Caroline Dunne
Background
Caroline is an Executive Coach and Change Practitioner with over 25 years’ experience working with senior leaders in complex, fast-evolving higher environments. She partners with academic and professional services leaders, including Executive Deans, Heads of School, Directors of central portfolios and services and Faculty Executive Managers, who are navigating sustained pressure, uncertainty and major change.
Caroline’s work is grounded in lived experience. She has held senior executive and advisory roles across universities in the UK and Australia, including serving as Chief of Staff to a Vice-Chancellor at a large, multi-campus institution. From the executive corridor to faculties, schools and central portfolios, Caroline has led and supported large-scale transformation programmes, cultural renewal and the development of internal change leadership capability.
Caroline brings a combination of hard-won, practical strategies and a calm, human approach. She understands the real tensions leaders face… delivering results while protecting people, making difficult decisions without losing sight of values, and staying steady when pressure is high.
Caroline brings rich insights into values-based leadership, ethical decision-making, inclusion and privilege, boundary-spanning collaboration, and the strategic alignment of leadership with organisational purpose. She draws on theory and her lived experience to help leaders engage with complexity, lead with integrity, and drive meaningful, systemic change.
Above all, Caroline believes that leadership is about people. Her coaching and consulting practice is rooted in the belief that when leaders are clear on who they are and what they stand for, they can lead with greater impact, courage, and care.
Working with Caroline Dunne
Caroline was a breath of fresh air as a coach. She acted as a critical friend, held me accountable, and allowed me to explore professional challenges and contexts in a safe, non-judgmental and supportive environment.
I was reaching the end of the first year being in a significantly expanded role and wanting to take a step back to reflect on that first twelve months, consider areas that had gone well, what could be improved, and to think about ways that I could approach the next twelve months as a leader – not only across the University, but crucially in preparing my management team to continue to face the challenges impacting the sector and the University.
I have been able to reflect on my role and purpose as a leader, and as a result of planning some key engagement events with my Management team, I’ve been able to put in place some new approaches and ways of working.
I think the key element for me was taking the time out to reflect. Without the discipline and accountability of some focused sessions, I’m not sure that I would have carved out that time. Being able to work through some practical leadership questions – particularly about my role as a leader – which were very helpful and allowed me to put into practice some new ways of working which have really made an impact.
Caroline is very good at asking the challenging questions, but in a constructive way. I found the follow-up emails with useful notes and actions, and reminders before the next sessions, very helpful in holding me accountable.
Roscoe Hastings, Director of Teaching Excellence & Student Experience, University of Exeter.
Ready to get started?
If you’ve worked with us before or are seeking to understand how we could help you then simply contact us and we can start the process.