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I have worked with Heather as my leadership coach since mid-2014.  She has helped me to re-build nearly every aspect of my leadership tool kit, transforming me from a reactive/defensive leader to a pro-active one.

Working with Heather has provided not only the leadership skills to make such a transition, but the courage to move companies and industries.  She has demonstrated an uncanny ability to challenge the status quo and encourage innovative thinking, and she strikes a balance between keeping me out of my comfort zone whilst providing support at all times.  If that is the essence of coaching, Heather personifies it.”

Managing Director,
ASX200 Company

Heather Linaker

Before starting her second career in leadership development in 2011, Heather had a 25-year career in book and periodical publishing in the UK and Australia, primarily with global publisher Wiley. She led and managed across a diverse range of functional areas including sales, marketing, project management and technology.

Heather was also a key member of many global, regional and local projects and initiatives that spanned business and support groups and required her to influence without authority across multiple locations and cultures. Her final role at Wiley was as Managing Director of the Australian operations. Heather is also a former member of the Board of the State Library of Queensland.

Approach

As a leadership coach, mentor and facilitator, Heather partners CEOs, senior executives, and their leadership teams to accelerate their leadership development and to optimise the value they add to their organisations and broader stakeholders whilst ensuring that they retain their authenticity. Having ‘walked in their shoes’, she understands the rhythms and cycles of such roles, and she supports her clients to excel by being their confidante, challenger, cheerleader, supporter and sounding board.

Qualifications

Heather has a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Cambridge in the UK, and an MBA from Deakin University in Australia. She is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and is an accredited practitioner with The Leadership Circle, the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, the Global Leadership Wellbeing Survey, and the LifeStyles Inventory. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Personal Insights

Heather and her partner Sam are keen travellers (when not curtailed by COVID-19!), and she has been learning Italian for the last three years to enhance those experiences. She enjoys sharing time with family and friends, and appreciates good design whether in artwork, architecture, or more day-to-day accoutrements.