About Simon Kay

Discovering a career that inspires new intellectual and psychological interest whilst leveraging my past experience is energising and demonstrates that we can all make changes to how we live our lives.

Here is my journey:

My Coaching Credentials

I developed my coaching expertise through a Professional Certificate in Coaching (PCIC) and an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change, both at Henley Business School, graduating with distinction in 2022. This comprehensive training exposed me to leading coaching and organisational change methodologies, blending practical training with academic rigour.

I hold accreditation as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and am certified as a Senior Practitioner by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). With over 600 coaching hours delivered, I am currently pursuing further certification with the ICF.

Continual professional development fuels my broad coaching interests, including further training in:

- Cultural Orientations Framework Mastery

- Transactional Analysis

- Psychodynamic approaches to coaching

- Group Coaching

- Team coaching

- Impostor Phenomenon

- Acceptance Commitment Coaching

- Ongoing training on Lumina Spark and Lumina Emotion

I engage in ongoing individual supervision to enhance my practice and development as a coach.

My Career Journey to Coaching

My formative years were shaped by a love for nature and sports, to a degree in Zoology and a PhD in Cancer Research. However, it was transformative experiences in Chicago and Kenya that broadened my worldview. Leadership roles, including as Captain of the Nottingham University Boat Club, instilled early leadership skills.

Following my PhD, a diverse 26-year career with the British Council as a cultural diplomat immersed me in diverse cultures, from Singapore to Russia. Later, as Head of International Operations at the Wellcome Trust, I spearheaded initiatives in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, collaborating with global health funders and supporting the careers of young researchers in the clinical and biomedical sciences.

Transitioning to coaching in 2021, I completed my MSc at Henley Business School, focusing my dissertation on career decision-making among Kenyan Early Career Researchers.

My Mission

I believe in the transformative power of coaching to discover the best in each individual, making the world a better place one person at a time. My work is built on the platform of my values:

Humour: Finding the humour in life enables ease and connection.

Fairness and Equity: My political beliefs lean me towards the centre-left, with a belief in individual responsibility supported by strong systems of social support.

Curiosity: There are always new ideas, new books and new experiences to discover, aligning with a love of learning. And coaching is most effective when we stay curious about our clients.

Globalism: I hold a belief in the power of cultural and scientific relations between countries; in the power of international exchange and mobility; and respect for different cultures and languages.

Supporting individual growth: I believe we can find the best in every person but often it takes another person to help realise this potential.