élan's community of professional coaches, consultants and advisors work with leaders and key influencers across the globe. Our work increases resilience and well-being in the workplace, resulting in accelerating performance at every level to meet and even exceed goals. Every one of our clients has a different set of needs, so we develop customised, unique programmes that deliver on results. We empower people to lead cultural transformation within large and small businesses, and we shatter limiting beliefs that hold people back—equipping each person to reach their full potential.
Let us help bring your Vision into reality.Are you ready to set your business on the path to success?
Let us help bring your Vision into reality.Are you ready to set your business on the path to success?
The élan Team
Collaborative Efforts

Ian Hale
Senior Coach
Ian is a coach to senior executives as well as being able to design and lead behavioural change projects for organisations across the globe. Ian consults at executive director level for multinationals in a wide variety of sectors with extensive exposure to cross-cultural leadership. He has an instinctive style that delivers “swift, rapid and lasting change” in a language that transforms drive and motivation. For the last 20 years Ian has worked developing senior leaders specifically in the areas of Culture, Personal Influence and Impact, Presentation and Performance Management, Conflict Handling and Team Working.
Supporting Barclays Bank PLC with the design and implementation of the global roll out of the Purpose, Values and Behaviours programme, as well as the development and delivery of their Leadership Academy and coaching the bank’s country managers and their exec’ teams. Ian is accredited to use various psychometric instruments, accredited Teleos Leadership Institute coach through ICF and with the new.org Coach Programme, and an NLP practitioner. Ian has trained in personal interest and values inventories including: Thomas Killman Instrument, SDI Strengths Finder; FIRO-B.Outside work activities, Ian can be found at home in Devon where he spends time with his grandchildren, mastering backgammon and on the water whenever possible.
Ellie Hale
Coach & Psychotherapist
Ellie Hale is an experienced, powerful coach and facilitator, who has helped to transform the culture of many prestigious organisations, bringing over 20+ years of experience in delivering and designing programmes. Her passion is the opportunity to transform businesses and its people. Her no-nonsense approach encourages clients to experiment with new ways of doing things so that their life and work flow more powerfully and more smoothly. She delivers globally most notably as part of the BP faculty delivering Leadership Development programmes. Ellie is responsible for developing the in-house cadre of facilitators and leading coaching training programmes for many large corporations and was a lead facilitator and resident coach on the Free to Lead programme which was delivered at both the NHS and Selfridges.


Ellie Hale
Coach & Psychotherapist
Ellie Hale is an experienced, powerful coach and facilitator, who has helped to transform the culture of many prestigious organisations, bringing over 20+ years of experience in delivering and designing programmes. Her passion is the opportunity to transform businesses and its people. Her no-nonsense approach encourages clients to experiment with new ways of doing things so that their life and work flow more powerfully and more smoothly. She delivers globally most notably as part of the BP faculty delivering Leadership Development programmes. Ellie is responsible for developing the in-house cadre of facilitators and leading coaching training programmes for many large corporations and was a lead facilitator and resident coach on the Free to Lead programme which was delivered at both the NHS and Selfridges.
At BDO she worked as facilitator and resident coach for their coaching programme designed to create a coaching culture in the organisation and rolled this out nationally to all the Strategic Business Units. She has also weaved her magic with her unusual mixture of compassion and honesty at organisations such as Coca Cola, HSBC, Telefonica, BP, Capita and Schlumberger Oilfield Services. Ellie developed pre-school education programmes and founded the play buses scheme which to this day offers free play for children as well as giving advice and support for parents. Ellie was in addition the principle fundraiser for the finances for this project garnered from the Regional Development Agency and the National Lottery. Outside of work Ellie can be found in her garden creating living art – describing herself as an amateur gardener, she has planted well over 5000 plants, shrubs and trees to create a garden from scratch.

Imran Shah
Programme Director
Imran has over 25 years experience in training, consultancy, sales, coaching and personal development. This coupled with 9 years experience in child protection social work has given Imran an insight into what makes people tick and address the challenge of elevating human performance in the areas of communication, relationships, and productivity. Over the years, Imran has delivered programmes in English and in Urdu/Hindi to over 15,000 people, to groups as small as 10 to as large as 250, from students and retirees to C level executives, and everything in between. His passion and appreciation for people pervades his programme delivery which is engaging, professional and empowering.
Bernadette Callanan
Facilitator & Coach
Bernadette is associate coach and facilitator for Elan TLC. She is an experienced coach and leadership development expert specialising in team performance, strategy and change. She brings clarity around complexity and brings commerciality and structure that works for many organisations. She is a coach, mentor and ambassador for wellbeing and inclusivity. With a focus and passion for learning, inspiring change, collaboration and leadership in others, Bernadette has designed programmes that tackle the barriers to personal effectiveness. Combining this with her love of the outdoors as a place to work, she works with people and teams as they empower each other during times of challenge.


Bernadette Callanan
Facilitator & Coach
Bernadette is associate coach and facilitator for Elan TLC. She is an experienced coach and leadership development expert specialising in team performance, strategy and change. She brings clarity around complexity and brings commerciality and structure that works for many organisations. She is a coach, mentor and ambassador for wellbeing and inclusivity. With a focus and passion for learning, inspiring change, collaboration and leadership in others, Bernadette has designed programmes that tackle the barriers to personal effectiveness. Combining this with her love of the outdoors as a place to work, she works with people and teams as they empower each other during times of challenge.
For Barclays, Bernadette designed the “Leading Change, Managing Change and Change for intact teams” programmes for Barclays, sourcing contemporary learning methods and positively challenge static mindset for development initiatives. Bernadette is accredited in Social Style & Versatility Adaptive Mindset and Behavioural Eq (Tracom Group), MBTI Step 1 Qualified Practitioner (OPP OXFORD) and ILM Mental Toughness (PDC Wales).

Jenny Quick
Vitality & Nourish Coach
Jenny has for the last 25 years been assisting classical musicians, music educators and corporate executives physically and artistically on an international stage. She has been a regular visiting coach for elite string players at the prestigious Meadowmount Summer School in upstate New York and in master classes at Dartington International Summer School.

Jenny Quick
Vitality & Nourish Coach
Jenny has for the last 25 years been assisting classical musicians, music educators and corporate executives physically and artistically on an international stage. She has been a regular visiting coach for elite string players at the prestigious Meadowmount Summer School in upstate New York and in master classes at Dartington International Summer School.
Originally with a background in physiotherapy, Jenny also has a private practice as an Alexander Technique teacher and for the past 15 years has been supporting leaders to marry self awareness with the synergy between mind and body. This brings alive the principles of ease and flow in the Flourish programme.She delivers "Living in a Body™"....a set of learning materials with a fresh, fun and immensely practical approach to moving and performing with confidence and ease. Enlightened surprise and joy are a given, when seemingly small pieces of information can produce such radical effects. Jenny studies with global mentors and alongside some of the world's top performing musicians. A life long musician herself, in her mid fifties she took off on a bicycle for a year, playing Beethoven's last 3 piano sonatas from Denmark to the southernmost tip of Greece, wherever pianos showed up. The shared inner and outer journey reflected Beethoven's deep love of humanity. It is this love of people that motivates her in her group and individual work.Outside work she bivvis on the moor, gives intimate concerts, (while incinerating meals from the piano stool), rides her bike, paints and enjoys knitting for her grandchildren.
Bex Baxter
Facilitator & Coach
Bex Baxter has 20 years experience in people development, and is a certified life coach. She began her career running art workshops for the homeless, progressed to creating personal development programmes for the Prince’s Trust, and then coached on and helped develop transformational leadership programmes for large organisations with Elan TLC. Client’s have included BP’s ‘high potentials’, BDO accountancy firms, the NHS, and the Police Service.


Bex Baxter
Facilitator & Coach
Bex Baxter has 20 years experience in people development, and is a certified life coach. She began her career running art workshops for the homeless, progressed to creating personal development programmes for the Prince’s Trust, and then coached on and helped develop transformational leadership programmes for large organisations with Elan TLC. Client’s have included BP’s ‘high potentials’, BDO accountancy firms, the NHS, and the Police Service.
Since 2009 Bex has held several key roles in the Bristol social enterprise Coexist CIC, including serving as People Development Director and Board Chair. Bex instigated significant changes at Coexist to acknowledge biological cycles at work, including a menstrual flexitime policy. Her work garnered significant media and public attention internationally, and in 2017 she gave a TED talk on the positive impact of the policy for the whole organisation. Most recently, Bex has taught workshops on the value of integrating natural cycles for business development in arts organisations in the South-West. And in the new year Bex will be co-founding the launch of Cyclical Consulting LTD with the renowned author and expert in the field of biological cycles - Lara Owen.

Karen Polymniou
Coach & Mentor
Karen is an experienced HR leader with over 24 years’ experience of partnering, coaching and mentoring HR teams and business leaders across the transport, financial services and retail sectors. Passionate about stimulating change and personal development and an advocate of flexible working and personal and organisational wellbeing, Karen is currently completing her CMI Level 7 in Coaching and Mentoring (Masters).

Karen Polymniou
Coach & Mentor
Karen is an experienced HR leader with over 24 years’ experience of partnering, coaching and mentoring HR teams and business leaders across the transport, financial services and retail sectors. Passionate about stimulating change and personal development and an advocate of flexible working and personal and organisational wellbeing, Karen is currently completing her CMI Level 7 in Coaching and Mentoring (Masters).
Introduced to coaching as a Senior HR Manager and Acting Head of Employee Development for London Underground, Karen’s HR roles have taken her to the Stock Exchange, NatWest, RBS and Barclays, where she led the HR Change Team for their Branch Transformation Programme. Karen was also HRBP and Acting HR Director for Laura Ashley and, most recently Head of HR North and Head of Leadership and Talent for the Coop, both of which were job share roles. Change management and development have been constant themes of Karen’s career and she’s now focussing on coaching and physical fitness as key drivers of individual and organisational change and wellbeing. Outside work, Karen’s busy with family life and has recently developed a keen interest in fitness, especially weight lifting, where she’s progressed from lifting 10 kilos to lifting her own body weight. She’s a member of the CIPD and associate member of the CMI and dabbles in interior design, with a diploma from the Interior Design Institute. Karen is keen to inspire others to live true to their values and to achieve a good balance between work, life and physical and mental wellbeing.
Roderic Finn
Neuroscientist & Coach
Rod, a dual South African and British National, has a 20-year track record as a senior leader in credit risk in the investment banking and asset management industries. He has worked for Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Old Mutual, in positions with significant management and people leadership responsibilities, across multiple jurisdictions including Africa, Asia, and Europe, during periods of arguably unprecedented global volatility and significant pressure on emerging markets. He grew to lead teams and negotiate complex deals, financing relationships and workout situations with clients through the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and beyond.

This background has fuelled a deep interest in people, which he is pursuing via an MSc in Applied Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. His research interests are in the areas of Positive Psychology, with a focus on what motivates, drives and ultimately fulfils people; as well as in the relationship between physical and mental health and the effect of a healthy lifestyle on mental health and wellbeing. He has also completed the Fundamentals Coaching Programme at the Coaches Training Institute in London. Rod's financial qualifications include being a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in South Africa, as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst through the CFA Institute in the US.Outside of his work activities, Rod runs road races and climbs mountains. He is a husband still in training (12 years later) and has a young son whose journey with autism has had a profound effect on Rod and his desire to make a difference.

Dave Rindi
Facilitator and Coach
With over 35 years of experience in human development, Dave provides transformational coaching & consulting to individuals, organisations and everyone in between, & beyond - groups, communities, teams and more. Those he has worked with have ranged from CEO's to prisoners coming to the end of their sentence, including City corporates, SMEs, sole traders, public & voluntary sectors.

Dave Rindi
Facilitator and Coach
With over 35 years of experience in human development, Dave provides transformational coaching & consulting to individuals, organisations and everyone in between, & beyond - groups, communities, teams and more. Those he has worked with have ranged from CEO's to prisoners coming to the end of their sentence, including City corporates, SMEs, sole traders, public & voluntary sectors.
He provides a powerful balance between the unreasonable demands that are required for his clients to recognise, and step beyond previously inhibiting limits and the dignity and compassion that are a necessity for someone to experience the safety to take that journey and to explore and grow. Be it something that occurs as a 'problem', and starting with setting out to resolve that, or taking on accomplishing a big, inspiring, seemingly impossible, vision (the more audacious, the more value to the client), powerful coaching enables people to fulfil that effectively. Ultimately Dave is committed to people, and to them producing seemingly impossible results, whether business, personal or community based. He is on a mission to enable those people to champion the issues that matter most to them and that will make the biggest difference for the wider world. Dave lives with his wife in London where he is involved in his local community, and also with The Hunger Project, a global organisation committed to, and engaged in, the sustainable end of hunger in the world. His interests have him dabble in many areas, and as an ex chef, he still loves to cook.