My name is Catherine Harris and I am the founder and principal coach of Direction Finders Coaching.
As a certified coach and a lawyer who has worked in the City, both in private practice and in-house, I bring a unique blend of empathy, experience and skill to my coaching work. I trained at Linklaters, moving to Barlow Lyde & Gilbert as a litigator shortly after qualification and then to Allen & Overy before moving in-house to the Financial Services Authority, where I managed a large team in the Enforcement Division. As a solicitor-advocate specialising in banking, insurance and financial services regulatory work, my experience has brought me into contact with a variety of sectors. Having managed a multi-disciplinary team at the FSA I also have wide experience of working with non-lawyers.
My interest in coaching started with trainee solicitors and realising that I had an unusual ability to enthuse and empower others to find their way through difficulties. I received some coaching myself at pivotal points in my career and found it immensely valuable in helping me refocus and adjust to change. I chose to develop this further through studying for a diploma in Life Coaching with the Institute of Life Coaching and found the experience I picked up through this enhanced my management skills significantly. I have also trained to teach the Hoffman Process, one of this country’s premier personal development workshops, so have extensive experience of supporting professionals in personal growth and have run my own business providing workshops for several years.
I founded Direction Finders Coaching in 2007 in response to demand from contacts within the legal industry for a coach that really understands the world in which the City lawyer operates. My personal mission is that I courageously and with compassion empower others to be all that they can be and I bring this into my coaching work.