Abby Penston, the former Chief Executive of Focus Travel Partnership who stepped down a year ago to take a job in Brussels, is setting up her own coaching business.
Penston headed up Focus for just over four years but quit in January to join European leisure deals operator, Connections.BE.
She has now left that role to launch an executive coaching practice to help “battle the loneliness and pressures that are endemic amongst senior business leaders of travel SMEs”.
Called myexec, it will launch to the UK travel sector in November and will provide coaching and mentoring to C-suite executives.
“Being a leader or senior manager in an SME travel business can often feel a lonely role and can seem overwhelming at times,” said Penston.
“A report by Deloitte indicates that leaders who feel isolated are at a greater risk of burnout, with 77% of executives citing the need for better support systems to manage stress and isolation. This loneliness and pressure at the top can lead to disillusionment, burnout and high levels of stress and that is where we can bring specific expertise and experience to show to manage this area.
“If you look to most successful business organisations around the world, and at the most powerful, innovative and influential business leaders, the vast majority have benefitted from senior level coaching and mentoring.
“As a former CEO myself I am well familiar with the challenges and pressures that SME business leaders face today. I have discovered the techniques and strategies for dealing with those pressures and I’m passionate about passing that knowledge and advice on”.
Other areas that are covered by myexec include coaching around conflict resolution, strategic thinking, and overall business management.
