Has a passion for working with leaders to define their purpose.

Partner at The Alliance since 2017, Eleanor McBrien has a particular passion for working with leaders to sharpen up their thinking, and to define their purpose in a simple practical way.

Throughout my career I have been drawn to helping people and businesses work out how they want to be seen, creating the right kind of impact, and being confident in expressing this to the world. As a coach, it’s surprising how often you come across very capable leaders who struggle to effectively convey their values, their purpose; why they should be listened to or followed.

My corporate career spanned over 20 years, mainly in media and entertainment, including nearly a decade with NBC Universal Television. Following this, I then ran my own brand and marketing consultancy, working to reposition and bolster the marketing efforts of consumer brands like J. K. Rowling’s Pottermore (now Wizarding World), BBC and The Beano. Aside from the actual work, I realised the thing I really enjoyed was listening and working out ‘what is really going on here?’ . In short it was the potential of the people, as much the goals of the business, that interested me. I was drawn to the challenge of helping people think clearly and get stuff done. So, I decided to scratch the itch and spent a happy year on the Meyler Campbell Mastered course; learning (and unlearning) what it was to be an effective coach.

Through the excellent connections that Meyler Campbell affords, I was fortunate enough to join the coaching partnership The Alliance not long after I graduated. This became the second critical part of my training – on the job as it were. I’m blessed with having a smart, experienced and eclectic bunch of colleagues around me who have provided challenge and support in equal measure as I’ve developed my own coaching approach. I have been a partner with The Alliance since 2017 and whilst I still enjoy working with many media businesses, my coaching client base now is broad; from professional services to public sector, and from global corporate to high potential start-up. That’s part of what I love about what we do – no two clients are ever the same.

In 2016 I developed the Lighthouse Purpose model. It’s a coaching-led tool that draws upon the dual worlds of brand strategy and coaching, and an elegant way for leaders to express how they want to be seen by those around them. It’s simple and effective – but that belies the deep thinking that sits behind it. We use it with our client base now, and it can be revelatory to be finally able to say – ‘this is me; this is the leader I am’.

Meyler Campbell’s Mastered programme was just the start of developing my own identity as a coach, providing me with a foundation of quality and credibility that I have built on in my coaching practice. But almost as importantly, it’s the rich community it’s introduced me to, not least my fabulous Alliance colleagues (all Meyler Campbell alumni) that has helped me become the coach I am.

Eleanor McBrien, September 2024.