Michele Armstrong, Leadership Coach Profile
Michele Armstrong is an Accredited Coach with the
Association for Coaching and Managing Director of
Acorn Principle Plus Ltd, a Coaching & Training
company based in Edinburgh since 2005.
Michele has been coaching managers and leaders
in Higher Education, Local Authorities and Private
Sector Businesses since 2004. Prior to becoming a
Coach in 2001, Michele’s professional background
in Community Learning & Development; Training
and College Lecturing provided the knowledge base
that led to becoming a skilled educator with a
strong belief in the potential people have to grow
and learn.
Her passion for enabling people to achieve more of their potential on a daily basis is
what led to training as a coach in 2001. Michele, formerly Head of Association for
Coaching (AC) Scotland 2004-2006 is committed to the development of ethical
practice plus high standards in coaching. Michele is a member of Association of
Coaching Supervisors and supervises qualified coaches.
Qualifications
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Diploma in Community Education (1992) / BA Com Ed. (1995)
D33/34 Assessors Award (1996/8) / CIPD Certificate in Training (2001)
Results Intensive Coach Training Cert (Results Coaching Systems 2001)
Results Business Coaching Cert (Results Coaching Systems 2002)
Independent Accreditation by the Association for Coaching in July 2005
University of Strathclyde : Cert of Performance in Coaching (2006)
ILM Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching & Mentoring (2007)
Cert: Theoretical Foundations of Coaching; Results Coaching Systems (2009)
Post Grad Cert in neuroscience of Leadership (2014)
MSc in Mindfulness with Aberdeen University (2013 – current / ongoing)
Professional Roles
2004-to date
2004-to date
2005-2010
2001-2007
1990-2001
Director, Acorn Principle Plus
Executive & Performance Coach, Buccleuch Group
CEO, Youth Coach Scotland
Community Education Worker/Trainer, City of Edinburgh Council
Various Roles in Learning & Development & Further Education
Coaching Approach
Michele’s approach to coaching follows a partnership model which empowers the
individual through self-determined learning. The focus is to improve self-awareness
and increase personal responsibility and to be able to implement new thinking in the
moment. Underpinned by lessons learned from contemporary neuroscience, Michele
has worked with coachees to address self-regulation, problem solving, decision
making, managing change, dealing with stress and burnout from a neuroleadership
perspective.
Professional experience and expertise (most recent first)
Leadership Coaching for Women in Academia
 Current - Associate Coach with Equate (formerly Scottish Resource Centre for Women
in STEM Industries, Napier University) since 2012. Initially providing structured leadership
coaching programmes to a wide range of women in academia and SET industries in the
mainstream Equate programme. Following on from this, Equate contracted with leading
universities who selected two coaches from the pool of associate leadership coaches –
Michele is involved in the following:
 Leadership Coach for Academic Women in Edinburgh University: Faculty of
Biological Sciences – appointed, February 2015.
 Leadership Coach for Academic Women in Edinburgh University: Faculty of Geo
Sciences – October 2014 – ongoing.
 Leadership Coach for Academic Women in Edinburgh University: Roslin Institute /
Dick Vet. October 2013 – ongoing.
Leadership & Management Coaching
 Roslin Institute / Dick Vet – Appointed as Leadership Coach for management and
academic staff in both institutions from 2015, expanding on the Equate programme for
women.
Coaching & Leadership Development Programmes
 Designed and delivered CPD Events for in-house coaches in St Andrews/Aberdeen
Universities, Heriot Watt University and Dundee University (2012 – current).
 Designed and Delivered 10 week Leadership Programme for Edinburgh University Open
Studies Programme Term 2: from 2015.
 Designed and Delivered 10 week Coaching Programme for Edinburgh University Open
Studies Programme Term 1: Running every year since 2007.
Additional Professional Experience
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Heriot Watt University – Designed and implemented a Career Coaching programme; set
up a pool of Career Coaches within the institution; trained a second cohort and provide
Coach Supervision & CPD opportunities to the pool of qualified coaches.
Acorn Principle Plus is an accredited centre for the Institute of Leadership &
Management delivering courses in Coaching, Leadership & Management at all levels;
currently matching the range of qualifications to the Scottish Qualifications Framework.
East Lothian Council Children & Families and Youth Justice Service – Designed a
programme for 60 leaders and Managers in response to UK based reports on declining
standards in social care. A two day programme was delivered in 2013 and repeated in
2014 to 5 cohorts of practitioners, managers and leaders. Trained key staff members to
coaching qualification standard in order to engage in the development and implementation
of youth coaching approaches with young people involved with Youth Justice and AntiSocial Behaviour groups.
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Community Development Project: Comas: Provision of Coach Training for volunteers
working with people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Based on the ‘sponsor’
methodology used by AA, Comas wanted to equip volunteer supports with the skills and
approaches to assist project users in planning and implementing life changes that were
self determined, forward focused and led to sustainable change.
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Buccleuch Group – provision of Executive coaching programmes to managers/leaders
throughout the 4 estates and 30 companies within the organisation (including Coach to
the Executive Team).