purposeful steps to bring about change.
Our coaching approach
Design
This includes an in-depth conversation to define the overall goals and develop a bespoke approach to achieving them.
Coaching
Typically 6 one-hour sessions over 3 – 6 months. Post-coaching behavioural experiments, structured reflection and practical support enhance the process.
Review
Coach and client meet 3 months after the programme to review progress and learning with outputs captured as a resource.
Diverse, Global, Qualified Coaches
With a global network of experienced and accredited coaches, we bring diverse perspectives and deep expertise across a wide range of industries and senior leadership roles.
We use coaching in the context of leadership development, team development and culture change. We believe the client has the resources to realise their potential. We see the purpose of coaching as helping the client thrive in leadership and life.
Preparation and follow-up work is co-designed. The methodology used will match the individual’s identified needs.
How It Works
Our coaching for thriving approach
Our Coaches
Faried Chopdat
Biography
Faried is an experienced and dynamic global leader with proven audit, risk management, finance, and business transformation capability grounded in 25+ years of first-hand experience in the corporate world. Faried's career included international experience in multinational organisations such as SABMiller plc, Travelex, and Deloitte. He is a Non-Executive Director on the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust board, several sub-committees, and an Independent Non-Executive Director at Grant Thornton UK.
He is known for his ability to lead global teams through diversity and inclusion, understanding the importance of empathy in collaborative work with people in matrix organisations. He was nominated 18th out of 100 LGBTQ+ leaders in the Financial Times in 2014.
His passion for coaching and mentoring others to reach their full potential led him to professional and executive coaching. Faried founded equarius8coaching, helping Rising Stars/ Future Leaders and professionals from the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities and allies recognise and harness their unique gifts, gaining clarity to focus on what matters most and achieving success and prosperity.
Faried is a qualified Chartered Accountant with several degrees and certifications.
Gavin Weeks, Dr
Biography
Gavin is an Associate Partner at Thompson Harrison. He is in equal parts a designer, coach, and psychologist. He develops and delivers our leadership programmes alongside founders Sam and Tracey. He leads culture diagnostics, works with senior teams around leadership and change, and guides our content creation. More broadly, he is at the forefront of our partnerships, seeking out the most exciting and dynamic individuals, institutions, and businesses to work with.
With a doctorate in Clinical Psychology – and a professional portfolio spanning corporate talent roles, leadership development in multiple industries, and elite sports – Gavin balances a deep focus on the individual with a broad understanding of the strategic challenges clients face.
Coaching – with individual leaders and teams – is foundational to his approach, focusing particularly on the challenge of sustaining energy, performance, and growth in complex and high-performance environments. Influenced by his background as a national-level rower, Gavin seeks to balance individual ambition and collective impact. He helps people develop greater awareness of their motivations and behaviour, and a deeper understanding of the drivers of team performance.
In his work with Thompson Harrison, and as an Associate Fellow of Oxford Said Business School, Gavin draws on an ability to focus on individuals within systems, weaving together the people the business, and the wider context. He balances depth and pragmatism, helping clients see beneath the surface of immediate issues whilst also helping define short-term actions and longer-term strategies to develop and – ultimately – realise their full potential.
Grant Liversage
Biography
Grant is based in Lisbon and is passionate about leadership and people development through executive coaching. He is a member of the Association for Coaching and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and he tutors in the Oxford University Said Business School's Economics of Mutuality programme, assisting leaders in implementing purposeful practices.
Previously, Grant held a number of CEO positions at SABMiller, a FTSE top 10 company recognised for its focus on fixing and expanding acquired businesses globally, which contributed to its ranking among the leading firms on the index. Grant specialised in business turnaround and has successfully led efforts in various countries.
More recently, he managed the Asahi Holdings businesses in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, which were significant contributors to Asahi's international turnover and profits.
Originally from South Africa, Grant has lived and worked in countries including Hong Kong, India, Czechia, Mozambique and Zambia.
Grant is a qualified accountant with various other certifications from Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.
Langley Sharp
Biography
Langley Sharp is an accomplished leader with a distinguished career in both the military and civilian sectors. He has commanded a Parachute Regiment battalion, led the Centre for Army Leadership, and authored a bestselling book on leadership.
Langley Sharp is an accomplished leader with a distinguished career in both military and civilian sectors. A proven builder of high-performing teams, Langley has held key leadership roles in defence, including commanding a Parachute Regiment battalion and, as Head of the Centre for Army Leadership, driving strategic change across the UK military.
Author of the bestselling book *The Habit of Excellence: Why British Army Leadership Works*, he has also led influential programmes shaping leadership development and organisational culture. With extensive experience in international stakeholder engagement, leadership consultancy, and public-private sector collaborations, Langley is now focused on driving success through coaching and strategic leadership across diverse industries.
Langley has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and has an MA International Security Studies and a Master of Defence Studies. He is a Meyler Campbell trained executive coach accredited by the Association for Coaching and European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Laura Eeles
Biography
Laura Eeles spent 15 years working in Private Equity, leading finance teams to deliver in fast paced, high pressure environments. Whilst managing more than $15bn in assets and leading all aspects of the Finance and Investor Relations functions, she realised that the key to success was not just in the numbers but also in understanding the people around her.
By taking the time to understand the individuals in her team and what made them special, she found she was able to maximise their potential both as employees and for their future career.
She now draws on this corporate leadership experience (as well as a BSc in Psychology) in her own coaching and consulting practice, working with businesses to effectively develop their people. Laura is Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation as well as retaining her Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) qualification with the ICAEW.
Naomi Thomas
Biography
Naomi Thomas is a highly accomplished commercial strategist and board advisor, known for getting the best from senior executives and their teams, driving business transformation, leadership effectiveness, and sustained growth. A former McKinsey consultant with extensive executive and non-executive experience, Naomi specialises in helping organisations navigate complex transitions, unlock growth, and build resilient leadership.
Strategic & Commercial Expertise
Naomi works closely with C-suite and board-level leaders across industries including FMCG, professional services, defence, and manufacturing. She has held non-executive roles at Stuart Turner Ltd. and SVGC Ltd., bringing commercial and strategic direction to organisations undergoing major change.
Executive & Board Impact
1. Boardroom Leadership: Influencing corporate strategy, governance, and leadership development.
2. Growth & Turnaround: Leading transformational initiatives at organisations like Caradon PLC and Black & Decker.
3. Cultural Change: Enabling leadership teams from a wide range of industreis to embed sustainable performance and resilience.
Transformational Coaching & Consulting
Through her DIPSS framework (Diagnostics, Insights, Pinpoint, Solve, Sustain), Naomi delivers tailored leadership development interventions that drive behavioural transformation and foster high-performance culture. Bringing the non-Exec mindset to coaching led interventions for C-suite leaders and their teams.
Innovation & Thought Leadership
An advocate for strategic agility, Naomi advises boards and leadership teams on how to future-proof their organisations in an increasingly complex world.
Naomi holds a Master’s degree from the University of St Andrews and a Master's in Non-Executive Directorship from the FT Board Director Programme.
Samantha Rockey
Biography
Sam is the co-founder of Thompson Harrison. Her approach to leadership centres on the structural and interpersonal dynamics in organisations that are so critical to performance and impact. The secret sauce behind successful organisations, she believes, is an openness to learning and a focus on present performance as well as future orientation.
Sam's very human approach is exemplified in her first book, The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups, published by Penguin Random House in Spring 2023, and co-written with Thompson Harrison co-founder Tracey Camilleri and evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar.
Having graduated with two Master’s degrees from the University of Witswatersrand – one in Development Planning and one in Human Resources - Sam started her career in government, working on issues of post-apartheid public policy. Sam made the transition from the public to private sector when she moved to SABMiller.
At the time, SABMiller had just begun its global aspirations. Sam’s career tracked its growth from leading South African business headquartered in Johannesburg to a FTSE Top 10 company, a process that saw her relocate first to Switzerland and then to the United Kingdom as Global Head of Leadership Development. She credits her work at SABMiller with instilling an incisive understanding of organisations undergoing large-scale transformation.
Contact
If you’d like to book Sam to speak at your next event, please contact
help@thompsonharrison.comFollow
Sarah Babb, Dr
Biography
Sarah is a passionate leadership and organisational development specialist, bringing over 25 years experience to her role. Her expertise is in scenarios and strategy development, change and organisational development, and executive team and leadership development.
Sarah has deep experience in leading remote cross functional teams on large scale complex change programmes. Sarah has worked across countries ranging from South Africa, India, Kenya, Malawi, to UK and Saudi Arabia and across sectors from financial services, manufacturing, retail, public sector to mining.
Her clients have included GLC (Lufthansa), SABIC, Reserve Bank, ABSA Barclays, Volkswagen Africa, Shoprite, Cape Town Tourism, amongst many more.
She is part time faculty with leading business schools and enjoys the combination of real world impact with research and publishing. Sarah has an entrepreneurial flair, and with systemic thinking and an adaptive mindset, she thrives in working to find impactful lasting solutions with clients.
Faried Chopdat
Biography
Faried is an experienced and dynamic global leader with proven audit, risk management, finance, and business transformation capability grounded in 25+ years of first-hand experience in the corporate world. Faried's career included international experience in multinational organisations such as SABMiller plc, Travelex, and Deloitte. He is a Non-Executive Director on the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust board, several sub-committees, and an Independent Non-Executive Director at Grant Thornton UK.
He is known for his ability to lead global teams through diversity and inclusion, understanding the importance of empathy in collaborative work with people in matrix organisations. He was nominated 18th out of 100 LGBTQ+ leaders in the Financial Times in 2014.
His passion for coaching and mentoring others to reach their full potential led him to professional and executive coaching. Faried founded equarius8coaching, helping Rising Stars/ Future Leaders and professionals from the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities and allies recognise and harness their unique gifts, gaining clarity to focus on what matters most and achieving success and prosperity.
Faried is a qualified Chartered Accountant with several degrees and certifications.
Gavin Weeks, Dr
Biography
Gavin is an Associate Partner at Thompson Harrison. He is in equal parts a designer, coach, and psychologist. He develops and delivers our leadership programmes alongside founders Sam and Tracey. He leads culture diagnostics, works with senior teams around leadership and change, and guides our content creation. More broadly, he is at the forefront of our partnerships, seeking out the most exciting and dynamic individuals, institutions, and businesses to work with.
With a doctorate in Clinical Psychology – and a professional portfolio spanning corporate talent roles, leadership development in multiple industries, and elite sports – Gavin balances a deep focus on the individual with a broad understanding of the strategic challenges clients face.
Coaching – with individual leaders and teams – is foundational to his approach, focusing particularly on the challenge of sustaining energy, performance, and growth in complex and high-performance environments. Influenced by his background as a national-level rower, Gavin seeks to balance individual ambition and collective impact. He helps people develop greater awareness of their motivations and behaviour, and a deeper understanding of the drivers of team performance.
In his work with Thompson Harrison, and as an Associate Fellow of Oxford Said Business School, Gavin draws on an ability to focus on individuals within systems, weaving together the people the business, and the wider context. He balances depth and pragmatism, helping clients see beneath the surface of immediate issues whilst also helping define short-term actions and longer-term strategies to develop and – ultimately – realise their full potential.
Grant Liversage
Biography
Grant is based in Lisbon and is passionate about leadership and people development through executive coaching. He is a member of the Association for Coaching and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, and he tutors in the Oxford University Said Business School's Economics of Mutuality programme, assisting leaders in implementing purposeful practices.
Previously, Grant held a number of CEO positions at SABMiller, a FTSE top 10 company recognised for its focus on fixing and expanding acquired businesses globally, which contributed to its ranking among the leading firms on the index. Grant specialised in business turnaround and has successfully led efforts in various countries.
More recently, he managed the Asahi Holdings businesses in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, which were significant contributors to Asahi's international turnover and profits.
Originally from South Africa, Grant has lived and worked in countries including Hong Kong, India, Czechia, Mozambique and Zambia.
Grant is a qualified accountant with various other certifications from Harvard Business School, The Wharton School, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.
Langley Sharp
Biography
Langley Sharp is an accomplished leader with a distinguished career in both the military and civilian sectors. He has commanded a Parachute Regiment battalion, led the Centre for Army Leadership, and authored a bestselling book on leadership.
Langley Sharp is an accomplished leader with a distinguished career in both military and civilian sectors. A proven builder of high-performing teams, Langley has held key leadership roles in defence, including commanding a Parachute Regiment battalion and, as Head of the Centre for Army Leadership, driving strategic change across the UK military.
Author of the bestselling book *The Habit of Excellence: Why British Army Leadership Works*, he has also led influential programmes shaping leadership development and organisational culture. With extensive experience in international stakeholder engagement, leadership consultancy, and public-private sector collaborations, Langley is now focused on driving success through coaching and strategic leadership across diverse industries.
Langley has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and has an MA International Security Studies and a Master of Defence Studies. He is a Meyler Campbell trained executive coach accredited by the Association for Coaching and European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Laura Eeles
Biography
Laura Eeles spent 15 years working in Private Equity, leading finance teams to deliver in fast paced, high pressure environments. Whilst managing more than $15bn in assets and leading all aspects of the Finance and Investor Relations functions, she realised that the key to success was not just in the numbers but also in understanding the people around her.
By taking the time to understand the individuals in her team and what made them special, she found she was able to maximise their potential both as employees and for their future career.
She now draws on this corporate leadership experience (as well as a BSc in Psychology) in her own coaching and consulting practice, working with businesses to effectively develop their people. Laura is Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation as well as retaining her Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) qualification with the ICAEW.
Naomi Thomas
Biography
Naomi Thomas is a highly accomplished commercial strategist and board advisor, known for getting the best from senior executives and their teams, driving business transformation, leadership effectiveness, and sustained growth. A former McKinsey consultant with extensive executive and non-executive experience, Naomi specialises in helping organisations navigate complex transitions, unlock growth, and build resilient leadership.
Strategic & Commercial Expertise
Naomi works closely with C-suite and board-level leaders across industries including FMCG, professional services, defence, and manufacturing. She has held non-executive roles at Stuart Turner Ltd. and SVGC Ltd., bringing commercial and strategic direction to organisations undergoing major change.
Executive & Board Impact
1. Boardroom Leadership: Influencing corporate strategy, governance, and leadership development.
2. Growth & Turnaround: Leading transformational initiatives at organisations like Caradon PLC and Black & Decker.
3. Cultural Change: Enabling leadership teams from a wide range of industreis to embed sustainable performance and resilience.
Transformational Coaching & Consulting
Through her DIPSS framework (Diagnostics, Insights, Pinpoint, Solve, Sustain), Naomi delivers tailored leadership development interventions that drive behavioural transformation and foster high-performance culture. Bringing the non-Exec mindset to coaching led interventions for C-suite leaders and their teams.
Innovation & Thought Leadership
An advocate for strategic agility, Naomi advises boards and leadership teams on how to future-proof their organisations in an increasingly complex world.
Naomi holds a Master’s degree from the University of St Andrews and a Master's in Non-Executive Directorship from the FT Board Director Programme.
Samantha Rockey
Biography
Sam is the co-founder of Thompson Harrison. Her approach to leadership centres on the structural and interpersonal dynamics in organisations that are so critical to performance and impact. The secret sauce behind successful organisations, she believes, is an openness to learning and a focus on present performance as well as future orientation.
Sam's very human approach is exemplified in her first book, The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups, published by Penguin Random House in Spring 2023, and co-written with Thompson Harrison co-founder Tracey Camilleri and evolutionary psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar.
Having graduated with two Master’s degrees from the University of Witswatersrand – one in Development Planning and one in Human Resources - Sam started her career in government, working on issues of post-apartheid public policy. Sam made the transition from the public to private sector when she moved to SABMiller.
At the time, SABMiller had just begun its global aspirations. Sam’s career tracked its growth from leading South African business headquartered in Johannesburg to a FTSE Top 10 company, a process that saw her relocate first to Switzerland and then to the United Kingdom as Global Head of Leadership Development. She credits her work at SABMiller with instilling an incisive understanding of organisations undergoing large-scale transformation.
Contact
If you’d like to book Sam to speak at your next event, please contact
help@thompsonharrison.comFollow
Sarah Babb, Dr
Biography
Sarah is a passionate leadership and organisational development specialist, bringing over 25 years experience to her role. Her expertise is in scenarios and strategy development, change and organisational development, and executive team and leadership development.
Sarah has deep experience in leading remote cross functional teams on large scale complex change programmes. Sarah has worked across countries ranging from South Africa, India, Kenya, Malawi, to UK and Saudi Arabia and across sectors from financial services, manufacturing, retail, public sector to mining.
Her clients have included GLC (Lufthansa), SABIC, Reserve Bank, ABSA Barclays, Volkswagen Africa, Shoprite, Cape Town Tourism, amongst many more.
She is part time faculty with leading business schools and enjoys the combination of real world impact with research and publishing. Sarah has an entrepreneurial flair, and with systemic thinking and an adaptive mindset, she thrives in working to find impactful lasting solutions with clients.
Interested in our
coaching services?
If you would like to find out more about how our experienced coaches can help you and your team achieve success, please do be in contact.
