Victoria Lewis

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Victoria has devoted over 30 professional years to building healthy workplace cultures and leadership excellence. Researching, listening to and working with thousands of individuals across the globe, Victoria has gained an unparalleled expertise in identifying the cultural systems and behaviours that help or hinder organisations to thrive. Her unique skillset cultivated from her own C Suite leadership experience and her decade as a practicing employment lawyer, together with her credentials as an executive coach, leadership facilitator and trainer, mentor and cultural strategist has led Victoria to earning a reputation of one of the leading voices in workplace culture and leadership development. 

Culture strategist and leadership development 

Victoria’s natural curiosity to explore and navigate emotions in workplaces led her to forge powerful and engaging approaches to building strong workplace cultures by developing leadership skills that create immediate rewards. As the CEO of a workplace behavioural consultancy, Victoria grew the business, developing a team of expert and passionate professionals delivering excellence to a range of global organisations in financial services, professional services, corporates, tech, aviation and retail. Victoria has worked in over 30 countries across Europe and Asia Pacific as well as USA, Canada, Australia and the UAE, and culturally sensitive countries such as India, China and Russia. She enjoys working with senior leaders at Board and Exco level, as well as leaders and managers stepping up and the most seasoned professionals who are looking to intensify their leadership experience and skills. The breadth and depth of this experience allows Victoria to quickly identify, analyse and articulate cultural systems, issues and behaviours which may be blocking high performance and the crystallisation of strategic aims. 

Working with Victoria 

Victoria builds connections quickly and creates an easy rapport and trusted environment generating a space for vulnerability and openness. She uses humour believing that whilst leadership is a serious business, a smile goes a long way! In her coaching practice, Victoria creates empathetic and challenging thinking partnerships enabling her clients to extend their thinking, creating new pathways and clarity. She is known for her powerful, personal, energetic, practical and challenging facilitation style.   

Outside of work 

Victoria lives in Surrey with her partner and her high maintenance spaniel, and loves nothing more than when her 20 something children come home. Her spare time is spent dog walking, doing bootcamps and she loves the theatre. She enjoys providing her time and energy volunteering for Pilotlight, a social enterprise, providing strategic advice and coaching to other charities and social enterprises around the UK. 

Qualifications and experience at a glance 

• English degree (LLB): 2:1 University of Southampton 
• TEFL teacher 
• College of Law, London CPE and LPC 
• 1994 – 2005: Practising employment Lawyer, Simmons & Simmons 
• 2005 – 2017: Head of Training, Byrne Dean Limited 
• 2017 – 2023: CEO and Director of Strategic Services, Byrne Dean Limited 
• 2022: Henley Business School, Strategic Leadership 
• 2023: Barefoot Executive Coaching qualification 
• 2024 – present: Co-founder and Director, Odyssey Consulting Ltd 

Skills 

• Cultural analysis and strategy 
• Executive coaching and mentoring (one to one and group), including employee relations 1:1s  
• Bespoke training design, development 
• Facilitation – keynotes, auditorium to small groups  
• Cultural research and qualitative / listening projects