"Duncan is simply the best coach I have ever worked with. He helped us to develop a high performing team with his ability to listen and understand, and then cut through with insights that led to fast actionable improvements. Twenty years of interactions, have made me a better leader and richer for his guidance."
Jill Stanton. EVP Product, Old Navy at Gap. Former Global Head of Apparel, Nike.
“I have worked with Duncan for almost ten years with both my
teams and individually. He has become my first point of call in building
any new, international management team. His insight, reflection and
common sense approach has provided the supportive challenge to forge
bonds of trust that have ensured the team is greater than the sum of its
parts and performs at the highest level. He is a most trusted coach
whose support I call on personally, regularly. It would be impossible
for me to have achieved in my career without him. Duncan gets people and
people respect and value Duncan.”
"Duncan coached me as Artistic Director and CEO of the Royal Shakespeare Company while we were restructuring as an ensemble organisation, building a new £112m theatre, planning a festival of the Complete Works of Shakespeare, developing Matilda the Musical, and doubling our turnover to £60m. Meanwhile, I was directing rehearsals, my children were facing major life challenges, and my mother was suffering from dementia. The tasks of staying focussed, sane, and married were made much easier by the patient and robust coaching I received from Duncan. His own focussed listening was a deep search for the tools I already had which might make things more manageable. He pointed them out to me, and asked me if I wanted to pick them up and try them out. He was gentle and persuasive and I did"
Sir Michael Boyd, Artistic Director and CEO Royal Shakespeare Company 2002-12
My name is Mel Marshall I am a retired Olympian currently coaching Adam Peaty WR holder for the 100 breastroke.
I have been coaching for 8 years and have taken Adam from the tender age of 14 right up to now. Some may say I am living the coaching dream. I retired from sport in 2008 and wanted pass on my learning to support and help others.
I met Duncan as a sports psych in 2004. Duncan's individualised support to me as an athlete allowed me to develop a whole new set of skills. His expertise allowed me to accelerate my maturity and further my appraisal and understating during situations. He allowed me to release my worries to discover higher levels of operation.
Working with Duncan gave me the opportunity to keep perspective and survive amidst the competitive arena. Duncan's support and style allowed me to make deep route changes which now allow me to operate at a high level as a coach. His holistic outlook helps me now as a professional, a person and a retired athlete.
Some people you work with, some create an impact for your future. Everyday now I am a ' proper grown up ' I realise that impact!
Mel Marshall. 2 xOlympian, former number one in the World 200m freestyle, UK second most decorated female athlete. Coach to Adam Peaty, Olympic, World, European & Commonwealth Champion, holder of 4 World Records.
"Duncan is the most effective personal and professional coach that I have worked with. He strikes exactly the right balance between precision questioning and experienced guidance whilst always keeping my ultimate ambitions, goals, and motives front of mind . His models have become part and parcel of my own personal and team coaching toolkit - Outcome, Performance, and Process Goals are engrained within my personal development plan. Coaching sessions with Duncan have always left me feeling energised, alive and at my most capable with a clarity of thought and set of actions that I would have never thought possible. I would recommend using Duncan for personal, professional, individual and team coaching above anyone."
Alison O’Brien. Commercial Strategy Director, Kellogg Company.
“ I have worked with Duncan for a number of years and found him to be a great coach both on a team and individual level. The people he has worked with have without doubt benefited from his experience and approach. This has naturally lead to better performance within the business environment. I would have no hesitation in recommending Duncan”
Nicola Brazewell. Region
Head of HR - Northern Europe, Hilti.
‘I worked with Duncan when I was newly promoted into a very senior role, and needed to build a crack team around me. The teambuilding days we spent with him were invaluable in understanding each other, working out how to get the best out of individuals and the team as a whole plus creating team spirit. And we also had fun! I still remember the lessons learned, and while many of us who were there have moved onto new things I know the experiences stayed with us! I for one remember very clearly Duncan’s advice ‘Think about football Jo – the players you want in your team are the ones running into space and asking for the ball!’ I have returned to this thought many times since, as it is so true!’
Josephine Ray. Group Director Customer Experience, Sage
(Sunderland supporter!)
“Duncan is a brilliant coach to work with. We had a great connection from day one and he, in his unique insightful and balanced style, helped me to self-reflect, understand my strengths and opportunities and see how I can leverage it, which made a huge impact on my professional and personal development.”
Alla Golubeva. Finance Business Partner, Hilti
"Duncan, and our UK team, began working together in 2002 when we faced a significant challenge to turn around an underperforming business whilst bringing a new team together to work cohesively, and effectively on that task. Duncan’s input was invaluable, in both team and individual coaching events. He helped us address the “human” aspects of business performance and to better grasp the leadership challenge we had as individuals and as a group. That business went on to be the best performing within our EMEA group and the foundations Duncan helped establish, means it remains that today.
Many of that team have grown into wider responsibilities and new challenges within the group, but Duncan remains a consistent feature of how we individually and collectively develop and coach our people to successful leadership and team performance. 14 years of continued contribution, trust and value says a lot about such a relationship.
Duncan is not only an very effective business performance leader, but is a thoroughly pleasant guy to work with and a very welcome member of the team. Having said he’s pleasant, that doesn’t detract from his having those tough and direct conversations we all need from time to time to keep our perspective on our performance. He can also be very challenging when required, to introduce that element of discomfort needed to ensure there’s honesty in the process and the outcome. His influence and feedback has directly impacted both my performance and that of the various teams we’ve worked with, and all positively.
I’d happily recommend Duncan to anyone looking to improve their individual, or team performance, manage their way through issues, or transitions, or just to refresh and maintain an existing high performing team. His insight, experience and sporting background give him huge insight into the human condition and how we improve our performance, and doing it with a better sense of perspective whilst enjoying the journey."
Martin Pugh. Vice President Univar EMEAI had the pleasure of working with Duncan
at Coca Cola Enteprises and I always found him the consummate
professional, knowledgeable, empathetic and challenging. Duncan brings a
wealth of coaching experience and a healthy appetite for continuous
personal development. My experiences have been highly engaging
providing me with plenty to think about!
Daryl Jelinek. Chief
Commercial Officer & VP, NBTY International. Former General Manager
Global Customers & General Manager London 2012 Olympic &
Paralympic Games, The Coca Cola Company.
While working in the UK as Kellogg’s Finance Director, I had the fortunate experience to team up with Duncan to help create a better me! Duncan helped assess strengths, opportunities and blind spots by leveraging his toolkit. He is a wonderful man with a unique ability to help reflect on situations enabling me to address root causes.My self-awareness is exponentially stronger and my ability to lead is greater thanks to Duncan.
John Summers-Miller. Vice President Finance – US Foods“I have operated at Director level for nearly 30 years at Bass Brewer, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Punch Taverns.
During that time Duncan Richards is easily the most effective external consultant I have worked with. His quiet understated approach consistently had huge impact on personal and team performance in some very challenging situations.
On a personal level, Duncan is one of a handful of people in my life who has helped me look at the world through a different lens. For that I will always be grateful.”
Andy Slee. Current owner of AS Consulting
I worked with Duncan as part of a senior sales and marketing team. Duncan is an excellent coach and advisor who really took time to understand the team and personal dynamics and offer solutions in a way which was easy to process and understand. He provides a highly personalised service and doesn't leave his work in the workshop but provides great on-going thoughtful support.
Simon Miles, Global Customer Director at The Coca-Cola Company.
Declan Lockett, Owner Key Steps Marketing, Former Head of Category Management, Kellogg’s
