Yumi Sykes

Yumi is a Leadership and Systemic coach based in London. She is originally from Japan and has extensive experience in leadership and organisational development through both individual coaching and team coaching. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Development, and her vision is to develop people from within so they can create positive change in their organisations and communities—ultimately leaving a sustainable future for our children and generations to come. She has seen first-hand how coaching can spark deep personal transformation that ripples outward, inspiring others and strengthening the collective capacity to meet complex challenges.

When she is not coaching, she is a mother of one beautiful daughter, and loves cooking and dancing.

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Yumi has 10 years of experience and expertise in "people". She was HR manager before she became the Global Learning and Development Manager in an international tech organisation. As an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) currently working towards her PCC accreditation, she has provided high impact one-to-one coaching to various kinds of coachees, including leaders progressing from VP to C-suite, emerging leaders taking on new responsibilities, to creative professionals and entrepreneurs identifying their values and expanding their business. Her coaching style integrates systemic thinking, somatic coaching, emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and purpose alignment—empowering people to connect with their values and lead with purpose. She is also a certified team coach, experienced in delivering global team coaching and leadership development programmes.

• ICF Associated Certified Coach
• Silver Award (Transformational Coaching) with Performance Consultants International
• ORSC Fundamentals Systemic Coach
• CIPD Level 7
• ILM Train the Trainer
• CIPD Level 5 Learning and Development
• Masters in Sustainable Development (Specialism in Natural Resources Management)
• 10+ years hands on experience on people and organisational development
• Leadership Development Programme trainer and facilitator
• Qualified teacher in English

“I had the privilege of being coached by Yumi as part of the Leadership Academy at GlobalSign, and her support has had a lasting impact on how I show up as a leader. She has a way of creating space for honest reflection while offering practical tools that help you grow with purpose and clarity. What stood out most for me was her understanding of the unique challenges women can face in leadership, especially the self-doubt that can creep in early on. With her guidance, I was able to tap into a more confident, grounded version of myself. Yumi doesn't just offer advice, she helps you unlock what’s already within you. I always left our sessions feeling lighter, more capable, and more aligned with the leader I wanted to be.“

- Ana (Global Operations and Support Leader)

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“I always feel like I’m learning and growing in Yumi’s presence, in fact I know I am. In the same way after a Pilates class, I feel two inches taller, my whole sense of being and self worth feels that much more after a session with Yumi. She has unlocked a potential and a confidence I never knew existed within me over these last 2 years. She is always on hand no matter what to help me help myself. She is easy to talk to and really knows her stuff. I never really thought about coaching until I started with Yumi and now I can’t imagine why I didn’t engage with it sooner. As leaders, we should always strive to be better versions of ourselves. We owe it to those who work with us to invest time in evolving ourleadership techniques, to never settle and to connect with ourselves so we can connect with our teams and colleagues better. Yumi has helped me do just that.“

- Sofia (VP of Product Delivery)