About Us
Founder and Principal Consultant, Karen Hands
Karen is a serial entrepreneur, leadership coach, non-executive director and angel investor who works principally with women to enable them to succeed in business. She is an Associate Fellow of Said Business School at Oxford University for her role as Head Tutor for the online Women’s Leadership Development Programme on the 2U GetSmarter platform.
Her Board commitments include Chairing the Strategic HR Committee at Community Forest Trust and she acts as a Board Advisor or Non-Executive Director to small companies and high-growth start-ups. Karen is a member of the Women Angels of the North Syndicate of women investing in female founders, taking action as a result of the Rose Review.
As a speaker and speaking skills coach, Karen draws on her extensive experience as a woman in a man’s world to enable women to get their voice heard, persuasively and with authenticity. She applies tested processes to help individuals, teams and Boards work together effectively, whether to define strategic priorities, engage with stakeholders, solve problems or communicate with impact and sensitivity.
In her earlier career, Karen worked as a Process Engineer involved in major environmental improvement projects at ICI Chemicals & Polymers before training as a teamwork and leadership coach through the Coverdale Organisation. Her portfolio career has included working for Bootstrap Enterprises, a charity helping unemployed and disadvantaged people into work in East Lancashire, through a period of change and growth. She trained as a high-level facilitator at McCourts Consultancy, where she also steered business development activities with the 15 Associates who delivered leadership coaching and facilitation services to industry. She has served as Chair of Governors at Darwen Vale High School and Vice Chair at Wakefield FE College.