People at the heart of everything we do

About Matthew

Matthew Roberts is a visionary CEO and award-winning entrepreneur with over a decade of experience. Specialising in digital and strategic marketing, he harnesses the power of technology to drive business success. He has positioned Actuate as a global leader in elite coaching and mentoring through the innovative use of diagnostic assessments, earning a prestigious nomination for Entrepreneur of the Year at The Parliamentary Business Awards.

Matthew is driven by a passion for coaching and an unwavering commitment to helping individuals and teams excel. His ethos is central to Actuate’s mission: delivering transformative coaching, training solutions, and career development to organisations and individuals worldwide.

Matthew’s dynamic leadership has propelled Actuate to prominence, earning the company numerous accolades, including four consecutive Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards, a 10th place ranking in the Financial Times Top 100, and recognition as the Fastest-Growing E-Commerce Business in the Northwest; Actuate has also been celebrated at the CXA Awards and featured in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100. For Matthew, positive feedback from partners, clients, and employees is the truest mark of success.

Matthew’s impact transcends the corporate world. He is embracing the challenge of running 12 marathons in 12 months to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Brain Tumour Charity, and he actively manages the Weaver Panthers women’s football team. Matthew’s commitment to empowerment and growth resounds in all aspects of his life.

About Dr. Ursula

Dr. Ursula Stroh is a strategy and change consultant and trainer with clients from various sectors, with a strong expertise in the tertiary education sector. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Change Management in complex environments. Ursula’s academic career stretches back thirty-five plus years at several internationally renowned universities and includes extensive academic management experience, such as Head of School at two universities before she ventured full time into industry.

Former roles include being Senior Change Communication Manager for UNSW and Communications Director at GE ANZ. Ursula also worked for IBM in various roles including Internal Communication Manager and speechwriter for the CEO of IBM ANZ, Change Management Consultant, and Executive Communication Manager for leading brand clients such as Qantas and Westpac.

Throughout her industry career, Ursula has been teaching Leadership and Management part-time as Adjunct Faculty in programmes such as the MBA and General Managers’ programs of AGSM, MGSM, and UTS.

Ursula is certified as a Change practitioner, Leadership and Life Coach, Well-being and human behaviour expert, and Yoga instructor.

About Linda

Linda fosters a safe, supportive, and collaborative coaching environment that empowers clients to engage in focused thinking, reflective learning, and even unlearning to achieve their personal and professional goals.

She allows space for clients to introspect and deepen their self-understanding while providing valuable insights from a coach’s standpoint. Through these transformative sessions, clients gain fresh perspectives, master vital self-management skills, and build the confidence to take control of their development, unlocking their true potential.

Drawing from a comprehensive toolkit that includes Integral Theory, the Enneagram (Personality Profiling), Relationship and Systems Thinking, Mind-Body Connection, Leadership Maturity Stages, Dare to Lead™ principles and various Personal Mastery models, Linda facilitates profound shifts in client thinking, behaviour, and actions.

With over nine years of experience and more than 2,500 coaching hours, Linda is an international coach who has supported clients across the globe, from Africa and the Middle East to Europe, India, and the U.S. Her diverse clientele ranges from young adults and mid-level managers to senior executives and those transitioning into retirement.

From our news

• What is a Coaching Culture?

  Read more

About Annmarie

With over 20 years of experience managing a diverse portfolio career, Annmarie has excelled in consultancy, advisory, facilitation, and coaching roles across international and UK-based organisations. Her trusted advisor relationships make her the go-to expert for many on their journeys to success.

Annmarie is renowned for her engaging and highly interactive approach, offering impactful accredited leadership, management, and coaching programmes and a comprehensive suite of continuing professional development courses. She specialises in executive and team coaching, leveraging her vast experience as a board advisor.

Annmarie has coached board members and aspiring leaders across industries, including Education, Healthcare, Consultancy, Medicine & Pathology, Environmental Services, Microbiology, Government, and the NHS. She currently focuses on coaching leaders into board roles and delivering award-winning, results-driven programmes. Annmarie offers clients the professional space to realise their potential and provides clear pathways to success.

Notably, Annmarie collaborated with the National Centre for Excellence in Maths to achieve key government objectives and developed a nationwide “train the trainer” model for NHS Trusts.

From our news

• The Benefits of a Coaching Culture

  Read more

About Ruth

Ruth is a respected authority in corporate governance. As a faculty member at the Corporate Governance Institute and an educator with Duke Corporate Education, she combines academic rigour with practical experience to nurture the future cadre of Non-Executive Directors (NEDs).

As a member of the NED Network Advisory Board, Ruth plays a crucial role in supporting senior executives transitioning into NED roles and keeps seasoned directors informed on the latest boardroom trends. With a rich background spanning multiple industries, Ruth offers clients invaluable guidance on their NED journeys, providing actionable insights into risk management and the development of effective board-level strategies.

A key member of the Secretariat Team at Centrica plc., Ruth draws on extensive experience across domestic and international corporate landscapes. She has delivered essential governance support to directors and boards in catering, oil and gas, private equity, financial services, and energy.

Ruth’s understanding of the qualities that define effective NEDs is enhanced by her dedication to diversity and inclusion. In addition to her professional achievements, Ruth serves as a community-focused trustee and is engaged on the leadership and insights committees at TIDE Taskforce. She holds both a degree and a master’s in law.

From our news

• NED News: Horizon Scanning October 2024

  Read more

• Exploring Power Dynamics in the Boardroom

  Read more

• The Implications, Challenges, and Solutions of Boardroom Bias

  Read more

About Emma

Emma is a distinguished accredited coach with a track record of transforming organisational leadership and management. With extensive experience building internal coaching frameworks, she has successfully implemented impactful programmes that drive leadership excellence and team performance across industries.

Emma’s coaching practice is versatile, engaging professionals at every career stage – from rising leaders to C-suite executives – steering organisations through complex change. Her board and executive-level expertise enables her to work effectively with individuals and teams, fostering growth and resilience in high-stakes environments.

Guided by a philosophy of exploration, Emma customises her coaching to each client’s unique learning style and mindset, using a blend of practical tools and strategies to deliver tangible results. She has a reputation for being “relaxed and supportive, with the capacity to challenge,” pushing clients beyond their comfort zones while remaining empathetic.

Emma is also a recognised Neurodiversity Coaching specialist. She collaborates with organisations, managers, and individuals to unlock the strengths of neurodiversity, promoting inclusive practices that drive professional success. Emma’s commitment to inclusivity and focus on maximising individual potential set her apart as a trusted advisor, guiding clients through their most challenging career moments with care and expertise.

About Emma

Emma brings over 18 years of combined expertise as an ILM 7 certified coach and licensed therapist, delivering impactful, entertaining, and memorable training in her role as Coach & Facilitator at Actuate. Renowned for her dynamic, people-centred approach, she engages participants as equal partners in dialogue, leveraging their diverse perspectives to foster a collaborative learning experience.

Whether coaching pharmaceutical teams at AstraZeneca or creative talents at the National Theatre of Scotland, Emma’s versatility—grounded in her ‘person-centred therapy’ background—ensures she can adapt to any client or industry.

Emma’s mission is to cultivate safe environments where individuals can ease their mental burdens, nurture emotional intelligence and experience transformative lightbulb moments that change perspectives forever. She believes every interaction is a gift and takes pride in guiding learners through unforgettable experiences.

Known for her sharp wit, Emma brings humour to her coaching, believing laughter is essential, even in the toughest conversations. As a stand-up comic who regularly performs and has graced the Edinburgh Festival stage twice, she uses levity to unlock difficult dialogues and foster a sense of joy amidst challenge. In addition, Emma is a mental health campaigner. She has delivered mental health first aid, worked closely with school refusers, and advocated for systemic change in education to improve adult well-being.

Emma’s unique combination of curiosity, honesty, and humour drives her passion for eternal learning. She believes that meaningful transformation starts with open dialogue and recognises that coaches provide unique support and guidance, unavailable elsewhere in life.

About Gwyn

Gwyn is an accomplished Professional Coach, Coach Supervisor, Trainer, Assessor, IQA, and Chartered Management Consultant, combining rich experience from the public, private, charitable, voluntary, and education sectors.

Informed by over 30 years in the Police Service, where he attained the rank of Acting Assistant Chief Constable, Gwyn has held senior academic positions at the University of South Wales and the National Policing Improvement Agency. His distinguished career as an ethical leader allows him to design, develop, and deliver transformative leadership, coaching, and mentoring programmes that enhance organisational performance in the UK and beyond.

Known for his dynamic and innovative approach, Gwyn excels in guiding clients through complex, customer-focused improvement and learning processes. He is dedicated to advancing diversity in leadership development and empowering individuals to unlock their potential through customised personal and professional growth strategies.

Gwyn’s expertise spans Leadership, Coaching Supervision, Executive Coaching, Life Coaching, Workplace Strategy Coaching, Leadership Mentoring, Management Consultancy, Organisational Change, Strategic Management, Learning & Development, Assessment & IQA, Training of Trainers, and Course Design, Delivery & Evaluation.

About Pasquale

Pasquale is an esteemed Executive Coach, Leadership Development Expert, and Consultant with a rich background spanning over three decades. His expertise enfolds Recruitment and Assessment, Organisational Development, Training Needs Analysis, and Team Coaching.

Throughout his career, Pasquale has specialised in empowering leadership teams and nurturing high-performance individuals. Recognised for his remarkable achievements, he has significantly enhanced senior leadership team effectiveness by more than 30% and amplified team engagement levels by over 20%.

Pasquale possesses an exceptional talent for identifying leadership development gaps and formulating tailored strategies to cultivate skills across diverse cohorts. He finds great fulfilment in facilitating pivotal “ah-ha!” moments that enable individuals and teams to unlock their potential.

Pasquale’s impact is profound. His clients consistently report increased clarity in their leadership roles, enhanced decision-making abilities, and a more cohesive team environment. By aligning individual goals with organisational objectives, Pasquale helps professionals drive meaningful change and obtain outstanding results. His strategic approach boosts performance metrics and fosters a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring long-term success.

From our news

• Corporate Development: Trends, Challenges and Solutions

  Read more

About Maria

Nominated as the UK Business Hero 2020 by the British Chamber of Commerce and featured in The Sunday Telegraph and The Times, Maria is an innovative coach distinguished by her unwavering commitment to leadership development. She excels in aligning organisational values with brand identity and thrives in demanding environments. Her expertise manifests in her impactful work across the UK and Europe, advocating for women’s advancement in the workplace.

Recent highlights include:

• Designing and delivering a ‘Leadership Development’ workshop for the EFPIA’s (European Federation of Pharmaceuticals Industry Association) Director General and Senior Team in Brussels, representing the biopharmaceutical industry in Europe.
• Spearheading an online ‘Women Leadership Development’ program and Dialogue Workshops for GSK global pharmaceuticals.
• Facilitating a 2-day workshop for Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising in London.

With over a decade of experience in the corporate energy sector, Maria has implemented successful change and performance management strategies throughout Europe, enhancing operational efficiency and surmounting performance challenges. She excels in diverse settings, serving a broad international clientele. Her dynamic approach and rich expertise position her as a driving force in transformative leadership. Her reputation as a global thought leader underscores her client value.

About Jeremy

Jeremy brings a wealth of expertise as a Board Executive, Board Advisor, and Non-Executive Director across global PLCs and successful start-ups. Leveraging 25+ years of business leadership experience in the UK, Europe, and Asia, he equips clients with cultural and commercial awareness, fostering authentic leadership, innovative thinking, and strategic decision-making skills.

Jeremy challenges clients to think differently, embrace their strengths, and cultivate a mindset that fuels success. He offers tailored techniques, tools, and perspectives that drive significant personal and organisational development. His services include individual and team leadership coaching, executive & career development, group facilitation, and bespoke coaching programmes.

Jeremy’s practical approach is backed by extensive firsthand experience and a strong network of professional connections. Since 2013, he has been a Board/NED and C-suite Career & Performance Coach, working with organisations from Fortune 500 companies to ambitious start-ups. Jeremy also coaches individuals, including CEOs, Board members, aspiring executives, and prominent personalities.

A self-described “positive maverick,” Jeremy is dedicated to revolutionising how leaders and organisations manage relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and communities. He champions accountability, governance and environmental responsibility.

About Abdulkader

Abdulkader has over 40 years of diversified financial services experience in Kuwait, Bahrain, New York, London, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. He has extensive experience with financial start-ups. He teaches finance at IE Business School (Madrid)

As the general manager of a foreign bank branch in New York, he was responsible for securing the first US banking regulatory approvals of alternative financial instruments for mortgaging and installment sales as banking instruments as well as insured profit sharing deposits. Abdulkader worked on two securitization projects with Freddie Mac for alternative home finance products.

Along with his team at SHAPE^®, Abdulkader works on projects that include launching de novo banks, financial sector start-ups, and, increasingly, technology sector start-ups (FinTech and EnviroTech). Clients include a diversified universe of financial institutions and technology players from North America, the MENA region, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.

He is the co-author of Structuring Islamic Finance Transactions (Euromoney 2005), Islamic Bonds (Euromoney 2004), Sukuk (Sweet & Maxwell 2009), and Managing Funds Flow Risks and Derivatives: Applications in Islamic Institutions (Sweet & Maxwell 2012) and Housing the Nation (Cagamas 2013).

Abdulkader has has acted as a member of the international advisory board of the Securities Commission of Malaysia. He chairs the Advisory Committee of Experts at The Alternative Bank (Nigeria) and London based FinTech, Algbra. He served as an independent director of Alkhabeer Capital in Jeddah. At Alkhabeer, he chaired subsidiaries in Bahrain and the Dubai International Financial Centre, served on the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, and Audit Committee (which he chaired twice during his tenure). Abdulkader now chairs Alkhabeer’s Board Risk Committee. He was previously a non-executive director of Strategic Ratings (London).

About Shabnam

Shabnam has over 18 years of experience in financial services. Currently, she spearheads research and development activities at SHAPE^®. Some of the projects that she managed include:

• Credit Guarantee Scheme delivered by a Scandinavian development fund in Somalia.
• Research on Social Underwriting.
• Research and support for a bankruptcy case in the US and a criminal case in Canada related to a financial service providers.
• Product development for a multilateral development bank’s trade finance arm in GCC.
• Analysis of a revenue based financing platform in Australia.
• Analysis of ETFs and structured products for GCC hedge fund manager.
• Review and enhancement of Fatwa on Carbon Trading for a London based global energy trading firm.

Besides analysis to develop novel financing products in different markets, Shabnam also manages strategic and business plan formulation for launching of Islamic businesses. She also structures and delivers customized trainings for clients covering full spectrum of financing activities. Training footprint covers banking, capital markets, product risk profiles, front line training and financial reporting for clients in ASEAN, GCC, Africa, US and Europe. With a global clientele experience, Shabnam brings implementation knowledge taking into account the business context, regulation and market views.

Shabnam was appointed as the Securities Commission – Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Islamic Finance Visiting Fellow for 2021/2022. She is interested in multi-disciplinary research especially in the area of impact investing, sustainability, innovation and technology. At Oxford, she focused on Blue Economy, Impact Investing and lessons for Islamic Finance.

Formerly, she was heading the capital markets research for the International Shariah Research Academy (ISRA). Her focus area was case study based research projects in the Sukuk market. Her prior positions include adjunct professor of finance at both DePaul University (Chicago) and IE Business School (Madrid) as well as lecturer of accounting, finance and bank management at University Putra Malaysia. Shabnam was also recently appointed to the AAOIFI Examination Review Committee.

About Sue

Sue Turner OBE is an accomplished Non-Executive Director and pioneer in the field of AI governance. As the AI facilitator at Actuate, she combines decades of expertise with cutting-edge insights into artificial intelligence, empowering executives and boards to navigate the evolving corporate governance landscape.

Sue’s leadership journey began when she became the youngest Regional Director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in the South West. Later, her tenure as Director of Communications for The Bristol Port Company and CEO of Quartet Community Foundation cemented her C-suite expertise. Informed by roles across financial services, logistics, and charities, Sue is celebrated for her ability to integrate AI and data science with governance, driving innovation while ensuring ethical leadership.

As the founding director of AI Governance Limited and armed with an MSc in AI and Data Science, Sue now advises businesses, policymakers and executives on the responsible use of AI, providing practical guidance that helps organisations harness technology without compromising governance frameworks. Her global work includes advising on harmonising AI governance and serving as one of the first certified AI systems auditors. An internationally recognised thought leader, Sue has also delivered keynote speeches on topics such as the realities of AI and the intersection of philanthropy and technology.

In recognition of her commitment to social justice, Sue was awarded an OBE in 2021. Her passion for social impact, diversity, and inclusion is reflected in her multiple NED and Chair roles, where she has increased diversity and guided organisations through transformational growth. Excelling at the intersection of AI and governance, Sue empowers leaders to make forward-thinking decisions, ensuring they can leverage emerging technologies for long-term success.