Andy Johnson

Andy, founder of Change Partners, served in the British Royal Navy for 22 years and was a submarine commander in the Falklands War. Later, as a senior executive at state-owned British Railways he experienced the challenges of privatisation and the pressure of delivery in a commercial environment.

At British Railways Andy was an early beneficiary of executive coaching. The process resonated with a leader who had been responsible for the development of those under his command. He subsequently became a coach with a leading London-based practitioner and in the 1990s pioneered executive coaching in South Africa. He has coached hundreds of senior executives across a wide range of industries, state and parastatal organisations.

As a submarine officer, Andy had to play “3D underwater chess; but you couldn’t see your opponent’s pieces”.

“We had to imagine all possible scenarios, then find ways to reduce the variables, enabling us to refine options for action,” says Andy. Similar disciplines are often required by leaders in today’s business environment.

Andy is a member of the World Association of Business Coaches, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and holds the post-graduate certificate in Coaching from Middlesex University.