Leeds duo take leadership coaching outdoors

A Leeds-based coaching partnership is swapping boardrooms for bracing air as it launches a leadership development business rooted in the great outdoors.

Husband-and-wife team Ant and Claire Ackers have co-founded WildEdge Worx, a venture combining executive coaching with experiential leadership sessions delivered while walking, hiking and wild swimming. 

The business is aimed at founders and senior leaders of growing companies seeking clarity and resilience as their organisations scale.

Drawing on decades of corporate, entrepreneurial and coaching experience, the pair blend strategic insight with nationally recognised outdoor leadership qualifications. 

Claire has coached professionally since 2007, supporting more than 1000 clients from solo founders to executives within FTSE 250 groups, while also running UK-based retreats focused on reconnecting leaders with nature.

She said: “Consciously and subconsciously, we’ve been building towards WildEdge Worx for years. 

“It brings together our professional experience and a shared passion for sustainability and the transformational power of nature. 

“With the stunning Yorkshire countryside on our doorstep, our unique approach offers an incredibly powerful way to help leaders grow.”

Ant, meanwhile, brings more than 20 years of strategic and operational experience, including senior roles at Drax Group, alongside mountain leadership credentials and a track record delivering endurance-led corporate strategy days.

He added: “We take leaders out of their noisy, distraction-filled environments and into natural spaces that are scientifically proven to boost creativity, strategic thinking, positivity, personal growth and mental health. 

“Working and walking side by side, we help them develop the mindset, systems, structures, and strategy needed to grow their business to the next level.

“Knowing the difference walking in nature has made in our lives, it made sense to combine our skills and bring our unique blend of transformational coaching and outdoor experiences to help others. 

“We help people confront where they are and what they really want, create a plan to make it happen, and then anchor it in experiences that they’ll never forget.”

WildEdge Worx offers one-to-one strategy intensives, tailored leadership programmes and immersive retreats, all designed to help senior teams regain focus, steadiness and direction in demanding environments.

Find out more here.

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