Matthew Addison-Black
Executive Coaching
My clients have included C-suite executives, founders, senior counsel, elite sportspeople, professional athletes navigating transition and former special forces operators. What they share is a standard, and the self-awareness to notice that their success has come at a considerable personal cost.
They are capable. They are, by most external measures, exactly where they wanted to be. And somewhere in the gap between the role and the person holding it, something is missing.
Who are you when the role is removed?
What are you building, and for whom?
What is it costing you, and is it worth it?
At the highest levels of performance, the margins are small and the questions underneath them matter most. They separate those who reach the top from those who stay there, and still recognise themselves on the other side.
ICF Professional Certified Coach & Psychologist
Associate Professor, RMA Sandhurst
Doctoral researcher, University of Liverpool
“At the beginning I asked to be challenged, for difficult questions and to make me uncomfortable, and that is what I got.”
Tristan Chiappini, Founder & Global Commercial Leader
“His coaching is best suited to those who are prepared to engage seriously with the process and are willing to be challenged in pursuit of meaningful and sustained development.”
Olga Venzhina, Deputy General Counsel, Eastern Pacific Shipping
“Initially planned for a few sessions… I found the sessions so productive and helpful that Matt and I continue our engagement.”
Chris Lambe, Risk & Strategic Communications, Eastern Pacific Shipping
“He quickly showed me how to prioritise tasks in a way I hadn’t done before, and sometimes simply how to prioritise myself so that I can continue to operate at the level I need to.”
Sam Mudie, Founder & CEO, Savea FinTech
“Transitioning from a career in professional sport into financial services had become a challenge that impacted my close relationships, my social life and myself… Working with Matt… has made the transition to my new career smoother.”
Tim Swinson, Former Scotland and Saracens Rugby Player
“If you are considering a coach, I would highly recommend Matthew, consider this your due diligence.”
Aaron Hill, former UKSF, Host of the Resilience Podcast
Approach
My work develops clarity and judgement under pressure. It is direct, grounded in both experience and research, and draws on leadership, philosophy and moral psychology. There are no quick fixes. The aim is the capacity to think clearly and act deliberately when it matters.
Radical candour is central. We address problems directly, without avoidance or performance.
Discretion is absolute.
This is demanding work. It requires honesty, accountability and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.
Process
We begin where most coaching doesn’t: not with your goals, but with your foundations.
The gap between where capable people are and where they want to be is rarely a skills problem. It is almost always an identity problem.
The first phase of our work, typically six to eight months, addresses that misalignment directly. Only once that work is done do we turn to the blade.
Sessions are ninety minutes. No templates. No fixed programme. No homework designed to fill the gap between sessions with the appearance of progress.
Who This Is For
Ambition | Bravery | Curiosity | Determination
If you are looking for reassurance, I am not the right coach. If you are looking for someone to validate decisions you have already made, I am not the right coach.
If you are looking for someone who will tell you the truth about what they see, hold you to account for what you commit to, and stand with you through the work, then we should talk.
I will stand with you. And I will hold you to account.
Capacity is limited.
All applications are read personally and treated in complete confidence.