About Paterson Consultancy

Practical experience for people and businesses facing change.

We help leaders understand what is really happening, bring people together and make progress that lasts beyond the programme or workshop.

Our starting point

Every business is different, so the response should be too.

Paterson Consultancy was founded by Barbara and Nick Paterson. We bring together coaching, leadership development, psychology, large-scale transformation and practical experience of change inside complex businesses.

We do not arrive with a standard programme. We listen to what people are experiencing, look beneath the immediate symptoms and work with you to shape the right response.

That may involve one person, a team, a leadership group or the wider business. The aim is always the same: clearer thinking, stronger relationships and practical change people can see and feel.

Who we are

Different experience. A shared way of working.

Barbara and Nick bring complementary perspectives, united by curiosity, honesty and a determination to make the work useful.

Managing Director

Barbara Paterson

Barbara is an experienced adviser, executive coach and facilitator specialising in leadership and organisational development, career transitions and team effectiveness.

She works with senior leaders and businesses across the UK and internationally, and delivers more than 200 hours of executive coaching each year. Her experience spans healthcare, government, financial services, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and emergency services.

Before founding Paterson Consultancy, Barbara led KPMG’s Career Consulting and Outplacement practice in the North of England and designed consultant development programmes worldwide. Her approach combines warmth, challenge and deep practical experience.

Executive coaching
Leadership development
Career and transition
Team effectiveness

Principal Consultant

Nick Paterson

Nick is a transformation and change leader with more than 20 years’ experience across professional services, legal, technology and financial services.

He has led complex people, technology and organisational change across EMEA, Asia Pacific and the US. His work connects leadership, culture, systems and adoption, including the practical use of AI and emerging technology.

Nick is a Fellow of the CIPD, with an MA in Personnel and Development and a BSc in Psychology. He is accredited in MBTI and Hogan and brings a direct, creative and business-focused approach to change.

People transformation
Leadership and change
Technology and AI adoption
Psychometrics

A joined-up approach

Two perspectives, brought together around your business.

Barbara brings deep coaching and leadership development experience. Nick brings large-scale transformation, systems and emerging technology. Together, we connect self-awareness with the way teams, leaders and businesses perform.

Experienced enough to recognise patterns. Curious enough not to assume.

How it feels to work with us

Clear, thoughtful and grounded in real work.

Listen carefully

We take time to understand the context, the ambition and what people are actually experiencing.

Speak honestly

We share what we see, challenge with care and avoid hiding difficult messages behind jargon.

Make it useful

Insight is translated into practical action that makes sense in the day-to-day reality of the business.

Build it together

We work with people, not at them, so the change is understood, owned and more likely to last.

A practical place to begin

Start with what is happening now.

You do not need a finished brief or a diagnosis. Share what you are seeing, and we will use our experience to shape an initial enquiry scope for discussion.

Tell us what is happening