Coaching & Advisory

I help leaders flourish while staying true to themselves.

Smiling man with glasses in a dark suit and white shirt outdoors with a blurred cityscape background.

Helping individuals and organisations unlock clarity, build confidence and make meaningful progress.

Get in touch
Smiling man with glasses in a dark suit and white shirt outdoors with a blurred cityscape background.

Who is James Mountford?

I am a coach, advisor and editor with 30 years’ experience helping leaders and teams navigate complex systems and change. That journey has taken me from medicine to McKinsey, and on to a deeper exploration of health systems and higher education. It's left me with a deep respect for how hard people are trying and how much lighter things can feel when they’re properly supported.

What ties it all together is a simple thread: I love helping people learn, flourish and find the work – and way of working – that genuinely fits them.

Trusted

I’m a trained executive coach who draws on decades of practical leadership experience to keep sessions grounded and focused in pursuit of your goals.

Personal and Discreet

Our work together is tailor-made, rooted in your story and context, not in a generic framework or off-the-shelf programme. It is also entirely confidential.

Rewarding

My aim is for you to leave our conversations clearer about what you want and more confident about how you’re going to get there.

“James’s superpower is asking great questions in a very direct but non-intrusive way.”

- Tech Founder
Meyler Campbell Mastered logo text.
Graduate of Meyler Campbell Mastered programme
Association for Coaching logoEMCC Global logo with blue letters and a curved pattern of orange dots on the left.
Accredited by the Association for Coaching (AC) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC Global)
Mass General Brigham logo with a stylized teal building icon on the left and blue text to the right.Harvard Medical School logo with Veritas shield and text.
Associate, Institute of Coaching, affiliated with Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School

What clients are saying

“Thank you again for the amazing help – you are a great coach, James. You helped me do my best thinking: we quickly got to the heart of what matters, and I started to see things differently. From there, it felt much easier to plan what to do next. James’s superpower is asking great questions in a very polite and non-intrusive way that still gets right to the core of the issue.”
- NHS Chair
“James has a manner that really puts you at ease and gives you space to follow your own train of thought. He lets you talk things through without jumping in too quickly, then gently picks out the nuggets that matter. His questions are often challenging but always kind, and they consistently lead to actionable next steps I can actually use.”
- Managing Director, Creative Design Agency
“James is a natural coach. He combines real warmth and kindness with a firm edge, so our sessions are not always comfortable, but they are always useful. He isn’t afraid to push me when that’s what’s needed, and there’s a strong sense of continuity, with each conversation building on the last.”
- NHS CEO & Clinician
I really trust James. He’s there for me, whatever, whenever; a calm in the storm. I’ve had several coaches before, but none have felt as natural or gone to the same depth. He isn’t tied to a particular method; everything grows out of where my thoughts take us. The conversations feel organic and human, and what we land on is genuinely actionable.
- NHS Chair

Insights

In conversation with thoughtful partners and in my writing, I unpack how people lead, grow and deliver better results in challenging times. The real-world examples and dilemmas explored here may highlight new perspectives and possibilities for you.

View all
Podcast
July 11, 2025
Kindness, crisis & collective wisdom: Leading through the unknown
Listen
Podcast
January 27, 2025
Leading from within: Cultivating effective leadership and followership in healthcare
Listen
Article
November 16, 2020
Leading well in a crisis – HBR paper: 10 Leadership lessons from Covid field hospitals
View

Let’s connect

If this sounds like the kind of partnership you’ve been looking for, get in touch and let’s explore what working together might look like.

Get in touch