About | Paulette Cohen

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Background

My experience

I have over 30 years' experience working in leadership roles in the private & not-for-profit sectors, & have been an active member on multiple Boards. I have led teams, large & small, global & regional. My specialist knowledge includes:

diversity, equity & inclusion across all agendas, with a deeper focus on mental health, disability, & social mobility
community investment to drive social change, in particular around youth employment; women's empowerment, and environmental change
the development of leaders committed to building a better society
campaigning & communications for social change.

My approach

I am collaborative, empathetic, & straight forward, insightful in supporting clients - both individuals & organisations - to see the wood from the trees, partnering with them to achieve quick wins & long term change.

As a qualified Executive Coach, I am passionate about the power of executive coaching & its ability to help established & aspiring leaders find solutions from within - I create a safe space for people to explore their challenges & unlock solutions themselves.

I believe in the power of story-telling to build awareness and understanding, & the engagement of allies to drive actions that lead to change.

My 'official' biography

I am a qualified Executive Coach & an experienced Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leader focused on all diversity pillars, including gender, ethnicity, disability, LGBT+, age, & socio-economic background, with a deeper focus on disability, mental health & social mobility, recognising the impact of intersectionality. I have a track record for developing & delivering global strategies as catalysts for long-term social change - driving an inclusive culture & diverse, engaged workforce, & delivering transformative global corporate/charity partnerships. I have a passion for measuring & reporting impact, publishing the inaugural Barclays D&I Annual Report, with granular data for key characteristics.

As Head of DEI, I led some impactful initiatives including: targeted inclusion interventions; the power of allies to drive culture change; the value of working flexibly. I championed the global roll-out of This is Me, Barclays campaign on disability, mental health & wellbeing, to over >400 companies.

Before moving into DEI, I was Director of Global Programmes, driving Barclays’ flagship community investment partnerships across 13 countries. Aimed at long-term social change & shared value for business & society, the focus was financial inclusion, women’s economic empowerment & youth employability. Banking on Change was the first collaboration between a global bank & INGO's to successfully link informal savings groups to formal banking.

But most of my career has been in charities: for 6 years I was Deputy CEO of Windsor Leadership running programmes for senior leaders across public, private and not-for-profit sectors, combining their power to achieve social change. Previously, I led Communications at Save the Children UK, VSO & The Conservation Volunteers, & chaired the Global Communications Group for the International Save the Children Alliance.

An experienced Board Trustee, I influence strategy, advise leadership, & support recruitment & succession planning at executive & non-executive level. From 2018, I co-chaired the This is Me steering Committee & have sat on the Business Disability Forum Board for six years, currently chair of the People Committee. Other Trustee roles include: Lord Mayor’s Appeal, International Broadcasting Trust, Conservation Volunteers & TreeAid.

In January 2023, I set up a consultancy focused on supporting leaders & organisations on their journeys to be more inclusive & achieve social change. I achieved the Professional Certificate for Executive Coaching at Henley Business School in June. In 2022, I received an MBE for services to DEI & business, but the true credit goes to the talented teams from which I’ve had the privilege to learn so much.