Our Team
Meet our Executive Coaches & Facilitators
Ensuring work+family is a positive and successful relationship
Jennifer Liston-Smith, Director, Head of Coaching
Jennifer draws on 20 years' experience in consulting, training and coaching with major organisations and has since 2005 been one the UK pioneers of maternity coaching. She built, and provides strategic leadership to, the Coaching and Consultancy arm of Work+Family Solutions, and is a sought-after consultant on employer family-friendly strategies, speaker, writer, leadership coach and coaching supervisor.
Jennifer's team supports leading global clients to develop and deliver coaching and mentoring programmes, manager capability, internal coaching capability, engaging events for parents and carers and wider family-friendly strategies.
Jennifer's professional development background includes a Law degree from Brasenose College, Oxford, and a Masters in Psychology, alongside a range of professional qualifications. She is the mother of two boys, and understands the challenges of a senior role combined with family life.
Emma Willars, Development Manager
Before joining Work+Family Solutions, Emma worked as a consultant researching, structuring and devising a varied portfolio of training programmes for headteachers, corporate leaders and individual parents/carers.
Emma is passionate about the role families play in their children's education and learning.
Emma has presented at numerous conferences on topics ranging from parent engagement to effective learning environments.
She also spent several years teaching in East and Southern Africa for the British Council where she developed a wider understanding of education and family, a deeper awareness of cultural diversity and a love of rooibos tea!
As a mother of three, Emma fully empathises with the challenges and rewards of combining work+family and is committed to engaging in a rewarding profession whilst ensuring her children also get the best from her.
Amanda Sasada, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
With a background in learning and management development within global organisations, combined with a track record in performance coaching, Amanda has a specific interest and expertise in working with the emotional aspects of major personal transitions.
Amanda began her career in the pharmaceutical industry (Pfizer and Beecham) and electronic component distribution sector (SEI Macro Group) ultimately becoming a senior manager responsible for all learning and management development, working alongside business partners including Hitachi, Motorola and Phillips Semiconductor.
Amanda has an energetic, inspirational style encouraging individuals to believe in their own capabilities through experiential means. She has a specific interest and expertise in working with the emotional aspects of major personal transitions and this, combined with her track record in performance coaching for business leaders, brings a powerful focus.
Amanda holds a Middlesex University accredited Certificate in coaching, through the Centre for Coaching, as well as Centre for Coaching Primary certificate courses in stress management, performance coaching and assertion and communication skills.
Joanna McCarthy, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Having worked as a senior executive leading award-winning teams through major internal restructures Jo understands the pressures of working in a fast-paced environment while balancing work+family.
Joanna is an experienced senior executive with a background in corporate sales within the magazine industry (Emap). As a Commercial Publisher, she led market-leading global brands and has extensive experience of account management across a diverse range of industries.
As a coach and facilitator, Joanna has developed and delivered programmes on Management Excellence, Inclusive Leadership, Personal Branding, Unconscious Bias, Sponsorship of Women, and, of course, the Parental Leave Transition. Joanna's coaching is objective-orientated to track success, while at the same time promoting behavioural change that impacts the whole person inside and outside the workplace.
Joanna has an AOEC Advanced Professional Executive Coach Diploma, is an ICF PCC and Coach Mentor/Supervisor CTI CPCC and an authorised facilitator of the Leadership Diagnostic Circle 360 Assessment, Motivational Mapping.
Laure Fau, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
As a working mother who has advised boards for FTSE100 clients Laure has needed to understand the professional agendas and challenges across a variety of business contexts. This combined with her extensive coaching experience allows her to provide an experienced sounding board for new and expectant parents who wish to successfully integrate work+family.
Laure worked for 12 years as a Senior Manager for PwC and Ernst & Young managing supply chain restructuring projects for FTSE100 clients. She advised boards and gained experience of delivering results and performance through change. She also experienced first-hand the benefits of coaching and leadership programmes.
Laure holds a Diploma in Executive Coaching as well as licenses to coach and facilitate with the following psychometrics: Roche Martin Emotional Capital Inventory® and Firo-B®. Trained in Inner Game coaching with Tim Gallwey and Sir John Whitmore, Cognitive Behavioural Coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Laure is also a UK-qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).
She holds a business degree from HEC Paris, a leading business school in France, as well as a Masters of Law from the University of London. Laure coaches bilingually in French and English.
Sam Pringle, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Sam is a Work Life Consultant and Coach working in areas such as life balance, flexible working, managing maternity leave, gender equality, mentoring for parents at work.
Sam started off her career as a Marine Biologist, and is a MBA graduate with over 10 years management experience in pharmaceuticals.
In 2003 Sam reached the final of the UK Regional Business Manager of the year. She later diversified her work experience by taking secondments in European Business Development and with Marie Curie Cancer Charity. Her coaching skills have been further developed through NLP Master Practioner training.
Sam now works with both public and private sector clients including the Scottish Parliament, Women in Science Engineering and Technology and Scottish law firms.
Outside of work she is an active member of the Lothian Maternity Services Liaison Committee with a particular interest in breastfeeding. She worked as a pro bono business consultant on a breastfeeding initiative with the charity Best Beginnings and is an NCT committee member in Edinburgh South.
With two young children she knows only too well the challenges of managing a family and a career.
Kate Adey, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Having specialised in research into the parent transition during her own maternity leave Kate brings15 years of global consulting experience around organisational change combined with 10 years of coaching experience.
Kate combines 15 years consulting experience at Accenture and then Corven Consulting with ten years of coaching experience with senior individuals. She consulted across a variety of sectors including: Utilities; Telecoms; Financial Services; and Public sector (NHS and Central Government).
As a manager Kate designed and delivered business focused leadership development programmes, worked closely with senior executive teams to facilitate them through their business challenges and supported clients in engaging their people in organisational change. It was during her own maternity leave that she specialised in the maternity transition, completing her own piece of academic research on the transition to motherhood and return to work.
Kate has a range of coaching qualifications including a Coaching Diploma from the Institute of Human Development, London.
Ferne Traeger, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Having spent over twenty years in business management and consulting, Ferne also has more than fifteen years' clinical practice which she brings to bear in supporting executives and organizations with career and life transitions, ensuring that work+family can be successfully integrated in support of business objectives.
Ferne combines twenty+ years' experience in business management and consulting with over fifteen years' clinical practice to assist executives and organizations with career and life transitions.
Ferne aims to make the transition process not only a means to optimize one's career options, but also an opportunity to learn about oneself. Her coaching approach merges goal-oriented pragmatism with an ability to listen for, identify and address obstacles to professional success.
Ferne is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University Graduate School of Business and New York University Silver School of Social Work. She has a certificate in executive coaching and organizational consulting and is a Member and Director of multiple professional organisations.
Rebecca Ford Johnson, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
A qualified solicitor, former partner at a global law firm, executive coach and mother of two, Rebecca appreciates first-hand the challenges of managing a high profile career with young children.
Rebecca spent 14 years as a solicitor in London, the last five of these as a partner in a global law firm (during which she had two maternity leaves). Since leaving the law in 2012, Rebecca has coached individuals at a number of professional service firms, with a focus on the maternity transition and also non-maternity related coaching, working with senior professionals looking to achieve their full potential in their business life.
Rebecca enjoys engaging with people, challenging them to define goals that are realistic, and to reflect on their own behaviour.
In addition to being a qualified solicitor (non-practising) and previously a partner at Baker & McKenzie, Rebecca has completed the Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching with the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC) and is an AoEC Accredited Executive Coach. She is a Member of the Association for Coaching (AC).
Justin McCarthy, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Justin originally trained as an Engineer at Exeter University. On leaving Exeter he joined the graduate programme at Mars, Inc., working at Mars Confectionery and Pedigree Petfoods, and travelling between the UK, France and Germany. He subsequently joined Sybase (a US technology company) to run their training team initially in the UK and later in Norway, Italy and the US.
Justin has a deep seated interest in how individuals see themselves and their motivation to make the choices they do. His natural ability to interact positively with people drives his coachees to achieve outstanding performance in the workplace, and as a father of three Justin is acutely familiar with the challenges working parents face.
Justin holds a Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching and is a Trustee and Coaching Supervisor for the Executive Job Club - a charity providing coaching and training services to senior executives.
Justin is married to Ali and has three children. He is an active sportsman, with a black belt in Aikido, and is a regular member of The People's Shakespeare.
Linda Spink, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Having been a lawyer in multi-national law firms Linda understands the issues facing professionals in their day to day working (and domestic) routines and is a huge advocate of authentic leadership and emotional intelligence.
Linda worked as a lawyer in multi-national law firms for over 12 years and can relate, through her personal involvement in the service industry, to the issues facing professionals in their day to day working (and domestic) routines.
Through her pragmatic and warm approach, coupled with good humour, Linda aims to challenge and inspire her coachees in their personal and professional development and help them attain a sense of achievement and personal satisfaction. She enjoys guiding and supporting coachees through transitions in their lives, from changes in family life to promotions at work. Linda is a huge advocate of authentic leadership and emotional intelligence.
Linda is a qualified lawyer and holds an Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching accredited by Bristol Business School-UWE, and ILM Certificate in Executive Coaching & Mentoring.
Ben Jackson, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Having combined a career in magazine publishing with caring for three children Ben understands the challenges and benefits of having better conversations about work and family and the positive impact this has on career development.
Ben started his career in magazine publishing (Private Eye, The Oldie, MMC), leading on product development and management where he became passionate about behavioural and organisational change.
Through his training in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and MBTI, Ben developed a passion for peak performance coaching for team and individual development. He gets enormous satisfaction seeing his coachees work through their challenges to solutions that deliver real results in their work and family lives.
Ben also has a particular interest in personal branding, and the work-life challenges of being a 21st century father. Having been the primary carer of his three children Ben understands the challenges - and benefits - of having better conversations about work and family and the positive impact this can have on career development.
Lisa Richards, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
Lisa spent 25 years as an HR professional in a range of sectors including Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals. She has experience across all aspects of human resource management with particular expertise and interest in leadership development, change leadership and organisational design.
Having worked as a senior leader in multi-national organisations, Lisa is familiar with the challenges leaders of today face and works with individuals and teams to deliver the results organisations need. Her coaching style is pragmatic and results orientated, challenging but supportive - her aim is always to help her client move forward in the best way for them, both personally and professionally.
Lisa is a Social Sciences graduate, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is International Coaching Federation trained. She has one daughter who is now at University.
Richard Andrews, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
An experienced executive and parent transition coach, Richard combines his experience of the high pressured world of fund management with that of parenting two boys to offer a trusted sounding board, providing valuable space to think about what might be needed to ensure the successful integration of work+family.
Richard began his career in the asset management industry in 1984 as an investment analyst, before moving on to run a range of funds. He moved to the sell-side in 1993 and until 2003 he was Head of Research at Old Mutual Securities (FTSE 100).
In 2003, Richard decided to draw on both his investment and leadership experience and became an executive coach holding an MA in Coaching and Mentoring Practice and a Postgraduate Certificate in Coach Supervision as well as being Accredited by the Association for Coaching as a Master Executive Coach. Richard also has a Postgraduate Non-Executive Director Diploma and remains a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.
Richard has also been a volunteer call-taker at Parentline Scotland since 2003.
Lisa Florit, Leadership and Parent Transition Coach
During her 25 years' HR experience across multiple industry sectors ranging from SMEs to global corporates, Lisa gained experience in developing women leaders and supporting them in realising their full potential while successfully integrating work+family.
Lisa spent 25 years as an HR professional with extensive experience across multiple industry sectors ranging from SMEs to global corporates, including Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals. Her role leading a global organisational design project led to a particular interest in leadership development, change leadership and organisational design.
Lisa is passionate about developing women leaders, supporting them to realise their full potential and achieve the success they desire. Her coaching style is pragmatic and results orientated, challenging but supportive. Her aim is always to help her coachee develop both personally and professionally.
A Social Sciences graduate and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Lisa is International Coaching Federation trained.