Lichfield, England, United Kingdom
An entire generation of capable women is going missing from leadership. Because they were told their work would speak for itself. So they worked harder yet quieter and got overlooked for the leadership roles they deserved. The future of our working life demands relational intelligence, empathy, discernment. Women have these skills in abundance. We're burying them under busyness. And making them invisible in the process. I know this because I lived it. A board-level Director of Communications who worked harder and harder (and busier and busier) while becoming less and less visible as a leader. Now I see the same pattern in almost every client I work with. Two ways I work with people: I speak and run workshops on strategic influence, leadership communication, executive presence, and the conditioning traps that show up for women in corporate cultures. Trusted by Google, the NHS, Charlotte Tilbury, Coinbase and more. I work as a leadership coach with two groups I know intimately: senior women ready to stop over-functioning and start leading strategically, and communications leaders who are trusted to deliver, but not yet trusted to lead an organisation. I've also built a community of 94,000 women on TikTok who recognise themselves in this work (find me at @leadwithlouise). “Louise Thompson’s workshop was a transformative experience. Her session on visibility, personal branding, and career mapping was not only insightful but genuinely empowering. Louise has a unique ability to create a safe and inspiring space where women feel seen, heard, and valued. Every woman left feeling more equipped to step into her power and take ownership of her career journey. Louise is a powerful catalyst for growth and change - we’re incredibly grateful to have had her lead this session.” "Investing in coaching was the second best decision I made last year, the first was choosing Louise to work with. Louise brings insight, compassion and curiosity. Her deep understanding of the communications profession and what makes us comms pros tick is invaluable, and pretty rare in the coaching field. Coaching is a special form of magic where you end up doing lots of the work without realising at the time. It takes a skilled coach to get you there, pushing you on at the right moments, posing the hard questions, and encouraging you to get out of your comfort zone to make the changes you want. I would highly recommend speaking to Louise." If this is resonating, the link at the top is the place to start for coaching or with a speaker request.
I work with two groups of leaders who share the same pattern: they're overfunctioning, over-delivering, and waiting to be recognised for what they've already demonstrated. Senior communications leaders - Heads of Comms, Directors of Communications, aspiring Directors - who are trusted to deliver but not yet relied on to lead. Senior professional women - capable, experienced, often the most competent person in the building - who are working harder than everyone else and still not being seen as the leader they already are. The work isn't about confidence. It's about operating mode. The shift from trusted executor to business critical strategic voice. I also speak at conferences and leadership events on strategic influence, executive presence, leadership communication, women in leadership and why the most capable professionals are so often overlooked in their own organisations. (And what they can do about it.) I'm a qualified leadership coach with the Institute of Leadership & Management and have a 90,000 strong community on TikTok @leadwithlouise. Contact me for coaching support, speaker and workshop opportunities and aligned brand partnerships.
As a columnist for Strategic, I talk about leadership development for corporate communications professionals, sharing my insights as a former Director of Communications and now leadership and career coach for the profession. From leading authentically, to landing messages with the executive team, and ensuring our professions is viewed as credible and yes, strategic, I'll cover it all.
After many years operating at board level in high-pressure NHS and private sector environments, I took a deliberate pause to reset. It's where the work I now do with clients began - understanding what it costs to give everything to a role, and what it takes to come back differently and lead with confidence and impact.
Director of Communications in a major international logistics business, leading communications strategy across a complex, fast-moving organisation and in partnership with NHS Supply Chain. Responsible for internal and external communications, change communications, reputation management and stakeholder engagement at executive level.
National communications lead for the Nursing Directorate at NHS Improvement, the body responsible for driving improvement across the NHS. Led communications and engagement strategy at a national scale during a period of significant organisational change, working for the Chief Nurse of England.