It is rare to find a coach who is able to blend high-quality coaching, administrative excellence and great wisdom and empathy.
I engaged Helen to coach staff at many levels from the C-suite to individual contributors, and she received nothing but high praise from all she coached. In my assessment, she is as good a coach as may be found.Cecil Murray, Learning & Organisational Development Director
The People Development Specialists2018-02-18T10:05:55+00:00It is rare to find a coach who is able to blend high-quality coaching, administrative excellence and great wisdom and empathy. I engaged Helen to coach staff at many levels from the C-suite to individual contributors, and she received nothing but high praise from all she coached. In my assessment, she is as good a coach as may be found.Cecil Murray, Learning & Organisational Development Director
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/example-1/I’m so pleased to have chosen Helen as my coach; she built rapport quickly and I have already tangibly benefited from sessions in person, on video conference and by phone. Helen is an incredibly warm person, has bundles of empathy, but also is supportively challenging. She makes me think. She gives me the space to think. She helps me to order my thinking. Helen’s questioning style (the DNA of any good coach) is both intuitive and insightful. She has the ability in a conversation to ask what might be perceived as an off-the-wall question, which later we both realise has in fact “peeled the layers of the onion” further. It is clear that Helen’s years of coaching experience mean that she utilizes her unconscious abilities to ask the most enlightening question at the right time.Partner, Big 4 accounting firm, based in the UK and Middle East
The People Development Specialists2018-02-18T10:06:43+00:00I’m so pleased to have chosen Helen as my coach; she built rapport quickly and I have already tangibly benefited from sessions in person, on video conference and by phone. Helen is an incredibly warm person, has bundles of empathy, but also is supportively challenging. She makes me think. She gives me the space to think. She helps me to order my thinking. Helen’s questioning style (the DNA of any good coach) is both intuitive and insightful. She has the ability in a conversation to ask what might be perceived as an off-the-wall question, which later we both realise has in fact “peeled the layers of the onion” further. It is clear that Helen’s years of coaching experience mean that she utilizes her unconscious abilities to ask the most enlightening question at the right time.Partner, Big 4 accounting firm, based in the UK and Middle East
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/big-4-accounting/I would recommend coaching with Helen to anyone who is taking on a new leadership role. Honestly, it has been transformative to my work and has opened up a new way of thinking about how institutions are run, what my values are and what I can contribute. This has been the single most valuable thing I have done in my own professional development.Vice Provost, Leading US University
The People Development Specialists2018-05-17T09:38:19+01:00I would recommend coaching with Helen to anyone who is taking on a new leadership role. Honestly, it has been transformative to my work and has opened up a new way of thinking about how institutions are run, what my values are and what I can contribute. This has been the single most valuable thing I have done in my own professional development.Vice Provost, Leading US University
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/vp-us-university/Working with Helen was my first coaching experience and I would highly recommend her. She immediately made me feel comfortable, which in turn, helped me to open-up from the first session. Helen has a great ability to truly listen and make a person feel validated. She encouraged me to explore the situation and come up with various scenarios which helped me develop an action plan to resolution. Helen’s patience and calm demeanor helped me work through several concerns that I was facing both professionally and personally. She provided various tools which allowed me to think and act out scenarios and eventually come to the right path forward.Strategy Director, Leading Middle East airport
The People Development Specialists2022-04-24T14:55:21+01:00Working with Helen was my first coaching experience and I would highly recommend her. She immediately made me feel comfortable, which in turn, helped me to open-up from the first session. Helen has a great ability to truly listen and make a person feel validated. She encouraged me to explore the situation and come up with various scenarios which helped me develop an action plan to resolution. Helen’s patience and calm demeanor helped me work through several concerns that I was facing both professionally and personally. She provided various tools which allowed me to think and act out scenarios and eventually come to the right path forward.Strategy Director, Leading Middle East airport
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/strategy-director/I was referred to Helen as I was looking to understand more about our team's dynamic, abilities and qualities. On discussing with Helen, we opted to use a tool called Strengthscope, which is now part of our onboarding toolkit. However, a tool without the master is pretty useless and this is where Helen’s ability and talent comes in. Helen has a great knack with listening and interpreting the results on a one to one basis with each person. The feedback from myself and my multi-cultural team is that Helen is excellent! Hence we have continued to work with Helen and I personally work with Helen as my coach and am getting a lot of benefit from our discussions. I would not hesitate to recommend Helen, she is one of a kind!CEO, Global Tourism Body
The People Development Specialists2022-05-07T10:17:22+01:00I was referred to Helen as I was looking to understand more about our team's dynamic, abilities and qualities. On discussing with Helen, we opted to use a tool called Strengthscope, which is now part of our onboarding toolkit. However, a tool without the master is pretty useless and this is where Helen’s ability and talent comes in. Helen has a great knack with listening and interpreting the results on a one to one basis with each person. The feedback from myself and my multi-cultural team is that Helen is excellent! Hence we have continued to work with Helen and I personally work with Helen as my coach and am getting a lot of benefit from our discussions. I would not hesitate to recommend Helen, she is one of a kind!CEO, Global Tourism Body
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/global-tourism-body-team-facilitation/When I first started talking to Helen I was at a crucial point in my career and at a crossroads, I needed an impartial listener to talk through the possibilities I had to consider with. Helen was excellent in that she listened to my thoughts, dreams, concerns while asking pertinent questions to tease out what I really wanted and desired for my future. Before I spoke to Helen I was feeling conflicted and didn’t know where I was headed in my career then I worked with Helen and now I feel in control, I have a real plan on what I want to achieve and the building blocks on how to get there. If you are considering using Helen’s services I would say take the plunge, you will not regret it. You will find out who you are, what you want to achieve and come up with a plan on how to accomplish your career goals.Head of Projects, Global Tourism Body
The People Development Specialists2022-05-07T10:28:19+01:00When I first started talking to Helen I was at a crucial point in my career and at a crossroads, I needed an impartial listener to talk through the possibilities I had to consider with. Helen was excellent in that she listened to my thoughts, dreams, concerns while asking pertinent questions to tease out what I really wanted and desired for my future. Before I spoke to Helen I was feeling conflicted and didn’t know where I was headed in my career then I worked with Helen and now I feel in control, I have a real plan on what I want to achieve and the building blocks on how to get there. If you are considering using Helen’s services I would say take the plunge, you will not regret it. You will find out who you are, what you want to achieve and come up with a plan on how to accomplish your career goals.Head of Projects, Global Tourism Body
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/head-of-projects-global-tourism-body/Within seconds of first meeting Helen, I knew she was the one who’d be my professional coach. Instantly she made me feel at ease and very quickly I found myself opening up to her. Discussing weaknesses with a stranger can be daunting. Not only was Helen professional in her approach, but she was understanding and empathetic, allowing me to feel safe and show vulnerability without fear of any judgement, and I knew this would all be in the strictest of confidence. Helen soon helped me identify the things I needed and wanted to work on. By talking things through with her and having opportunity to reflect on my own career and achievements, I soon saw things differently, changed my own top approach to various things in both work and personally, and in time regained my confidence. I would highly recommend Helen for anyone needing help and support with achieving their personal or professional goals.Programme Manager, Global Energy Company
The People Development Specialists2024-12-17T16:00:35+00:00Within seconds of first meeting Helen, I knew she was the one who’d be my professional coach. Instantly she made me feel at ease and very quickly I found myself opening up to her. Discussing weaknesses with a stranger can be daunting. Not only was Helen professional in her approach, but she was understanding and empathetic, allowing me to feel safe and show vulnerability without fear of any judgement, and I knew this would all be in the strictest of confidence. Helen soon helped me identify the things I needed and wanted to work on. By talking things through with her and having opportunity to reflect on my own career and achievements, I soon saw things differently, changed my own top approach to various things in both work and personally, and in time regained my confidence. I would highly recommend Helen for anyone needing help and support with achieving their personal or professional goals.Programme Manager, Global Energy Company
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/programme-manager-global-energy-company/I was initially hesitant to pursue coaching after being advised to develop my confidence. The idea of external coaching felt daunting, but Helen quickly put me at ease. Helen’s supportive approach helped me embrace the process and recognize my own value.
Throughout the sessions, I unlocked potential I didn't realize I had. I learned to trust myself more and step out of my comfort zone. The positive impact of our time together has been truly transformative. I feel more confident and equipped to tackle challenges ahead.
I genuinely value the experience and highly recommend coaching to anyone looking to enhance their personal and professional growth. Thank you so much Helen for guiding me on this journey!HR Manager – Global Professional Services Firm
The People Development Specialists2024-12-17T15:55:49+00:00I was initially hesitant to pursue coaching after being advised to develop my confidence. The idea of external coaching felt daunting, but Helen quickly put me at ease. Helen’s supportive approach helped me embrace the process and recognize my own value. Throughout the sessions, I unlocked potential I didn't realize I had. I learned to trust myself more and step out of my comfort zone. The positive impact of our time together has been truly transformative. I feel more confident and equipped to tackle challenges ahead. I genuinely value the experience and highly recommend coaching to anyone looking to enhance their personal and professional growth. Thank you so much Helen for guiding me on this journey!HR Manager – Global Professional Services Firm
https://thepdspecialists.com/testimonials/hr-manager-global-professional-services-firm/00The People Development Specialists
Welcome to The People Development Specialists
At The People Development Specialists, we believe in unlocking potential through genuine connection.
We help leaders and organisations around the globe thrive by fostering stronger relationships and reframing how they think about leadership. Our leadership coaching equips individuals and teams with the tools to enhance self-awareness, build confidence, and navigate the complexities of modern organisational environments. By focusing on connection, both to oneself and to others, we empower leaders to have meaningful conversations, strengthen their teams, and achieve sustainable results.
Our Approach
In today’s complex organisational environments genuine connection is a cornerstone of effective leadership. Our coaching and facilitation approach is rooted in helping leaders and organisations unlock their potential by reframing their thinking and strengthening their relationships. We specialise in fostering self-awareness, supporting leaders to navigate critical feedback conversations, and empowering them to connect better with the people they lead. Through a focus on growth, strengths, and meaningful interaction, we help create resilient, high-performing teams and cultures.
Meet Our Lead Coach
Now based in New Zealand, Helen Loveday brings over 25 years of global experience in leadership coaching, team facilitation, and organisational development. Having worked extensively in leadership development in the UK, Middle East, and beyond, Helen has partnered with leaders across diverse industries to drive meaningful change.
She combines her expertise in strengths-based coaching with a deep understanding of cultural and organisational dynamics, ensuring her approach is tailored to the unique needs of each client.
Helen’s passion lies in helping leaders connect with their own potential and that of their teams, creating environments where everyone can thrive.
Want to start a conversation about how we can help with executive coaching and team facilitation in your organisation?
Coaching in Organisations
We can implement an in-house coaching programme for your leaders and managers to enhance career, leadership and personal development.
Team Facilitation
We can work with you to design professional development programmes for your employees, boosting employee engagement, promoting engaged learning and supporting team cohesion.
Individual Coaching
We can also support you as an individual, but outside of your organisational context, with a bespoke 1:1 coaching engagement looking at your professional and personal development. Our key focus is on building trust and rapport with our clients.