Let’s be honest about leadership. You can feel it in the room when a team isn't quite clicking, or when a culture isn't ‘thriving’. But the snapshot data tells us an interesting story about who’s in the driver's seat.

• FTSE 100: In the top 20 leadership positions, 90.4% are held by reference men.

• FTSE 350: Reference men continue to hold three-quarters of the 'Top 3 roles'.

• S&P 500: Overall, 79.8% of top executives are reference men.

This isn’t about blaming anyone. It’s a business reality, and it presents a powerful opportunity. My mission is to call on my fellow ‘Reference Men’ - who are statistically in higher positions of power - to join a rebellion to redefine what great leadership looks like. I’m not here to call people out; I’m here to call them in.

My work is built on these commitments:

• I promise to create the calm before the conversation. I focus on a human-first approach to make sure everyone feels safe enough to be themselves, not who they think they should be.

• I'll be the one to go first. I’ll role model vulnerability and share my own stumbles so others feel it’s okay to open up and connect.

• I'll gently push on the tender spots. I’ll challenge the unspoken assumptions that get in the way of real progress, but I’ll do it with respect and a bit of playful curiosity.

• I'll turn a good chat into a great action. We'll make sure the learning sticks, turning insights into real-world actions you can use tomorrow to make a difference.

I help leaders and teams have the messy conversations. The honest, human chats that don’t fit in a textbook. I’m not here to lecture you. I leave the corporate BS at the door. I’m just here to make it a little less awkward, a little more joyful, and a lot more human.