Author, experienced non-exec director and qualified cognitive behavioural coach.

“Bringing Nikki on board as a non-exec director for our agency is one of the best decisions we have made to fuel our growth. Nikki brings so much to the table, all the relevant experience you'd expect from a non-exec and so much more.

Her warmth, candour and ability to ask questions no one else is asking is second to none. Her values align so perfectly with ours, her human-first approach whilst balancing the need for a business to be profitable to ensure you can be human-first is just perfect.

Nikki brings an energy to every meeting that feeds everyone in the room, she is meticulous in her planning and follow up ensuring everyone is held to account for what they say they are going to do. Being a coach, she brings this approach to everything she does and when you do get 1-2-1 coaching with her it is gamechanging.

If you are looking for someone to inject your business with a growth mindset and the strategy to achieve your vision, look no further than Nikki, she's one in a million.

Becky Simms,
Founder, Reflect Digital & Human First Collective

LET’S CONNECT ON LINKEDIN

As the author of Amazon Best Seller, “Superengaged: How to transform business performance by putting people and purpose first”, I’m obsessed with redressing the balance of using people in the pursuit of profit. People create businesses, not the other way around – so instead of being slaves to the balance sheet, we should make it work for us. And therein lies the rub, it’s all about balance. And that’s what I will help do for you.

I’m an experienced non-exec director and qualified cognitive behavioural coach, having led successful marketing agencies in London, Paris and Brighton for the past two decades, with a track record of taking them global.

Having exited my last agency in 2019, I am now an in-demand Agency Specialist Non-Exec Director, using my experience and coaching sills to help founders and leaders make their good agencies great.

I’ve made a career out of navigating the plate-spinning that comes with leading businesses and helping others to do the same. Switching from adding more plates to focusing on what really matters. Creating better business, on purpose.

Burn out in the agency world is rife. And for such an innovative, creative industry, this is simply wrong. When I moved from London to Brighton, leaving the big smoke to grow a sea-side agency based on wellbeing, there were a few raised eyebrows amongst my big brand colleagues. ‘You’re doing what?…’

10 years and we’d taken the agency from Brighton to global. We’d build on our marketing services to developing two successful SaaS technology products that make life even better for people in communications (answerthepublic.com and coveragebook.com).

We’d been recognised as one of the Best Places to Work in the UK for eight years running. And we’d made plenty of profit to fuel the business, without taking outside investment, whilst balancing people and purpose along the way.

Academic & Professional Alumni

Now I’m using this experience to help founders and leaders successfully grow their businesses to fuel their purpose. Encouraging a future-facing kind of leadership, with the courage to assume responsibility for their total world impact, and leave a positive legacy, not a dirty great stain.

I believe that profits should come from solving the worlds problems, not creating them. And I’m not looking for profits with a side of purpose – I’m looking for profits through balancing purpose, positioning, people, product, planet and platforms. (More of that throughout the BBOP book)

We need to shift our thinking. The human and planetary cost of inertia is significantly higher than the cost of action.

However, change isn’t coming from the obvious places, so now it’s down to us.

Are you with me?

Having worked with several NED’s and leadership coaches in the past I can categorically say that Nikki is THE BEST!

As the Founder of a B2B marketing consultancy, I have worked with Nikki for 18 months. She has been instrumental in helping us accelerate our growth, helping us gain clarity and confidence as a team and individuals. Her combined experience as a marketing leader and expertise as coach is hugely valuable.

She has an innate ability to connect the dots, challenge respectfully and make change happen, all with a smile and infectious positive attitude.

She makes you bring your A game and holds you to account to stick to it.

Teresa Allen.
Founder, Magnus Consulting (B Corp)

Nikki is a phenomenal asset to our business, as our non-exec she has a huge impact on our growth, development and ways of working. Her level of insight, strategic thinking, and expertise have been a game-changer for us.

In addition, having her as a coach has made taking the leaps you need to take to grow as a business, and as a leader, that much easier. My team loves working with Nikki too and being able to reach out to her for support and advice when challenges arise is invaluable. She can cut through to the heart of the issue in a matter of minutes and help us find solutions or guide us to consider a different approach.

If I had to sum Nikki up in a few words it would be razor-sharp thinking, electric energy, great humour, warmth, love, and care.

Lynn Chambers. Founder, Toucan

“You have had such a positive impact on the way I think about my role, the business, my head and my behaviour. I have learned and grown so much in the time we have worked together and made some fundamental changes as a direct result. working with you is super insightful and totally invaluable, and, best of all, huge amounts of fun.

You are brilliant! Simples.”

Carla Heath. MD of Whippet

“Nikki's ability to coach a variety of people to solve critical business issues is brilliant. Working with her has been game-changing for how I work with the leadership team and management teams in my business to drive positive and radical change.”

Macy Edwards.
Marketing Director, National Education Group

“Nikki is that rarest of things: a person who makes big stuff happen whilst being an utter joy to be around. If you get the chance to work with Nikki, you should. Fact.”

Andy Croll
Chief Technology Officer, Coveragebook

“You are an exceptionally gifted coach and chairperson – I’m lucky to work with you in both capacities. you’re warm, open, calm and patient, setting the perfect conditions for exploring and resolving complex and sometimes difficult problems. our conversations are facilitated with a lightness of touch backed up by a great deal of experience. I’ve learnt a lot working with you Nikki and I always look forward to our sessions.”

Stephane Harrison.
Founder, William Joseph (B Corp)

“Nikki’s coaching and mentorship has been invaluable to both my agency’s strategic direction and growth, as well as mine and my business partner’s working relationship. Nikki comes with first hand agency experience and her true passion for the industry has been such an inspiration and has ignited a true joy for my business that I thought I’d lost. The tools she provides have set me up to be a successful leader and business owner and I look forward to learning more from her for years to come. I highly recommend Nikki.”

Kayla Bonnette.
Founder, Outlandish

Nikki has helped me realise that my style of leadership was no longer suitable for a company that had grown rapidly. What could have been a very painful process of self-reflection and realising my own weaknesses, was done with such humour and gentleness that, far from knocking my confidence further, gave me the strength and clarity to become a more assertive leader. I am now in the process of restructuring the business completely. This re-structure has been long overdue, but without Nikki’s perception and coaching I wouldn’t have made the necessary changes.

Rachel Watkyn, OBE.
Founder, Tiny Box Company

“I’m more excited and clearer than ever. it’s been an absolute dream working with you and I’ve loved introducing you to the team - I don’t want it to stop!”

Neil Adams.
Founder & CEO of Powerhouse

We were looking for a Non Exec Director that really understood what we were trying to achieve at William Joseph for ages. Nikki has transformed the way that we operate as a purpose driven organisation - that is trying to be economically sustainable whilst making a positive impact in the world and in the way we operate. Her blend of people focussed strategy with a keen eye on the commercial reality needed to enable this is a rare gift. It has pushed us forward in ways we hadn't even imagined when we started working together. She brings new ideas to all of our sessions from her vast and diverse experience, whilst holding us all to account in a true collaboration.

James Gadsby Peet.
Director, William Joseph (B Corp)

“Nikki was our executive leadership coach, and was amazing value. She brought a wealth of wisdom, expertise and proven experience to our sessions. Nikki is great at what she does, and has an infectious enthusiasm tempered by a pragmatic business mind. Would definitely recommend.”

Jonathan Aizlewood.
Board Design Director Clearleft

“Nikki is an inspirational leader and strategic thinker. She has a unique ability to nurture relationships that support and empower individuals, while also staying focused on the bigger picture to deliver award winning success for the company. Nikki is both a thinker and a do'er and her boundless energy and enthusiasm infinite and infectious.”

Mark Slade.
Global VP Creative, Money 20/20

“Nikki has an innate ability to get straight to the core of an issue, quickly establishing meaningful objectives and articulating clear strategic direction. Her unrivalled and infectious energy combined with a healthy dose of empathy and good humour make working with her a real joy”

Nicola Cosens.
Chief Marketing Officer, Pour Moi

Get in touch.

  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkigatenby/

  • ngatenbyconsulting@gmail.com