Cahit Ali MA, PCC, CPCC

My first career was in big companies in Educational Services. I spent over a decade in a variety of leadership, research and project management positions.  I discovered coaching after witnessing its powerful impact on a close friend who had burned out, and then hired a coach myself for work that turned out to be transformational.

Since 2015 I’ve been an accredited coach-facilitator. This has been the most fulfilling and meaningful work of my life. I am blessed to partner with individuals as they allow their lives to open up to its full potential.  I have coached (and witnessed) a diverse group of individuals, evoking profound transformations in each of their lives - both professional and personal. 

My clients have been leaders at all levels, from C-Suite to middle managers, and across industries such as Technology, Finance, Journalism and Media, Publishing, Education and the Charity Sector. I have worked with companies such as IBM, Situs, Spotlight, Penguin, Pearson and Save the Children. I’ve proudly helped to shape and redefine diverse and inclusive leadership in broadcast journalism, supporting Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage leaders working in the UK Media. 

I am accredited by the Co-Active Training Institute (CPCC) and the International Coach Federation (PCC), and have completed over 1000 hours of coaching. I am also a fully trained Organisation, Relationship and Systems Coach (ORSCT), and coach global systems as an agent for a South African NPO. I am also a Prince2 and Management of Risk (MoR) Practitioner.  State school educated, I have a BA and an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary College, University of London.

As a gay man of colour, I have personally experienced both explicit violent homophobia and racism, as well as covert unconscious bias.  Equity is an important value of mine, and a key part of everything I do is about both bringing down the barriers faced by minority groups as well as engaging with the creativity, resourcefulness and resilience in my clients to help them overcome these barriers. I want to make coaching more inclusive because I believe that coaching at its best allows individuals to fully connect with their potential and what is most meaningful to them, and as such has a role to play in defining our future world.

I am a Buddhist with a daily meditation practice, a keenness for study and a strong sense of devotion. Within my Buddhist community I am part of a team that runs People of Colour weekly meditation sessions and regular retreats. I also volunteer for Breathing Space, a Buddhist charity that predominantly works to improve mental health through mindfulness. For me Buddhism is about action (and activism) through wisdom and compassion, and these ideals permeate all the work that I do.