Dr Claire Handby

Dr Claire Handby is an inspirational leadership speaker, executive coach, bestselling author, transformation specialist and Founder of Dr Claire Handby Business Leadership Ltd, with more than 25 years of experience helping organisations and senior leaders navigate complex change. Drawing on a career spanning major consultancies, construction businesses and transformation programmes, Claire brings a practical understanding of leadership at board, executive and operational level. She is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Salford, an internationally accredited executive coach and the author of ‘Uptick: Clarity, Courage and Confidence for Your Next Chapter’. Today, Claire advises leaders on growth, change, executive performance and organisational transformation, while delivering keynote speeches that encourage people to lead with greater confidence, resilience and purpose.

Claire developed her career across some of the UK’s most recognised professional services, construction and infrastructure organisations, including Laing O’Rourke, Mace Group, McCarthy & Stone, EY, Deloitte and KPMG. Her work has exposed her to complex transformation and delivery challenges across transport, utilities, media, healthcare, nuclear, aviation, technology, professional services and government. She spent more than eight years with EY before progressing into senior consultancy leadership and becoming a Director at Deloitte, where she advised organisations working across real estate, capital programmes, infrastructure and construction. This extensive corporate experience has given Claire first hand insight into leading through uncertainty, managing competing stakeholder demands, creating organisational alignment and maintaining performance during periods of significant change.

Alongside her corporate career, Claire has built a strong reputation in leadership development, education and executive coaching. In 2018, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Salford, recognising her contribution to leadership and industry, and she has served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Salford since 2018. Claire is internationally accredited with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, holds Associate Certified Coach status with the International Coaching Federation and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building. Her professional recognition has also included a Deloitte North West Europe Impact Award, Deloitte UK Financial Advisory Impact Award, Management Consultancies Association Award and Mace Group Rising Star Award. Claire extends her leadership experience into the voluntary sector as Chair of SARA Greater Manchester and through trustee and ambassadorial positions supporting education, suicide prevention and meningitis awareness.

As an inspirational leadership speaker, Claire combines boardroom experience, transformation expertise and executive coaching insight with an engaging, people focused approach. Her keynotes include ‘Lead Without Losing Yourself’, ‘The Courage to Pivot’, ‘Leading Through the Fog’, ‘High Trust, High Impact Leadership’, ‘Thriving Through Transformation’ and ‘The Human Advantage in the Age of AI’. Claire speaks candidly about leadership identity, career reinvention, executive pressure, women in leadership, psychological safety and the importance of human judgement in an increasingly digital workplace. Having personally transitioned from a long corporate career into entrepreneurship, authorship and portfolio leadership, she offers audiences a credible example of courageous reinvention. Organisations hire Claire to help leaders approach uncertainty with clarity, strengthen trust across teams and make confident decisions when there is no simple answer.