Humanitarian Coach – Coaching, programmes and consultancies for people leading change in humanitarian and social impact settings

Leadership that holds under pressure
We work with humanitarian and social-impact organisations when the challenges are relational and political as much as technical, and the quality of leadership genuinely matters.

About us

WHO THIS IS FOR

Some of the people we work with are leading organisations through governance transitions, difficult decisions or periods of real institutional strain. Others are individual leaders carrying significant responsibility in complex contexts, looking for a confidential space to think clearly and lead with greater care.

If you are holding real responsibility for people, programmes and possibilities in a humanitarian or social-impact setting, you are in the right place.

WHY WE EXIST

Humanitarian organisations are operating under sustained pressure. Funding is volatile. Power is uneven. Decisions affect lives.

In these conditions, leadership is not simply a matter of capability or best practice. It is about judgement under uncertainty, ethical use of power and the ability to hold a clear course when clarity is hard to find.

Many leaders carry real responsibility without the space to think clearly, test assumptions or reflect on consequences. That absence of space has costs: poor decisions, strained teams, reactive governance and avoidable harm. We exist to create that space, and to do careful, ethical work alongside those carrying real responsibility so that the changes they make are ones they can sustain.

WHAT WE DO

For Individuals Leaders

Coaching for senior leaders: Confidential one-to-one and small-group coaching for leaders working in complex, high-pressure contexts. Our coaches are also experienced humanitarian leaders. They understand the context from the inside.

Leadership programmes: Feminist, trauma-aware and relational learning journeys for women, emerging leaders and those stepping into greater authority. Co-created with partners to reflect context and culture.

For Organisations and Teams

Governance and strategic decision-making: Supporting boards, alliances and senior teams to navigate complexity, risk and accountability with clarity and shared purpose.

Facilitation for complex systems: Enabling honest, structured conversations where there is no easy consensus and the dynamics are sensitive.

Organisational learning and review: Independent reviews and learning processes that surface what is real and inform decisions that matter.

Organisational diagnostics: Our Structure Signals review examines the real operating system of an organisation: the decision rights, incentives and patterns that shape behaviour in practice.

Our Approach
Confidential, trauma-aware, and co-created from the outset. We meet you where you are and adapt as we go.

We are process consultants, not technical fixers. We listen first, surface what is actually happening and co-design approaches that organisations can realistically own and sustain. We call this feminist, trauma-aware and relational practice.

Feminist and Trauma Aware

We work consciously with power: who holds it, how it is exercised, and how voice and legitimacy are structured. We recognise the cumulative impact of crisis and moral load on leaders and teams, and work to strengthen judgement and self-regulation rather than urgency and over-functioning.

Relational and Humble

We pay close attention to how authority is exercised, how disagreement is handled and how responsibility is shared. In pressured environments, relational clarity often determines whether teams hold together or fracture. We work with the knowledge and lived experience already in the room.

Alongside Not Over

We do not replace local leadership. We support it to exercise authority clearly and ethically. Participation strengthens ownership. We aim for changes that people can stand behind and sustain.

Who We Are

Humanitarian Leadership Consulting is a small, senior-led consultancy founded by practitioners with decades of field and leadership experience across emergency response, governance reform and system transition. All core team members hold recognised professional coaching qualifications. We have trained more than 70 coaches, developed proprietary frameworks and worked alongside leaders navigating some of the most demanding contexts in the world. Our work is grounded in that experience, not in theory alone.

We work in English, Arabic, French and Spanish.

Meet the Team

Deb Barry

Co-Director

Deb Barry is an accredited coach and humanitarian leader with 30+ years’ experience across Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Haiti, Ukraine and beyond. As Co-Director of The Humanitarian Coach and Founder of Humanitarian Leadership Consulting (UK, 2020), she leads a global network providing strategy, leadership development and coaching for organisations, teams and individuals.

Rooted in values-based leadership, equity and collaboration, Deb helps clients build resilience, safer systems and sustainable change. She recently led Learning & Capabilities at the Humanitarian Leadership Academy (2024–25), co-piloted the Young Humanitarian Internship Programme, held senior roles with Save the Children, and taught at Deakin University’s Centre for Humanitarian Leadership.

Samantha Davis

Co-Director

Samantha is a nonprofit leader and EMCC Senior Practitioner coach with over twenty years’ experience in UK charities and international organisations. She holds a Masters in Coaching and has designed mentoring and leadership programmes that support women, youth and senior leaders to grow in confidence and influence.

Her practice is feminist and trauma-aware, integrating relational leadership and systems thinking. She coaches leaders to build trust, share power and strengthen team dynamics, and has developed collaborative coaching networks and cross-organisational mentoring initiatives that connect people and ideas. Clients describe her coaching as creating the reflective space and trust needed to think differently and lead with care under pressure.