About Us
...and meet our team
Pinch Performance was born from a simple but bold question: what if learning was fun, energetic, deeply human, and grounded in real science? The company blends behavioural psychology, learning science, and coaching excellence to create learning experiences that transform performance without the boring bits. At its heart is a genuine passion for helping people grow, blending energy, empathy, and evidence to build capability that actually sticks.
This ethos is captured in Pinch's five "SPARKS" values: Science (everything grounded in evidence), Performance (results that matter), Ask/Curiosity (asking better questions), Renewal (putting humans before outputs), Kindness (strength with softness), and Spirit (making learning feel good). Together, these principles reflect a belief that people perform best when learning feels human, energising, and real - and that's the standard behind everything Pinch Performance delivers.
We're all about people, so scroll down to meet our amazing team!
Specialisms
Learning Science • Behavioural Change • Human-Centred Experience Design
Graham is the creative engine, learning scientist, and all-round spark plug behind PINCH Performance. With a career grounded in learning design, behavioural psychology, and performance transformation, Graham brings a rare combination of intellectual depth, strategic clarity, and unstoppable enthusiasm for helping people grow. A lifelong educator with a Master of Education, Graham has spent decades designing learning experiences that actually work - fun, practical, brain-friendly, and built for real world behaviour change. He is obsessed (in the best way) with how humans learn, how teams think, and how leaders transform. His approach blends academic rigour with creativity, humour, and a generosity of spirit that makes every interaction feel energising. Graham is known for his ability to turn complex theory into clear, usable, memorable tools that stick. Whether he’s designing a leadership curriculum, coaching senior executives, or building an immersive learning simulation, he does it with passion, precision, and a people-first mindset. But Graham’s expertise isn’t just academic - it’s forged in the fire of real, high-performance environments. As a former young professional footballer, he learned early what elite performance, discipline, and teamwork truly feel like. His coaching career spans from working with the England U15 Fencing Squad to delivering co-created counter terrorising learning with the Metropolitan Police, designing community programmes for the Johannesburg City Council at the end of apartheid, and leading team-building with the South African national football team. Graham has also held major roles in world-famous organisations, including Arsenal Football Club, Amazon, and more recently Co-Chair of BeMindful/Learning Business Partner at KPMG. Each experience sharpened his ability to grow people in complex, high-pressure environments. Away from the classroom and boardroom, Graham’s passions are rooted deeply in family, community, and connection. A devoted father to his extraordinary five-year-old son, he brings the same love, curiosity, and enthusiasm for learning to parenting as he does to his professional life. Graham is also a lifelong supporter of Huddersfield Town AFC, carrying the heart, humour, and loyalty of a true Terriers fan into everything he does. He is passionately committed to empowering the next generation - particularly young women from low socio-economic backgrounds in the North of England, and is building a start-up dedicated to opening doors, expanding opportunities, and elevating voices that deserve to be heard. As Co-Founder of PINCH Performance, Graham is the architect of the organisation’s methodology embedding learning science, behavioural intelligence, psychological safety, and AI-enabled capability into powerful experiences that shift how people show up at work and in life. His facilitation style is equal parts warmth, wit, and wisdom. Graham brings a calming presence paired with contagious curiosity; he makes people feel safe enough to stretch, reflective enough to grow, and confident enough to lead with more humanity. Leaders trust him. Teams adore him. Participants remember him. At PINCH Performance, Graham is the strategic mind and beating heart behind the brand: always learning, always designing, always championing the human side of performance. His mission: Make learning unforgettable, leadership more human, and growth accessible to every person, every day.
Specialisms
Kindness in Leadership • Behavioural Intelligence • Value Creation
Mark brings the perfect blend of big energy, deep heart, and sharp commercial thinking to every room he walks into. A visionary founder, strategist, and champion of human-centred leadership, Mark is redefining what it means to lead in the modern world - one powerful act of Kindness at a time. With senior leadership experience across multiple Fortune and FTSE 100 organisations, Mark has spent his career proving that kindness isn’t “soft” it’s strategic, scalable, and commercially smart. He combines emotional acuity with business rigour to help executives unlock performance, strengthen culture, and lead with authenticity. Mark holds both an M.Ed. and an M.A., is a proud member of the Worshipful Company of Management Consultants, and a Liveryman of London. His passion for elevating leadership behaviours led him to create the Global Kindness Institute, a forward-thinking leadership “think tank” helping organisations build relational intelligence, trust, and evidence-based high performance. A published author of Kindness in Leadership, Mark is also a lively podcaster and soughtafter keynote speaker known for his warmth, humour, and high-energy delivery. Whether he’s speaking to a boardroom or a ballroom, he inspires leaders to be braver, kinder, and more human because that’s where real value creation begins. At PINCH Performance, Mark brings his trademark enthusiasm, curiosity, and positive momentum to empower people potential at every level. His mission: Transform leadership through behaviour, kindness, and a whole lot of passion.
Specialisms
Matrix Organisations • Culture & Engagement • Team Performance
Heather is the kind of leadership and talent development specialist people never forget - warm, wise, high-energy, deeply human, and relentlessly committed to helping others thrive. With over 30 years of global experience, particularly across Professional and Financial Services, Heather brings a rare blend of practicality, empathy, and sharp organisational insight. Heather is a true expert in culture, engagement, organisational change, and performance, but it’s her ability to make people feel seen, supported, and capable that sets her apart. Whether she’s coaching a senior leader, guiding a team through complex dynamics, or facilitating a room full of emerging talent, Heather creates an environment where learning feels safe, energising, and genuinely transformative. Her work centres on elevating self-awareness, trust, and relationship intelligence, helping leaders understand how everyday behaviours drive collaboration, results, and well-being. She has a powerful knack for navigating matrix organisations, untangling complexity with a calm hand and a clear head always with a smile and a healthy dose of humour. With dual British and Australian citizenship, Heather brings a global mindset, cultural adaptability, and a warm, thoughtful approach that makes people instantly comfortable. She’s equal parts strategic and human, blending strong evidence-based practice with an easy, engaging style that leaders love. At PINCH Performance, Heather channels her passion, insight, and infectious positivity into helping organisations build stronger teams, healthier cultures, and leaders who bring out the best in others. Her mission: Make work more human, more connected, and a whole lot more joyful.
Specialisms
Cultural Intelligence • Strategic Foresight • Complex Decision-Making
Ravi is a founder of an independent consultancy specialising in leadership development, coaching, facilitation, and cultural intelligence. With more than two decades of international experience, he helps leaders and organisations navigate complexity with greater clarity, strengthen relationships, and turn reflection into meaningful action. His work is grounded in the belief that people perform at their best when they understand themselves, value diverse perspectives, and connect their work to a shared purpose. Known for his calm presence, thoughtful insight, and ability to simplify complexity, Ravi creates environments where honest conversations lead to practical outcomes. Whether coaching senior leaders, facilitating teams, or supporting organisational development, he helps people build trust, improve decision-making, and lead with confidence. His approach combines strategic thinking with deep curiosity, empowering individuals and teams to adapt, collaborate, and thrive in changing environments. Ravi’s expertise has been shaped by a truly global career. Having lived and worked across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and travelled to more than 100 countries, he brings a rich understanding of culture, communication, and human behaviour. His early career in the airline industry developed his appreciation for service, emotional intelligence, and the importance of trust and adaptability in high-pressure environments. Today, he draws on those experiences to help organisations build inclusive cultures and stronger leadership capability. A lifelong learner, Ravi holds a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence and is an ICF accredited programme and working towards ACC, certified TetraMap® facilitator, and conflict resolution coach. His personal pursuits including trekking to Everest Base Camp, nearly three decades as a PADI-certified scuba diver, and experience as a certified personal trainer reflect his belief that resilience, preparation, and self-awareness are fundamental to effective leadership. At PINCH Performance, Ravi helps leaders and teams strengthen trust, navigate uncertainty, and unlock their full potential. His mission is to help people recognise what matters most, lead with greater clarity and purpose, and create workplaces where both people and performance flourish.
Specialisms
Chair & Board Advisor • Cyber Security & Privacy • Accounting & Consultancy
Caroline is a rare force in the world of cyber, technology, and organisational leadership: insightful, bold, deeply credible and refreshingly human. With over 25 years working at the front lines of global consulting, life sciences, and healthcare, Caroline brings world-class expertise wrapped in warmth, curiosity, and an unmistakably vibrant energy. Caroline has served in senior leadership roles at KPMG and EY across London, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, guiding some of the world’s most respected organisations from global pharma giants to cutting-edge research institutions through complex cyber, privacy, and risk challenges. Most recently, she led KPMG’s global cyber security and privacy team for life sciences, helping clients strengthen trust, resilience, and security in rapidly shifting environments. A highly respected Board Member at NHS Sussex and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and advisor to several cyber security organisations, Caroline combines strategic depth with approachable clarity. She’s particularly passionate about increasing the representation of women in cyber and technology paving pathways, lifting others up, and challenging the status quo with a smile. Caroline’s journey isn’t just defined by boardrooms and global clients. She is also an entrepreneur at heart, having co-founded and successfully exited a business built around innovative risk ranking for life insurance applicants. Her blend of business acumen, technical intelligence, and people-first thinking makes her an invaluable guide for organisations navigating complexity. When she’s not shaping the future of security or advising leadership teams, you’ll find Caroline exploring new corners of the world, studying Japanese, or cheering (loudly) for Brighton & Hove Albion. She brings all of that curiosity, personality, and global perspective into her work with PINCH Performance. At PINCH Performance, Caroline is the steady, sharp, compassionate voice leaders trust when facing ambiguity, big decisions, and rapid transformation. Her mission: Help organisations stay secure, stay human, and stay ready for the future.
Specialisms
Risk Advice • Technology Transformation • Talent Development
Deepak believes one thing above all: you’re nothing without your people. For more than 30 years, he has lived and breathed that philosophy leading global teams, transforming organisations, and inspiring leaders to create environments where people genuinely want to show up, contribute, and grow. With a career spanning major consulting firms and industry leadership roles, Deepak has led teams of over 3,000 people across continents, cultures, and complex business environments. His track record is exceptional: motivated teams, high performance, and cultures built on trust, energy, and genuine care. Deepak’s leadership philosophy is refreshingly simple and unmistakably powerful: Be Big. Be Positive. Be Fun. Add Love. When leaders bring optimism, enthusiasm, and humanity to the table, people flourish and organisations do too. A seasoned expert in risk advisory, technology transformation, and talent development, Deepak blends strategic clarity with an infectious spirit that lifts people’s confidence and capability. He helps leaders understand that the real transformation begins not with a system or a strategy, but with how they inspire, support, and connect with their people every day. Deepak’s facilitation style is bold, warm, and full of life. He brings joy into leadership development because he knows that when people feel energised, they learn faster, perform better, and build stronger bonds. At PINCH Performance, Deepak channels his passion, humour, and high-impact leadership experience into helping organisations build teams that are motivated, resilient, and genuinely happy to be part of the journey. His mission: Equip leaders to bring out the best in people because when humans thrive, performance follows.
Specialisms
Neurodiversity • TEDx Speaker • Poetry in Business
Kate is the Founder of Next Step HR and a leadership coach, poet, and neurodiversity specialist who helps individuals and organisations unlock new ways of thinking, leading, and creating. Following a 25-year career as an HR Director across the engineering, science, and education sectors, Kate established her own business to combine executive coaching with her passion for creativity, human potential, and transformational learning. Known for her ability to bridge science and creativity, Kate brings a rare combination of analytical rigour, emotional intelligence, and artistic expression to her work. A qualified scientist with a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Manchester, where she discovered a new species of filmy fern, she combines evidence-based thinking with deep curiosity about how people learn, grow, and thrive. Her coaching and facilitation create space for leaders and teams to think differently, embrace complexity, and unlock fresh perspectives. Kate’s expertise is shaped by both professional achievement and personal discovery. Following her own neurodivergence diagnosis, she published her first poetry collection, Un/Broken, and began exploring the intersection of neurodiversity, creativity, and leadership. Today, she is a sought-after neurodiversity coach, TEDx speaker, spoken word artist, and founder of the pioneering Poetry in Business Conference. Her work challenges conventional thinking, helping organisations harness diverse perspectives to drive innovation, inclusion, and human-centred leadership in an increasingly AI-enabled world. Beyond her professional work, Kate is passionate about creating environments where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique strengths. Her poetry, shaped by her experiences of neurodivergence and aphantasia, has been widely published and provides a powerful platform for reflection, connection, and change. At Pinch, Kate combines executive coaching, neuroscience, creativity, and poetry to create transformative experiences for leaders and teams. Her mission is to help organisations unlock the power of diverse thinking, inspire more human leadership, and create cultures where innovation and belonging can flourish together.
Specialisms
Visionary Entrepreneur • Board Advisor • Leadership & Growth Strategist
Paul is the kind of leader who walks into a room and instantly lifts it with big energy, clear vision, sharp commercial instincts, and a genuinely uplifting presence. With over 35 years of experience transforming organisations, aligning executive teams, and accelerating growth, Paul has become a trusted advisor to boards, CEOs, and senior leaders across a wide range of industries. A seasoned entrepreneur and Board Member, Paul specialises in sustainable growth, recurring revenue strategy, cultural transformation, and executive alignment. His leadership style is confident yet deeply collaborative: he listens hard, challenges thoughtfully, and helps teams see possibility where they once saw problems. Paul is known for his trademark “Challenge & Review” approach an empowering methodology that creates clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement. He has a rare talent for identifying what’s already working within a business and amplifying it through Strength Based Development, reigniting momentum and inspiring people to perform at their best. Having partnered with both family-owned enterprises and large corporates, Paul adapts his style to every environment. Whether he’s coaching a CEO, facilitating a senior team, or mapping out a growth strategy, he brings structure, strategic focus, and an entrepreneurial spark that leaders trust. Paul’s career is enriched by a diverse personal journey: once a professional athlete, and still a private pilot, and a multi-business owner, he brings discipline, precision, and resilience into everything he does. And with a daughter completing a PhD in Psychology, he’s no stranger to deep thinking or deep pride. His passion for Rugby Union is legendary, and as a dedicated supporter of Sale Sharks (and sponsor of both the club and an England international), his competitive spirit shines both on and off the field. Balancing his time between London, Norfolk, and Manchester, Paul embodies a powerful mix of ambition, warmth, and optimism. He’s the leader who inspires smiles, sparks ideas, and helps organisations see and seize their full potential. At PINCH Performance, Paul brings his visionary thinking, infectious enthusiasm, and elite leadership expertise to help teams create enduring value and lasting cultural impact. His mission: Ignite growth, build confident leaders, and shape cultures where people and performance thrive together.
Specialisms
Operational Excellence • Learning Design & Quality • Human-Centred Development
Anthony Hudson is the definition of a lifelong people developer curious, committed, full of heart, and bursting with the kind of practical wisdom that only three decades on the front lines can teach you. With over 34 years of experience at London Underground, Anthony has shaped the skills, confidence, and careers of thousands of people always with energy, humanity, and unwavering standards. Anthony’s journey spans a remarkable range of roles: Train Operator, Operational Training Delivery, Training Manager for the Victoria Line Upgrade, Training Design Manager, and Head of the London Underground NVQ Centre. If there’s a place where operational reality meets human growth, Anthony has been there training it, designing it, improving it, or leading it. What makes Anthony special is his constructive scrutiny a rare blend of high expectations, deep empathy, and genuine care. He knows how to raise performance without raising pressure, helping organisations develop people in ways that are structured, supportive, and sustainable. His approach is always human-first: clarity, safety, quality, and confidence. Currently part of the Keolis Amey DLR project team, Anthony plays a key role in introducing the new B23 rolling stock bringing his trademark discipline, detail, and commitment to excellence to a major operational transformation. His expertise spans coaching, quality assurance, behavioural development, and accredited training. With qualifications across Life Coaching, External & Internal Quality Assurance, Assessment, Safeguarding, and Mental Health, Anthony brings a holistic understanding of human capability technical AND emotional. And then there’s the Arsenal chapter. For 18 years, Anthony worked with the club’s matchday operations, progressing from Steward to Internal Quality Assurer, shaping training in customer service, conflict management, and safety. Now? He gets to watch Arsenal play something he says feels like a reward for all those years on the job! Anthony also brings the energy of a former athlete and committed cyclist, infusing every learning session with motivation, movement, and momentum. At PINCH Performance, Anthony is the calm, wise, quietly powerful engine of operational and learning excellence. He ensures that every program is safe, smart, structured and deeply human. His mission: Build confident people, safe systems, and workplaces where learning is practical, purposeful, and full of possibility.
Specialisms
Leadership & Management Development • High-Impact Facilitation • Emotional Intelligence Coaching
Tom is the kind of facilitator and coach who can walk into any room—from the front line to the boardroom—and instantly light it up. With more than 22 years of practical, hands-on experience across every imaginable sector, Tom brings a powerful combination of energy, empathy, and expertise to help people perform at their very best. Tom has worked with thousands of individuals (over 9,000 and counting) across housing,policing, healthcare, finance, retail, distribution, manufacturing, charities, sales, and even prison release programs. Whatever the environment, Tom has seen it, understood it, and helped people thrive within it. What makes Tom exceptional is his ability to uncover the skills, attitudes, and beliefs that drive performance—and transform them through learning experiences that are fun, meaningful, and genuinely life-changing. He doesn’t do theory for theory’s sake; he delivers simple, powerful, memorable tools that people can use immediately. A master of leadership development, team performance, communication, rapport-building, coaching, mentoring, customer relationships, and sales skills, Tom specialises in creating interventions that stick. He draws on a deep toolkit of behavioural science, Emotional Intelligence strategies, and profiling methodologies to help people understand themselves, connect with others, and perform at a higher level. Tom is equally at home facilitating an intimate coaching session or energising a crowd of 500 people—his natural warmth, humour, and grounded presence make him a truly magnetic educator. In addition to his facilitation and coaching credentials, Tom is a qualified ILM Centre, delivering Levels 3, 5, and 7, and has built a reputation for developing leaders who are confident, capable, and authentically human. At PINCH Performance, Tom brings his trademark blend of positivity, practicality, and playfulness—helping organisations build high-performing teams, confident leaders, and workplace cultures that bring out the best in everyone. His mission: Empower people with the skills and self-belief to perform brilliantly—today, tomorrow, and every day after.
Specialisms
Building Client Relationship, Unlocking Commercial Growth, Hands On Partnerships
Paul is the Founder of Utkoma and a commercial growth specialist with more than two decades of experience across facilities management, events, hospitality, and leisure. Since launching Utkoma in 2020, he has helped businesses access senior-level sales, marketing, and commercial expertise on a flexible basis, acting as an embedded partner for organisations that need strategic capability without the commitment of a full-time executive. Known for his pragmatic approach, commercial acumen, and ability to build strong client relationships, Paul combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery. He works closely with business leaders to identify growth opportunities, strengthen commercial performance, and create practical solutions that deliver measurable results. His style is collaborative, straightforward, and focused on sustainable success. Paul’s expertise has been shaped by a career spent operating in complex, fast-paced environments. Before founding Utkoma, he held Sales, Brand, and Commercial Director positions at Live Company Group plc, where he partnered with globally recognised brands including Nickelodeon, Hasbro, and Penguin Ventures to deliver large-scale live events and exhibitions. Earlier in his career, he spent six years with Compass Group and OCS Group, leading successful bids for major clients including Chelsea FC, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Wimbledon. His career has consistently bridged commercial strategy and operational excellence, from managing a large David Lloyd health club with over 5,000 members and 120 staff to overseeing accounts across major sporting venues and events. This breadth of experience enables Paul to bring both strategic insight and practical execution to every engagement. At Pinch, Paul’s mission is simple: help ambitious businesses unlock growth, strengthen commercial performance, and achieve lasting success through expert, hands-on partnership.