An internal coaching network based in the North of England is going from strength to strength.

The Northern Coaching Network (NCN) is a free membership network of organisations and their internal coaches, which seeks to create and share best practice in developing and embedding coaching cultures.

Launched in June 2018, it now has 60 member organisations across the public, private and third sectors, and a steering group of organisations including the BBC, Sky Betting and Gaming, Direct Line Group, Skipton Building Society, Leeds Beckett University, Morrisons and Chatter Communications.

The NCN was co-founded by Suzanna Prout, managing director of Xenonex, and Catherine Boddington, then head of L&D at Sky Betting and Gaming.

Having worked as an internal coach at KPMG, Prout recognised the benefit in getting internal coaches together to learn from one another and share best practice, co-coach and co-supervise.

“And we’re passionate about the North, attracting talent and helping people feel fulfilled in their career,” said Prout.

“The feedback’s been fantastic and the Network is growing fast. We get lots of external coaches who want to be involved, and we may do that in the future, but [for now], there’s a lot of experience in internal coaching and lots to learn from each other.”

Xenonex organises events twice a year and chairs the steering group for free. “We don’t charge any fee for this service. I was born and bred in Huddersfield, it was Xenonex’s 10th birthday and I felt like it was time to give back to the coaching community and to the region as a whole,” said Prout.

The NCN’s next event takes place on 27 February 2020 in the BBC, Media City, Salford Quays, with ticket prices at £25 including lunch. Speakers include Janet McGuigan, head of clients & industries strategy at Deloitte, who will share the organisation’s coaching journey, and Leeds University’s Caroline Ackroyd, head of leadership and professional practice and Katie Leeman, organisational learning partner who will speak about managing executive coaching pools.