Founded in 2013, Impact Lead Guides was born from a simple conviction: that the quality of an organisation's leadership is the single greatest determinant of its long-term success. Our founders, having spent decades inside multinational corporations, saw first-hand how transformative — and how rare — truly effective leadership could be.
We set out to change that. Today, we are a boutique consultancy with a global reach, serving clients across healthcare, technology, financial services, education and the public sector. Our approach combines rigorous behavioural science with the practical wisdom that only comes from having sat in the leader's chair ourselves.
Every programme we design starts with listening. We take the time to understand your culture, your competitive landscape and the specific leadership behaviours that will move the needle for your organisation. That deep-context approach is what sets us apart from off-the-shelf training providers and makes our leadership consulting genuinely impactful.
Start a conversation
The principles that guide every engagement and every relationship we build
Our mission is to develop leaders who create thriving, equitable and high-performing organisations. We believe leadership is not a title — it is a practice. And like any practice, it can be learned, refined and mastered with the right support. Our values are the compass that keeps us honest as we pursue that mission.
We tell clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Honest feedback, delivered with empathy, is the foundation of growth. We hold ourselves to the same standard we set for the leaders we coach.
Our methodologies are grounded in peer-reviewed research on organisational psychology, neuroscience and adult learning theory. We stay current so our clients benefit from the latest thinking, not yesterday's fads.
We see ourselves as an extension of your team, not an outside vendor. We invest in understanding your context deeply and measure our success by the lasting capability we leave behind, not by the length of our contract.
Great leadership embraces diverse perspectives. We actively design programmes that surface underrepresented voices, challenge unconscious bias and build cultures where everyone can contribute their best work.
Seasoned practitioners who bring decades of combined leadership experience
Eleanor spent 18 years in senior HR and organisational development roles at FTSE 100 companies before founding Impact Lead Guides. She holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour from the London School of Economics and is a certified executive coach with the International Coaching Federation. Her speciality is helping C-suite leaders navigate complex transformation programmes.
Marcus brings a rare blend of military leadership and corporate strategy to his consulting work. After 15 years in the British Army, he transitioned to management consulting and has since advised organisations in defence, logistics and healthcare on leadership pipeline development and culture change.
Priya is a certified psychometric practitioner and executive coach who specialises in emerging-leader programmes. She designs immersive learning experiences that combine 360-degree feedback, peer coaching circles and action-learning projects. Her energy and insight make her a favourite among participants and sponsors alike.
Key milestones in the growth of our leadership consulting practice
Eleanor Hargrove launched Impact Lead Guides with a single client and a conviction that leadership development should be deeply personalised. The first engagement — a six-month coaching programme for a healthcare trust — produced measurable improvements in staff engagement and patient satisfaction scores.
Marcus Thorne and two associate coaches joined, allowing us to serve multiple clients simultaneously and broaden our sector expertise into defence, technology and financial services.
Recognising the shift toward remote work, we invested in a proprietary virtual-coaching platform that maintained the intimacy and impact of face-to-face sessions while reaching leaders across time zones.
We celebrated coaching our 400th individual leader, with a client retention rate above 90 per cent. Priya Anand joined the team, bringing fresh expertise in emerging-leader development and psychometric assessment.
Today we continue to grow, guided by the same founding principles. Our focus for the coming years is deepening our impact through AI-assisted coaching analytics, expanded group programmes and partnerships with universities.