Executive coaching for founders, CEOs & senior technology leaders
Hello, I’m Richard Hughes-Jones.
I’m an Executive Coach to founders, CEOs and senior technology leaders in high-growth technology businesses, the investment industry and progressive corporates.
Having often already mastered the technical aspects of their craft, I help my clients navigate the complex adaptive challenges associated with executive-level leadership and growth.
I'm based in London and coach internationally. Get in touch to arrange a free, no-obligation Chemistry Call.
What we work on together
Leading the business
- Strategy and direction. Moving from the how to the what and why.
- Building the leadership team. Hiring, developing and trusting the people who let you step back from what doesn't need myour attention..
- Culture and organisational design. Shaping how the business runs as it grows.
- Boards, investors and stakeholders. Managing governance, fundraising and key relationships.
- Leading through uncertainty and disruption. Inspiring and bringing your team with you om am unknowable journey.
- Fundraising and exit. Navigating raising money and preparing a business for what comes next.
Leading others
- Stepping up. Founder to CEO, expert to executive, first 90 days in a bigger role.
- Letting go. Delegating work you could do better yourself, and leading from the balcony rather than the dancefloor.
- Influence without authority. Executive presence, communication and building the relationships senior roles run on.
- Feedback and difficult conversations. Saying the hard thing well, and hearing it.
- Your leadership principles. Working out what you stand for as a leader, and leading from it.
- Time and attention. Where your hours actually go, and whether that matches what only you can do.
- Women in senior leadership. The particular dynamics of rising, and being heard, at the top.
Leading yourself
- Self-awareness. Seeing your own patterns, and where they can both benefit you and hold you back.
- Imposter syndrome and confidence. Holding your nerve when the role has grown faster than your belief in yourself.
- Decision-making under uncertainty. Mental models, cognitive biases and trusting your judgement when there is no right answer.
- Complexity fitness. Working with ambiguity and both/and problems rather than forcing them into either/or.
- Resilience and wellbeing. Sustaining yourself, your health and your relationships.
- Ambition and meaning. What do you actually want, and how do you increases your odds of getting there?
- Habits and accountability. Turning insight into practice, one small experiment at a time.
Who I work with
I coach founders, CEOs and senior technology leaders in three settings.
High-growth technology businesses. Founders and CEOs whose companies have outgrown the way they were run last year. The recurring themes are the founder to CEO transition, building a leadership team you can actually delegate to, and holding your nerve when the org chart changes faster than your confidence in it does.
The investment industry. Partners and operating teams in private equity and venture capital, where the pull is almost always towards transactions and returns. The more interesting question, and the one my clients keep arriving at, is what it takes to serve the CEOs and teams you are invested in well enough that they can grow.
Progressive corporates. Senior leaders in larger organisations, often technology or transformation leaders, navigating scale, matrix structures and stakeholder complexity while trying to stay recognisably themselves.
What these have in common is the kind of problem. Technical challenges have answers you can look up. Adaptive challenges change you in the solving, and they are the reason people call a coach.
How executive coaching with me works
Everything starts with the enquiry form. Once we have established that the fit looks right, we arrange a chemistry call. The call is free, it lasts 45 minutes, and there is no obligation on either side. You should come away with a clear sense of how I work and whether you want to keep going.
If we go ahead, we start with an initial package of six sessions. Each session is 60 minutes, and we meet every two to three weeks, so the package runs across three to four months. That rhythm matters. It leaves you long enough between sessions to test something in the business, and it gives the work enough time for you to experience real development and change rather than a single burst of insight.
As your executive coach I won't bring all the answers, but by combining powerful questions with active listening and two decades of executive coaching and blue chip business advisory experience, I'll help shine a new light on the path in front of you.
Some engagements include 360-degree feedback, where I gather structured input from the people around you and we work through what it tells you.
If you want the wider picture first, I have written a fuller guide to executive coaching, covering how to choose a coach and what to expect from the work.
Executive coaching in London and internationally
I am based in London and I coach internationally. Most sessions are virtual, which is what makes that possible. I work with leaders across the UK, Europe and the United States, and time zones get worked around rather than treated as an obstacle.
For clients based in London I also offer hybrid packages, mixing in-person sessions with virtual ones. If you are searching for an executive coach in London because you want someone who understands the market you are hiring, fundraising and building in, that local context is part of what you are getting. If you are elsewhere and the fit is right, distance has not been a problem.
Executive Coaching Testimonials
I approached Richard after having raised a large venture capital round for my company, looking for guidance and an unbiased voice.
Working with Richard through the ups and downs of being a founder and executive has been a great experience. I have found his personality and approach to coaching a lot more inviting and pragmatic than the stereotypical "Navy Seal coach" that you typically come across. His help has made significant impact on my growth as a founder & executive, as well as helping me balance that with a young family.
Mats Olsen, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, Dune ($80 million, Series B)
Already a highly experienced CTO, CIO and Digital Transformation Director, I approached Richard to help me prepare for and navigate the next stage of my senior executive career leading an end-to-end business.
Executive Vice President, Global financial payments (Fortune 500)
Richard has been an exceptional executive coach for many of our senior leaders, providing both one-on-one coaching and facilitated 360 feedback. His professionalism, deep expertise, and genuine commitment to personal and professional growth make him an invaluable partner.
I highly recommend Richard to any organization seeking to elevate their leadership capabilities
Daniela Vargas, Senior Learning & Development Partner, Flutter International (FTSE 100)
I worked with Richard through a difficult transition to a new role. He was resourceful in providing models and frameworks, but also bringing them to life and providing perspective on where the theory is best applied with relevant, practical scenarios. We talked a lot about the grey area between seemingly opposing forces in the workplace and how much room there is for “both/and” thinking, as opposed to “either/or”.
I highly recommend Richard as an executive coach, he has a way of listening that brings out the best answers.
Kalin Zahariev, Director of Technology, Flutter International (FTSE 100)
I reached out to Richard to help me develop as a leader. He brought a lot of domain knowledge, as well as an independent perspective, which I also gained through a comprehensive 360-degree feedback process he facilitated on my behalf. Richard built rapport and trust quickly, making me feel I could talk about anything and speak my mind. We explored a broad range of leadership issues and I left each session feeling mentally tired!
I recommend Richard as an executive coach to other leaders seeking executive level support on this tough but rewarding journey.
Chief Technology Officer, Fintech (£20 million, Series B)
Working with Richard as my executive coach pushed me to think differently about the private equity industry and consider what leadership role I could play in shaping it for the future. For an industry focused almost exclusively on transactions and financial returns, I realised that significant additional value comes from asking: “what can we do to serve our CEOs and the teams that we are invested in more effectively and how can we create the ‘space’ for them to grow?“
Richard is a knowledgeable, progressive and effective coach who will help you to hold up and look at your business and leadership challenges from a different and fresh perspective.
Partner, Mid-market Private Equity, US ($400+ AUM)
Richard is the best kind of sounding board – sharp, grounded, and totally unflappable. He challenges your thinking in a way that clears the fog and sharpens your edge. I always leave sessions clearer, calmer, and more focused on what really matters.
If you’re a founder juggling product, people, and pressure, I would highly recommend.
Rider Latham, Co-founder & CEO, Secret Spa & Solo
My executive coaching sessions challenge me to build my own capabilities for solving both strategic and day-to-day problems. Richard has an innate ability to ask the right questions at the right times. While his style predominantly revolves around the “coach approach”, he is well-read, experienced and opinionated, and isn’t afraid to share his own thoughts when asked of him.
Richard’s empathy and humour create an environment where you feel comfortable being vulnerable and self-aware. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to other business leaders looking to grow and develop in their careers.
Ed Gomez, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, Emitwise ($17m, Series A)
I came to Richard feeling trapped – not by a lack of performance, but by a bigger question: how do I scale my impact and develop the strategic thinking needed for C-level leadership while my organisation was rapidly growing?
Richard didn’t give me all the answers; he asked the questions that forced me to confront the root causes. If you’re a senior engineering leader tired of one-size-fits-all advice and ready to build your own authentic leadership model, Richard is exactly the strategic partner you need. At the most senior levels, frameworks aren’t the solution. You are.“
Thiago Ghisi, former Director of Engineering, Nubank
I was most impressed with Richard’s ability to coach on such a range of leadership topics. Everything from branding to managing conflict to career development. He is very approachable and has an authentic curiosity that made me go deeper on my own introspection and get to the root of a challenge, before developing pragmatic action steps. I had several ‘light-bulb’ moments where I’d been struggling previously to get there on my own.
Richard’s a fantastic executive coach and I would highly recommend him if you’re considering coaching to accelerate your leadership development.
Tom Broome, Global Customer Success Executive
Common questions about executive coaching
What is a chemistry call?
A free, no-obligation conversation of 45 minutes, so we can both judge fit before either of us commits. It follows your enquiry, once we have established that the fit looks right. Most people find it useful even when they decide to work with someone else.
How long does an engagement last?
We start with an initial package of six 60-minute sessions, held every two to three weeks, which spans three to four months. That is a good amount of time to experience real development and change. Some clients stop there, when the transition they came for is complete. Others continue for years, because a regular thinking partner turns out to be useful well beyond the original problem.
How much does executive coaching cost?
Rates vary. I work with a wide range of clients, and the right rate depends on your circumstances, including whether you are paying personally or through your organisation. The questions in the enquiry form are designed to help me establish the appropriate rate for you, so completing it is the quickest route to a straight answer.
Do you only coach technology leaders?
No. Most of my clients lead in or around technology, and I also work with leaders in the investment industry and in larger corporates. What matters more than sector is the kind of challenge you are facing.