Meet Our Experts
Senior practitioners with real-world commercial experience
Trusted By Leading Organisations Worldwide
We’re Practitioners, Not Just Trainers
Our team has worked at the sharp end of business – leading teams, managing clients and delivering results under pressure.
As qualified coaches, EQ specialists and seasoned leaders, we design and deliver programmes grounded in commercial experience and built to solve the challenges your people face every day.
Nicole Soames
Best-selling author and EQ specialist with 25+ years developing high performing individuals and teams.
The Commercial Edge
Nicole founded Diadem with a clear mission to create training that sticks and results that last. She brings 12 years managing large sales teams at Unilever and United Biscuits, followed by more than 20 years crafting and delivering global training programmes.
The Authority
A bestselling author of five business books, Nicole has coached hundreds of individuals – from entry level to middle management to CEOs – to master the Emotional Intelligence skills that drive measurable commercial results.
The Approach
“My mission is simple: to give you practical, EQ-based tools you can use the moment you leave the room, turning a good professional into an elite one.”
Lisa Boyd
Experienced coaching practitioner combining legal expertise with leadership development and behavioural change.
The Commercial Edge
Lisa brings a rare combination of 10+ years of legal expertise, alongside 18+ years of coaching and training experience across a wide variety of organisations including professional services, government, NHS, defence, and elite sport
The Authority
A senior coaching practitioner with the EMCC, Lisa specialises in supporting leaders and teams navigate change, build resilience, and enhance performance through a blend of psychology, neuroscience, and practical coaching techniques.
The Approach
“I believe that true change starts from within – by understanding ourselves better, shifting our mindset, and unlocking our full potential. This empowers us to think differently, make better decisions, and lead with confidence.”
Neil Brettell
Executive level growth and marketing leader with 20+ years’ experience delivering sustainable growth.
The Commercial Edge
Neil brings 20+ years’ experience driving growth across FMCG, marketplaces, pet healthcare and financial services. He has operated at Executive level within Allianz UK, Petplan, MoneySuperMarket and YuMOVE.
The Authority
A fractional CCO, growth advisor and marketing leader, Neil works with CEOs and leadership teams to diagnose growth challenges, sharpen propositions and build marketing, product and commercial capability needed to deliver sustainable growth.
The Approach
“My focus is simple: clarity on where and how to play, alignment on the decisions that matter, and focused cross functional execution to deliver growth.”
Kate Cannon
Commercial coach and leadership specialist with 20+ years developing people and performance.
The Commercial Edge
Kate brings 20+ years of commercial experience primarily in the consumer goods industry combined with 12+ years working as a qualified coach specialising in leadership and people development.
The Authority
Since joining Diadem in 2015, Kate has helped organisations develop confident leaders, strengthen commercial capability and improve performance. She has also recently expanded into data coaching, supporting teams to use data with greater confidence and impact.
The Approach
“Coaching is not a soft skill. Focused, engaged, and motivated individuals drive commercial performance — it’s one of the most impactful investments a business can make.”
Clair Dent
Experienced coach combining 12+ years at Unilever with 15+ years developing leaders and teams.
The Commercial Edge
Clair brings 12+ years of commercial experience at Unilever working across leading brands, before moving into designing and delivering marketing and leadership programmes at Brand Learning for global organisations.
The Authority
A qualified coach for over 15 years, Clair has worked with a wide range of clients since joining Diadem in 2013 – helping individuals and teams build the commercial skills, confidence and resilience needed to perform at their best.
The Approach
“I bring commercial rigour and EQ into everything I do – because in my experience, that combination is what creates meaningful performance change.”
Miranda Hanks
Performance coach with 20+ years’ pharmaceutical sales and learning & development experience.
The Commercial Edge
Miranda brings 20+ years of experience in Sales and Learning & Development within the pharmaceutical sector, including a decade heading up the L&D function at Servier.
The Authority
An experienced performance coach, Miranda specialises in coaching, commercial skills training, leadership and team development. She works with individuals and teams to unlock their full potential through the right support and development.
The Approach
“I believe that self-awareness and emotional intelligence are the bedrock of personal success. My role is to help people develop both so they can unlock their full potential.”
Katy Lewis
Experienced coach with 20+ years in sales, buying and learning & development across blue-chip organisations.
The Commercial Edge
Katy brings 20+ years of learning & development experience, drawing on a background as a sales manager, buyer and training programme manager across several blue-chip companies.
The Authority
As a professionally certified coach, facilitator and assessor, Katy brings a breadth of real-world experience to every programme – helping clients navigate difficult conversations, craft engaging narratives and build stronger commercial capability.
The Approach
“Whether it’s a difficult conversation or a high-stakes pitch, I help people find their voice, build their confidence and deliver with impact.”
James Soames
Growth and marketing capability specialist with 25+ years’ experience leading marketing for global brands.
The Commercial Edge
James brings 25+ years building brands, driving demand and accelerating growth across technology, media and subscription businesses, having led marketing at Sky, Samsung, Motorola and Eutelsat.
The Authority
A fractional CMO, commercial advisor and marketing capability specialist, James helps organisations sharpen their positioning, align people behind a clear direction and create marketing strategies that deliver measurable commercial impact.
The Approach
“I help businesses cut through complexity, clarify their message and get the whole organisation pulling in the same direction — stronger positioning, smarter decisions, and growth that actually sticks.”
Katharine Wijsman
Creative lead with a background in agency and in-house marketing for Investec.
The Commercial Edge
Katharine brings agency-side experience at Burson-Marsteller and in-house expertise at banking group Investec, combining creativity with commercial understanding to communicate the Diadem brand with clarity and impact.
The Authority
Katharine joined Diadem in 2013 and has played a key role in shaping the brand’s voice ever since. As Communications Specialist, she ensures everything Diadem puts into the world — from client-facing content to marketing campaigns — is consistent, compelling and commercially focused.
The Approach
“Great communication isn’t just about clarity — it’s about connection, relevance and impact.”
We’ll Find The Right Skill-Mix For Your Team
Over 20,000 Copies Sold Globally
Master The Skills Of The Modern Professional
Inspiring guides by Nicole Soames, featuring the proven tools and techniques used in every Diadem programme.
“How have I got this far in my career without this training? I truly believe that this will change my performance in the future”
“The time, commitment, passion, expertise and patience shown by Diadem supported our learning and provided a safe environment to work through the observed behaviours and skills”
“Coaching with Diadem has been a revelation. It has taught me that taking time out to understand what makes you and your organisation tick is 90% of the solution to ensuring you get the most out of every situation. The only downside is that the sessions are over way too soon!”
“The coaching techniques have given me the confidence to offer my support and resource to anyone within the commercial function who may need it.”
“I can’t recommend Diadem’s Master Negotiator workshop highly enough – it was the best course I’ve ever been on! The high quality of the training on the day together with the personalised follow-up coaching has helped embed those transferable skills which are invaluable in my job.”
“This programme was really targeted to our business needs and wherever possible was applied to real examples, making it easier to consider how to use these tools and techniques when back in the “real” world!.”
“The Diadem trainers are really inspiring and involved the whole group. I really enjoyed the workshop and the energy they have.”
“Today I had a career defining meeting with the top brass of Virgin Media. Due to the skills acquired through the Diadem Master Negotiator training – the meeting was a breakthrough. In 22 minutes, we achieved a £20m saving.”
“By using one of the STRONG techniques with a client I re-couped the total programme costs for myself and my seven colleagues.”
“Diadem have helped me transform both my content and performance in such a short space of time. They have the knack of spotting areas of improvement and give constructive advice on how to make your presentation memorable. Diadem are insightful, committed, fun and direct. I can’t recommend them and this course highly enough.”
Talk to Us About Your Training Needs
Every business is different. Book your free call today and we’ll explore the training approach that will deliver the greatest impact for your people and business.