OBN Coaching
OBN Coaching: Coaching that Accelerates Life Sciences Success
In today’s fast-moving business landscape, executive coaching has become a proven driver of both personal growth and organisational success. Research consistently shows that effective coaching strengthens leadership capability, supports better decision-making, and enhances overall business performance.
Aligned with OBN’s mission to catalyse success across life sciences, OBN Coaching has been designed to meet the needs of professionals at every stage – from emerging talent and entrepreneurs through to experienced executives and C-suite leaders.
The Power of Executive Coaching
Coaching is about asking the right questions – helping individuals unlock and strengthen their insights, challenge assumptions, and translate reflection into action. Executive Coaching builds clarity, empathy, and resilience, supporting individuals as they found new ventures, scale innovative companies, or prepare for their next career step.
By providing space for reflection and growth, OBN Coaching enables leaders to make better decisions, enhance performance, and lead with greater confidence through complexity and change.
Developed Through Collaboration and Expertise
Developed under the leadership of Angela Hobbs, OBN Non-Executive Director, Chair of the People & Culture Advisory Group, and Henley Business School–trained Executive Coach, OBN Coaching brings together insights from our founder network and coaching experts to deliver a holistic, research-informed service.
Our coaching offer has been shaped through extensive consultation and engagement with professionals ranging from early-stage entrepreneurs to C-suite leaders, and developed in collaboration with an experienced group of accredited coaches from across the life sciences industry.
Our Coaching Approach
To ensure accessibility and impact across our diverse community, OBN offers two complementary coaching pathways:
- 1:1 Executive Coaching
- Group Coaching Programmes
Together, these approaches ensure that every individual within the OBN network – from first-time founders to senior executives – has access to impactful coaching aligned to their stage of growth and leadership journey.
Group Coaching Programmes
OBN’s Group Coaching Programmes are designed for entrepreneurs, founders, and early-stage leaders, offering a collaborative, peer-driven environment that builds learning, confidence, and sustainable growth.
Each programme is led by Angela Hobbs, with an accredited OBN Guest Coach joining every session to provide specialised expertise and perspective.
January 2026 Programmes – now open for booking:
Executive 1:1 Coaching
In the fast-evolving life sciences industry, where innovation, collaboration, and leadership agility are critical, 1:1 Executive Coaching provides a confidential space for reflection, growth, and performance development.
This personalised coaching helps leaders strengthen decision-making, resilience, and strategic impact, while fostering the confidence to lead through uncertainty and change.
Launches January 2026 – for further information, please contact obncoaching@obn.org.uk.
Expert Coaches with Industry Insight
Our Coaches are experienced, accredited, and practising professionals, combining deep coaching expertise with extensive real-world leadership experience. While great coaches can work across many sectors, OBN has curated a team with a strong understanding of the life sciences industry – from start-ups and spinouts to established organisations and investors. Their combined experience means they quickly understand the unique challenges and opportunities of this sector – including the pace of innovation, regulatory complexity, and the demands of scientific and commercial leadership – enabling them to build trust and deliver meaningful impact for our members.
Angela is a certified coach and Non-Executive Director with over 1,000 hours of 1:1 coaching experience. She designed OBN’s Group Coaching Programmes following extensive research into founder and leadership needs, resulting in a core focus on supporting individuals at different stages of growth and scale. She has also facilitated more than 20 entrepreneur programmes across Oxford, Cambridge and online, celebrating the different challenges and paces of learning — from fast-moving hackathons to in-depth accelerator programmes.
Holding an MSc in Sustainable Business and currently completing an MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change at Henley Business School, Angela’s work integrates the full spectrum of sustainability for people, planet, profit and purpose. A member of the EMCC, her research explores how entrepreneurs define success to build ventures that are feasible, viable, desirable and culturally sustainable. A founder herself, she brings deep experience across health, medical devices and innovation, with a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Doug is an ICF-accredited Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and Senior Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). He has delivered more than 750 hours of coaching to mid and senior leaders, with a particular focus on supporting professionals withing life sciences, technology and professional services. His work draws on evidence-based approaches to mindset and behavioural change, enabling leaders to strengthen resilience and leadership in complex environments.
He has partnered with leaders from organisations including Morgan Stanley, Meta, Slack, Klarna, Crane Ventures, and Imperial College’s Undaunted accelerator programme, in addition to a range of early-stage and growth businesses. His clients value his ability to combine behavioural science with commercial insight to deliver lasting impact.
Holding an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change, Doug’s current research focuses on the conditions that enable leaders to thrive in the modern workplace and sustain high performance
A communications specialist, Susannah provides coaching for people who want to develop or flex their interpersonal and leadership skills. Her clients find new ways to communicate effectively, win hearts and minds, and grow their connections, boosting their energy and motivation as a result.
From establishing the right networks for a fledgling team, to maintaining meaningful contact with colleagues after rapid growth, Susannah will help you focus on what will count most in building influence and impact. Her support is particularly relevant if you’re establishing your credibility, overcoming silo-working internally or fostering trust at the commercial/academic interface or in healthcare.
She brings insights from former roles leading communications teams for the Wellcome Trust and a national NHS agency, and as an author of Health Foundation guides on influencing through networks and communicating improvement.
A graduate of Henley Business School’s Diploma in Coaching for Behavioural Change, Susannah is an EMCC senior practitioner.
Ollie has spent the last 35 years in various executive positions in the Life Sciences sector (Pharma/Medical devices/IVD). His achievements range from setting up stand-alone business’s, leading business development and alliance management, to managing portfolios at various stages of the product life cycle in both the prescription and consumer marketplaces (www.linkedin.com/in/olliemitchell).
Ollie has now started coaching as part of a portfolio career to help business’s, teams and individuals grow. He has a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School, used internally in his company to develop a mentoring and coaching programme across EMEA. He is also a mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme, supporting innovators within the NHS over the last 6 years.
Ollie has an MBA, is a trained innovation practitioner and has delivered marketing excellence programs internally and externally in the life science sector.