Ben French
I help mission-driven organisations transform team friction into lasting impact. With over 18 years of leading complex organisational change across public, private, and third sectors, I specialise in guiding leadership teams through periods of significant transition—whether developing strategy, restructuring operations, or building the collaborative cultures needed to deliver on their mission.
My approach centres on making leadership accessible at all levels. I believe sustainable change happens when everyone is empowered to contribute. Drawing on my experience as a former Director of a global consulting practice (leading 300 staff across 13 countries with £75M in revenue), I bring strategic insight and practical implementation experience. I’ve facilitated retreats for groups of 100+ participants, coached C-suite teams through complex decisions, and designed organisational structures for international operations spanning five countries.
As an ICF-accredited coach and trained executive coach, I combine deep expertise in organisational development with a facilitation style that balances challenge with creativity and care. I create structured spaces where difficult conversations can happen safely, diverse perspectives are genuinely heard, and teams move from discussion to decisive action. My workshops consistently receive exceptional feedback for their ability to engage all participants and deliver concrete outcomes.
I work best with leaders of mission-driven teams (10-50 people) in the social impact and public sectors, particularly those navigating changes in strategy, funding, or team structure. Whether you need a facilitator for a strategy retreat, a team coach to resolve underlying friction, or a trusted advisor to guide organisational transformation, I can help you close the gap between great people and great teams.
Change management, Coaching and mentoring, Facilitation, Team building
Children, young people and families, Education and employment, Environment and climate crisis, Health and social care, International development, Social enterprise
Clients
I work with clients across leading international organisations, UK public bodies, and mission-driven social enterprises, including:
International Development/Finance: World Bank, FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), Inter-American Development Bank, Overseas Development Institute.
UK Public Sector/Research: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Department for International Development (DFID).
Social Impact/Third Sector: Centre for Disaster Protection, Global Schools Forum, Consortium for Street Children, Enable Trust (Board Trustee).
Private/Sports: Right to Dream Group (International Football Organisation), Elite Performance Partners, and several scaling biotech/tech start-ups.
Governments: Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning (South Sudan), Government of Punjab (Pakistan).
Qualifications
Associate Certified Coach (ACC), International Coaching Federation
Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching, Henley Business School (2022)
MBA with Distinction, University of Bath (2021)
Oxford Climate Emergency Programme, University of Oxford Saïd Business School (2021)
MSc Development Management with Distinction, London School of Economics (2007)
BA Honours in International Development Studies and Economics, Dalhousie University (2006)
Experience
Over my career, I have held senior leadership roles, including Director of Consulting at Oxford Policy Management (C-suite, reporting to the CEO), Senior Manager leading a £40M public sector practice, and UK Representative for the Department for International Development in Pakistan, managing a £200M portfolio. I now focus on facilitation, team coaching, and leadership development through my consultancy, Ordinary Leadership.
Select recent projects:
Centre for Disaster Protection (2024-2025): Designed and facilitated team strategy retreats during a period of organisational change, supporting this 30-person organisation through leadership transition and the development of a new organisational structure.
FCDO Partnership for Learning for All, Nigeria (2024-present): Facilitated 100+ person strategy retreat, supported leadership to refocus the £95M programme on system strengthening, and helped rebuild team culture through a critical leadership transition.
Global Schools Forum (2023-2024): Facilitated leadership team strategy development over four months, creating alignment and consensus that led to a new board-approved three-year strategy.
DAI UK (2023): Designed and delivered team-building retreat for 40 staff, breaking down silos and achieving exceptional feedback on workshop impact.
UK Research and Innovation (2023-2024): Facilitated transformation of the analysis function across nine research councils, designing frameworks for cross-organisational collaboration and leading strategic planning with senior leadership.
World Bank (2022-2025): Designed change management methodology and delivered 8+ workshops engaging over 400 stakeholders on strategy design and delivery.
Right to Dream Group (2022-2025): Led comprehensive organisational redesign for 250-person international football organisation, implementing matrix structure across Ghana, Egypt, Denmark, UK and US operations.
