Who We Are
TopHat Discovery CIC is a group of coaches united by
a conviction that coaching can bring positive social impact.
We are a social enterprise – our services are set up to support organisations with a social purpose.
Our surpluses are used to make coaching accessible to people who might not otherwise have access to it.
We are exclusively inclusive, deliberately creative, and imperfectly sustainable.
The TopHat team
Edward Jospé – Director
ICF qualified and accredited life coach.
Loves working with people wanting to step towards change, exploring career paths and work/life balance.
Passionate about the planet and addressing climate change.
Brings insights from 30 years in tourism and banking industries.
Practices Tai Chi. Organises Petanque in his local park.
“I am convinced that asking courageous questions in a professional coaching relationship brings a fresh outlook on how being connected to the present can affect the future.”
Harriet Dodd – Managing Director
ICF accredited executive and team coach
Loves working with teams and individuals at C-suite and senior leadership, across cultures.
Was once a teacher in a village in Sudan with a donkey and curiosity in everything different.
Brings insights from 30 years leading teams in international humanitarian organisations in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
“Ideas come while riding a bicycle. Or when I take a piece of paper and draw. Try it: add colour – you don’t need to put it on the wall or share – your mind will change. Mine does every time.”
Jo Elms – Director
ILM Qualified and AC accredited executive coach
Loves enabling senior leaders figure out ways for dealing with challenges by offering a calm space to quieten the noise and make sense.
Inspired by the turbocharged convictions of people fighting injustice.
Brings insights from 30 years leading commercial and not-for-profit organisations in the international aid sector.
“I believe people can make change happen in extraordinary ways, and that the keys to identifying solutions can be unlocked from within us all.”
Marwa El-Ansary – Associate
Marwa is a coach with a feminist soul. She has deep knowledge of the business and pain of humanitarian work, especially in the Middle East. Marwa is a facilitator and coach and works in English and Arabic
Jo Kemp – Associate
Jo K is a coach with a clear and organised soul. She regularly provides guidance on public financial management and business practices. She is committed to social change and inclusion. She has worked extensively in Asia and Africa and coaches individuals and teams.
Jennifer Vaughan - Associate
Jen is a coach with an activist soul. She has been a masterful strategic leader of (teams) development organizations in Latin America and now works with leaders there with a gentle firmness to support their decision-making. She coaches individuals and groups, working in Spanish and English
Why We Do What We Do
With all of our ‘busy-ness’, it can be hard to step back and think. And yet, with multiple concerns threatening the lives of many, the planet and environment, it has never felt more essential that we do.
We believe we need to connect:
- the future with the now, and
- the outside with the inside
So that everyone reaches the sustainable development goals together.
Our Values
Respect and inclusivity: we aim to work in a partnership of equity and equality, without judgement, to enable all clients have control in their own decisions within their own abilities.
Sustainability: we strive for social justice, environmental justice and excellent governance in the infinite game of survival on our shared earth, see our Sustainability Statement.
Creativity: We believe that courage and learning can emerge by allowing ourselves to reframe our thinking and try new things. Change happens when thinking pathways are enabled, strengths and inner-resources are developed and space is created through collaborative discourse.