Top 5 Executive Coaches in Melbourne for CEOs and Senior Leaders
By Caroline Kennedy | Published October 26, 2026
You can be experienced, respected and delivering results, yet still find that the same leadership problem keeps coming back. Decisions return to your desk after you have delegated them. A difficult relationship takes up more attention than it should. Or a larger role exposes habits that worked well when your responsibilities were narrower.
When you start comparing executive coaches in Melbourne, those details matter. The person who can help you navigate a strained executive relationship may bring a different approach from someone supporting your transition into a broader leadership role.
My own experience leading organisations generating up to $250 million in annual revenue shapes how I approach this choice. I look at the connection between the leader's behaviour, the decisions being made and the organisation's ability to perform.
This guide compares five executive coaches with a Melbourne presence and different areas of focus. It is designed to help you identify which approach deserves a closer conversation.
About this guide: I am included because executive coaching is part of my work. The profiles are an editorial selection based on publicly available services, professional backgrounds and relevance to Melbourne leaders. They highlight different approaches rather than establish an independent ranking.
Start with the change you need to make
Before you compare coaches, write down one situation you want to handle more effectively. A clear starting point makes it easier to assess whether a coach understands your responsibilities and can explain how the work would help.
- Too many decisions depend on you. Explore coaching that examines delegation, accountability and how you develop the people around you.
- Your expertise is strong, but your influence is limited. Look for support with executive communication, relationships and how you contribute to senior conversations.
- You have stepped into a bigger role. Consider a coach experienced in leadership transitions, changing expectations and working across organisational boundaries.
- A recurring conflict is affecting your judgement. Ask how the coach would examine your own responses alongside the relationships and working environment involved.
You do not need to diagnose everything before an introductory conversation. You do need to be able to describe what is happening and why it matters.
Top Five executive coaches in Melbourne at a glance
| Caroline Kennedy | Executive leadership, strategic advisory and execution | CEOs and senior leaders connecting personal leadership changes with organisational performance |
| Dr Michelle Pizer | Organisational psychology and workplace relationships | Senior leaders navigating difficult relationships, decisions or role transitions |
| Karen Tweedie | People leadership for technically strong executives | Leaders developing their influence through people and key stakeholders |
| Richard Souza | Executive presence, leadership identity and influence | Executives examining how they think, communicate and lead under pressure |
| Andrew Stone | Strengths-based executive development | Senior leaders linking self-awareness and development goals with organisational needs |
These focus areas are my interpretation of the coaches' published services. There is overlap between their practices, so use the comparison to guide your questions about fit.
How the coaches were selected
The selection considers whether each person offers executive coaching, works with senior leaders and has a documented Melbourne connection. It also considers their professional background and whether their published approach gives a prospective client something specific to assess.
Experience can take different forms. A former CEO brings operational responsibility. An organisational psychologist brings specialist training in people and workplace dynamics. Other practitioners bring coaching qualifications and experience helping leaders through particular transitions. The relevant question is how that background relates to the work you need to do.
The 5 Leading Change Management Speakers in Australia
1. Caroline Kennedy
Executive leadership with commercial and organisational context
Caroline Kennedy is a Melbourne-based executive coach, former CEO and strategic adviser. She has led organisations generating up to $250 million in annual revenue and managed teams of more than 500 people.
Her coaching connects the leader's thinking and behaviour with the wider organisation. Areas of focus include delegation, executive-team accountability, difficult decisions and the leadership patterns that affect how strategy is carried out.
The work begins by examining the leader's operating environment, including team dynamics, strategic alignment and recurring behaviours. Coaching and advisory support then address the issues identified, with attention to how changes are applied in day-to-day leadership.
Best suited to: CEOs and senior executives seeking an experienced sounding board who can connect their personal leadership development with organisational decisions and performance.
Particularly relevant for: Strengthening executive teams, delegating responsibility, leading change and improving strategic execution.
Consider before engaging: This is an ongoing coaching and advisory relationship. Caroline's Melbourne service describes a minimum six-month engagement, with coaching available in person or online.
Explore executive coaching in Melbourne with Caroline Kennedy.
2. Dr Michelle Pizer
Understanding workplace relationships and leadership dynamics
Dr Michelle Pizer is a Melbourne-based organisational and counselling psychologist who offers confidential, one-to-one executive coaching. Her background includes a PhD, business qualifications and experience working with senior leaders across corporate, professional-services and government settings.
Her published approach examines a workplace problem in context. That includes the leader's authority and assumptions, the people involved, the organisation's culture and the practical limits on what can change.
The coaching follows live situations rather than a fixed programme. This is relevant when a difficult decision or relationship keeps returning and the leader needs to understand what they can influence. For employer-sponsored work, an initial 360-degree feedback process can be included where useful.
Best suited to: Senior leaders seeking a psychologically informed perspective on difficult working relationships, recurring conflict or the demands of a larger role.
Particularly relevant for: Using authority effectively, handling difficult conversations and understanding personal responses at work.
Consider before engaging: Discuss the situation you want to address, the proposed rhythm of sessions and what information, if any, will be shared with your employer.
3. Karen Tweedie
Developing the people side of technical leadership
Karen Tweedie is a Melbourne-based executive coach and an International Coaching Federation Master Certified Coach. Her experience includes coaching CEOs, managing directors and senior executives across several industries.
Her Access Leadership profile identifies a particular focus on helping technically strong leaders develop their people leadership during change. Her broader coaching approach considers the leader's place within the organisation, including relationships with team members and key stakeholders.
For an executive whose career has been built on specialist expertise, this provides a useful point of comparison. The coaching question becomes how to help other people contribute effectively while keeping the team connected to its purpose.
Best suited to: Technically experienced executives who want to strengthen their people leadership and influence across the organisation.
Particularly relevant for: Stakeholder relationships, team culture and leading people through change.
Consider before engaging: Karen appears within wider coaching practices and professional networks. Confirm her personal involvement, the scope of the engagement and the arrangements for individual sessions.
4. Richard Souza
Executive presence and influence under pressure
Richard Souza offers confidential, one-to-one executive coaching for experienced executives and senior leaders. His work focuses on leadership presence, the thinking behind decisions and how a leader's approach affects their influence.
His published model examines leadership identity, strategic clarity and how leaders communicate and work with others. He draws on a background spanning business management and martial-arts instruction, which informs his emphasis on composure and responses to pressure.
Engagements are tailored around agreed outcomes and may include stakeholder input, diagnostic insight or observation in the workplace. His service description places emphasis on assessing changes in behaviour and leadership effectiveness.
Best suited to: Executives who want to examine how their leadership identity, communication and responses under pressure affect their impact.
Particularly relevant for: Executive presence, clearer decisions and more effective influence.
Consider before engaging: Ask how the approach would apply to your current workplace situation, what feedback would be gathered and how you would assess progress. Confirm the location and format of sessions directly.
5. Andrew Stone
Strengths and self-awareness in organisational context
Andrew Stone is a Melbourne-based organisational development practitioner whose work includes executive coaching for senior business leaders. His background includes postgraduate psychology study and accreditation in a range of leadership and assessment tools.
Through ODX, he offers coaching that starts with a leader's strengths while addressing areas for development. The published approach connects coaching goals with the organisation's needs and places emphasis on self-awareness, executive presence and strategic thinking.
ODX also provides psychometric assessment, team development and facilitation. This gives prospective clients a useful point to explore: whether individual coaching is sufficient for the situation, or whether feedback and work involving the wider team would add value.
Best suited to: Senior leaders seeking strengths-based development that takes their organisational responsibilities into account.
Particularly relevant for: Self-awareness, strategic thinking and translating development priorities into leadership practice.
Consider before engaging: Clarify the scope of individual coaching and whether any assessments or team work are included. Ask which tools would be used, why they are relevant and how the findings would inform the coaching.
What to ask before choosing an executive coach
An introductory conversation should help you understand how the coach thinks and how the relationship would work. Bring a current example from your role and ask questions that move beyond the biography.
How would we establish what needs attention
Ask what the coach would want to understand before agreeing on goals. Would they examine your role, speak with stakeholders, review existing feedback or use an assessment? The answer should explain how they would form a useful picture of your situation.
What would change in my work
Turn a broad ambition into something you can observe. If you want to delegate more effectively, which decisions should your team be able to make? If you want stronger influence, which conversations need to improve? Agreeing on examples gives you a practical basis for reviewing the work.
Who will deliver the coaching
Check whether you will work with the person profiled, a colleague or an assigned coach. Where a consultancy offers several services, clarify whether the proposal covers individual coaching, team development, assessment or a combination.
How will confidentiality work
If your employer is funding the engagement, agree what will be shared with the sponsor and what will remain within coaching sessions. The International Coaching Federation's Code of Ethics requires its professionals to establish agreements covering matters including roles, responsibilities, confidentiality and financial arrangements before coaching begins.
Practical considerations for Melbourne executives
Decide how coaching needs to fit into your working week. For an in-person arrangement, confirm the meeting location, privacy and travel time. For online sessions, consider where you can speak openly without interruption. If you need a combination, have that conversation before committing.
A Melbourne address does not establish how every engagement is delivered. Caroline's service expressly offers in-person and online coaching; ask each provider to confirm their current arrangements and availability.
Request a written proposal that covers the overall duration, session frequency, access between meetings and any assessment or stakeholder work. Make sure you understand the total fee, whether GST is included and the terms for rescheduling or ending the engagement.
Choosing the right support for your next stage
The shortlist becomes more useful when you can connect each coach's approach to a real situation in your working life. Choose someone who asks thoughtful questions about that situation and can explain how the engagement will help you work on it.
Be prepared to examine your own contribution to the problem, as well as the conditions around you. That willingness gives the coaching relationship something concrete to work with.
About Caroline Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy is a Melbourne-based executive coach, former CEO and strategic adviser. She has led organisations generating up to $250 million in annual revenue and works with CEOs and senior leaders on leadership effectiveness, executive-team performance and strategic decision-making.
If you want to explore the leadership challenge you are facing, learn more about executive coaching in Melbourne and arrange an introductory conversation with Caroline.
Sources:
Dr Michelle Pizer - Executive Coaching
https://www.michellepizer.com.au/executive-coaching/
Access Leadership - Karen Tweedie and executive coaching services
https://accessleadership.com.au/
Richard Souza - Executive Coaching
https://www.richardsouza.com.au/executive-coaching
ODX - Executive coaching and other services
International Coaching Federation - Code of Ethics
https://coachingfederation.org/credentialing/coaching-ethics/icf-code-of-ethics/