Leadership Partner With Over 30 Years’ Experience

“I work with leaders to help them inspire, engage and motivate people to be their best through the power of open conversation.”

Collaborative Leadership
Built on the Power of Conversations

Co-create cultures of care and connection.

Anni Townend is a leadership partner, coach, and mentor to executive teams and senior leaders, as well as being an author, facilitator, entrepreneur, and podcast host of Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend.

With more than 30 years’ experience, Anni has built a formidable reputation of unlocking leadership confidence, capability, and performance in organisations across various markets. She has written extensively on the topics of assertiveness and diversity in the workplace.

Anni believes in the power of open conversation and is known for incorporating the concept of ‘Walk and Talk’ throughout her work - in-person and virtually - with individuals, teams, and large groups in organisations. She helps create a safe environment in which people feel seen, heard, and understood and are able to have the conversations that matter to them.

Services

Find out more about the executive leader partnerships Anni offers.

Individual Executive Development

Executive Team Leadership Development

Wider Organisational Leadership Development

I'm delighted to announce that Lucy Kidd and will be taking part in the d&i Leaders Global Forum again this year 21 & 22 May in London.

Join us there to hear from 35 global speakers from organisations including Uber, Expedia, LEGO, Reckitt, Walt Disney, The Body Shop, Vodafone and Microsoft as they share their experience of leading for inclusion, diversity and equity.

Nature, connection, and shared experiences can have a profound effect on wellbeing, confidence, and leadership - giving you the space to think freely. Walking Partnerships™ is a new collaboration between Anni Townend, Lucy Kidd, and Natalie Shering, blossoming from a shared love of meaningful conversation and walking in nature.

Anni is co-creator of the Collaboration Equation™ with Lucy Kidd - a leadership framework that helps senior leaders and their teams harness the power of human leadership. It creates a safe environment wherein inclusive dialogue and diversity of thought flourish which leads to, and drives, collaborative edge.

Anni is the host of Leaders in Conversation with Anni Townend™, a podcast in which leaders share their personal leadership stories. Leaders in Conversation gives you an intimate glimpse into the real lives of business leaders. You can listen to the latest episode here.

Client Testimonials | Anni Townend

Feedback from Clients

“What sets Anni apart is not just her knowledge, but the dynamic and engaging way she imparts it. Her energy is infectious, making her adept at connecting with groups of any size. Remarkably, she does so with humility, kindness, and genuine care. Anni is not just a leader herself; she is an expert in developing others. Her commitment to cultivating leadership skills in individuals is truly commendable.

I am writing this appreciation review for Anni with utmost enthusiasm, having experienced several leadership sessions facilitated by her across various staff groups within our organisation.

If you are seeking a guide who combines expertise with genuine care for your leadership journey, Anni Townend is an exceptional choice.”

-Mitchell James, Head of Learning, Development and Quality Assurance, HM Inspectorate of Probation

Feedback from Clients

'Can I just say how much I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I’ve had plenty of feedback from people saying what a positive impact it has had on them. Even this morning one person said, ‘That type of thing I usually avoid but once I started talking it had quite a massive effect on me.’

From a personal point of view, it has given me a vocabulary and a process in which I can discuss leadership and development in a much more accessible way. I used to come out in a rash when I heard the word ‘strategic’ but now have a framework with Future Engage Deliver that demystifies all of that.”

-Martin Cunningham, HM Inspector

Feedback from Clients

“Anni has a great intellectual and emotional capacity. Our time together has helped me express and interrogate what is important and meaningful to me. Much of what I already knew about myself is now better articulated and our interactions have also inspired me and helped me to focus on thought leadership and finding appropriate means of extending my influence. Conversation is a valuable art.”

-Guy McQueen, Director

Feedback from Clients

“Anni has recently supported me as a coach in my transition to 2 new roles – one as a Director and another into a new organisation. She has listened with curiosity and supported me to identify the things to work on that have enhanced my impact and confidence as a leader. I have really valued Anni’s insights into our relationships at work– exploring how we build and deepen our relationships to open out opportunities across our teams and those that we work with every day to create new possibilities – it is so powerful. I have appreciated the time with Anni to create space to think about my own leadership journey that continues.”

-Sara Ace, HR Director for CFO, SOLS and Central Partnering Team HM Revenue and Customs

Feedback from Clients

“Thank you again for this morning’s session – and for leading the whole programme. It has been another great success! I appreciate your honesty and transparency throughout – it sets the scene for deep, honest conversations. Each workshop has been a joy to attend and has given us all an opportunity to connect with each other.”

-Debra Russell, Group HR Director, Bluefield Services

Feedback from Clients

“Anni and I met on the Marketing Leaders Programme. I instantly warmed to her kindness, calmness, and credibility as a facilitator. This was the start of a two year coaching relationship with Anni. I set out on this journey feeling a little lost in my leadership. Throughout the following two years, Anni helped me find out more about myself, where my strengths lie, and ultimately to focus on what direction I wanted to go in. Initially, the coaching conversations were in person and then, when the pandemic arrived, we switched to virtual walk & talks.”

-Iain Agnew, Head of Marketing Permissions Strategy, NatWest

Feedback from Clients

“Thank you, Anni Townend, for an inspiring series on Leadership. I really enjoyed our energising and engaging sessions, and love that we've taken away so many tools to use in the future with a common language to discuss leadership challenges. Thank you!”

-Jenny Dickson, Partner and Chair Morton Fraser

Feedback from Clients

“Thanks for all your work with us over the past months - your course was easily the best leadership course I have been on over the years - and that's down to how engaging you are. I also think the timing was perfect in terms of coming out of Covid. Thank you”

-Amy Entwistle, Scottish Commercial Property Expert, Morton Fraser

Feedback from Clients

“Anni has been working with my senior leadership team over the last nine months as we have built a new team, grown our collective leadership, and matured our shared vision and priorities. Her sensitive, inquisitive, but also very dynamic, approach has really helped the team to grow our relationships and trust, and the group coaching is always a priority for us all. I am very grateful to have found a coach that aligns so well to our core values of openness, honesty, integrity, and kindness.”

-Director Senior Civil Service

Feedback from Clients

“I was very fortunate to be on Anni’s cohort of Wood Mackenzie’s Future-Engage-Deliver Leadership workshops in 2017. Anni led by example in a clear way as she coached our group of senior leaders through the FED program. She impressed me as a walking demonstration of authentic leadership herself. She has a very warm, welcoming, and genuine approach.”

- Hind Farag, Energy Advisory & Analytics Leader

Feedback from Clients

“Anni has been helping and supporting Wood Mackenzie over the last year as we develop our leadership skills across our entire organisation. She has successfully led a series of workshops as we seek to enrol people to reach their leadership potential. Anni helped us articulate the desired future state of our business and used various tools and techniques to effectively engage our people on the journey so that we can successfully deliver. The feedback has been universally positive, with colleagues feeling motivated and inspired to become the leaders we all know and want them to be.”

- Neal Anderson, Former President, Wood Mackenzie

Feedback from Clients

“I have been collaborating with Anni to shape and design leadership and culture interventions which support and drive organisational ambitions for about five years now. Each time the results have been very positive and have surpassed my expectations (and the organisations’) around what was possible to achieve. On a personal level, working with Anni is a truly engaging, insightful, positively challenging and thoroughly fun process.

Anni is my ‘go to’ expert for all matters leadership and culture, and I recommend her to everyone who wants to get leaders working better together to achieve the very best results for their organisation.”

- Martin Glover, HR Director, Morton Fraser LLP

Feedback from Clients

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Anni on our HO/SO event. She was an excellent facilitator and I learned so much from her style and approach which worked so well with our people. We got great feedback from the events we had and we have already started the next steps in embedding and growing our learning.”

-Kathleen McGowan, Senior Delivery Manager, PT Operation

Feedback from Clients

“Anni’s support has helped us to develop the skills to build even stronger and more collaborative teams that have translated into stronger business performance.”

-Mel Walker, Biotech and Digital Health Advisor | Senior BioPharma Leader

Leading with Curiosity, Care & Courage

In this short clip, Anni Townend and Lucy Kidd are in conversation with Roberto Funari, CEO of Alpargatas South America. Here, they discuss Radical Candor, by Kim Scott, and how to combine the ability to challenge directly and show genuine care and consideration.

The Marketing Leaders Programme 20th Anniversary | Anni Townend

Anni shares her experience of The Marketing Leaders Programme.

The Marketing Leaders Programme (MLP) brought to you by The Marketing Society and powered by Accenture Song has found a new home at Wotton House in Surrey, England. This 7-day residential training programme held over 7 months is perfect for marketers with at least 7 years of marketing experience or those who can demonstrate leading change in a marketing role. This world-class programme has been developed for marketers, by marketers.