Real Results

SUCCESS STORIES

I work with senior leaders in universities who are facing challenging situations - whether that's navigating change, building stronger teams, or developing their leadership skills.

Senior leaders work with me to tackle their specific challenges and achieve real results.

What People Say About Working With Me...

“Calm, thoughtful and useful advice and insight from real-world experience”

I was fortunate to work with Caroline Dunne as my Chief of Staff during the COVID years.

Caroline has seen first-hand the pressures on leaders during times of crisis and she always provided calm, thoughtful and useful advice and insight. She has plenty of real-world experience to draw from and I believe she will make a great coach.

Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice Chancellor, Griffith University

“I now feel empowered, focused and excited about the future.”

Jorandi wanted to develop her self-advocacy skills and build confidence in seizing opportunities. We focused on her strengths, values, and strategies to influence her senior team and stakeholders.

"Throughout our sessions, Caroline helped me uncover strengths I had overlooked and understand the unique value I bring to the workplace. Thanks to Caroline, I now feel empowered, focused and excited about the future… I am grateful for her expertise and the positive impact she has had on my growth.

Jorandi, University Manager

“Your insights and wisdom were refreshing in each session and I felt like I learned something every time”.

Caroline, you were warm and helpful, and made me feel comfortable opening up about my life challenges. You asked pertinent questions which helped me approach issues from new perspectives and become unstuck. You were supportive and encouraging, and I sensed your genuine interest in what I was hoping to achieve. You listened well and were able to reframe issues in ways that made them easy to accept, gently directing my attention to more positive outlooks. I am now using a vision and goals board, reflecting and journalling. I celebrate when I notice and dismiss my inner critic. I am looking after myself better and am more intentional.

Client L

“Caroline has really helped me articulate what's important to me and my values, the roles that are of interest and why.”

It has been an absolute pleasure to be coached by Caroline Dunne. She was full of humour and good grace, knew exactly when to listen and when to prod, and could be counted on to ask the questions that made me truly reflect on what I wanted in a career. Working with Caroline has been incredibly rewarding and very productive, I have completed coaching with a roadmap and the confidence to take the next step.

I have loved the last decade where I have worked part-time and raised my children - but emerging from that 'tunnel', I'm starting to ask 'what's next?'. I have a clearer view of what success looks like in the future. These insights are already shaping how I look for my next career opportunity.

The sessions helped me articulate what I enjoyed in past roles and narrow down what I was looking for in future roles.

Anna

“Warm, engaging, thoughtful and just the right level of challenging”

As a result of our coaching sessions, Hannah left feeling “more resilient and equipped to handle some of the leadership pressures” she was dealing with.

If you are considering working with Caroline I would say go for it. She is warm, engaging, thoughtful and just the right level of challenging. I really enjoyed our sessions and discussions and would 100% recommend Caroline as a coach.

Hannah Rundle, Executive Director, Faculty Operations, University of Manchester

“I felt I could open up to you and trust you to listen and work with me without judgement but also in complete confidence.”

Coaching sessions have enabled me to not jump to conclusions - often initially the wrong ones, to think about how issues and challenges make me feel before I instinctively respond to them - often in the wrong way and also to take a step back before I too harshly judge myself.

Sarah Shaw, Education Practice Lead, Odgers Interim

“The fixer, the motivator, the innovator, the diplomat and, when needed, the consoler”

Caroline was not only the glue that held everything together, she was also the fixer, the motivator, the innovator, the diplomat and, when needed, the consoler. She was able to get the best out of individuals and as a results the teams were able to be more than the sum of their parts.

Professor Joanne Wright, Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Education), The University of Sydney

“A distinctive strength is her ability to listen carefully and identify the heart of complex leadership issues”

Caroline brought deep and wide-ranging experience – internationally – to bear on the transformation effort. She was highly effective in applying her knowledge of organizational change to shape the programme, coach senior academic and professional leaders.

Dr Michael Hollewand, Director, Principal Management Consultant (A former McKinsey consultant and Chief Strategist for the BG Group

“I was stepping into a very different leadership environment. The most valuable aspect was having a trusted and objective space to reflect openly on difficult situations, leadership challenges, and interpersonal dynamics.”

The sessions gave me space to reflect on how I work, how I respond under pressure, and how I should approach difficult situations. The process provided valuable frameworks and perspectives for managing complex challenges. It also helped me become more intentional and confident in my leadership approach. That shift in mindset helped me become more proactive, focus on what I could influence and control, and approach challenges with greater confidence and perspective.

Director Operations, Research Institute, Group of Eight University, Australia

“Caroline brings deep expertise, clarity, and warmth to complex discussions about transformation, helping leaders reflect on both the human and strategic dimensions of change””

Caroline led a thoughtful and engaging session with our leadership team on navigating organizational change. Her ability to draw from lived experience and to connect those insights to our context made the session particularly valuable. I would highly recommend Caroline to any organization seeking to strengthen its leadership capacity and navigate change with purpose and empathy.

Professor Nina Zipser - Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning; Special Advisor on Strategic Planning; Faculty Dean of Lowell House, Harvard University

“Caroline helped me create the space, perspective and permission to consider doing things differently. I came out of our sessions felling energised and more resourceful than when I went in - which to me a great indicator of the value that Caroline adds as a coach”

I was a little raw, especially when we started our sessions, and Caroline pitched it just right. Caroline clearly has a wealth of experience and helped me move my thinking (and action) forward in a number of key areas. On one particular subject, she challenged me on an assumption which resulted in a fundamental shift in the way I view my role.

Director, Research Portfolio, Global Research-led University, London

“Caroline is extremely knowledgeable of the tertiary education sector and brings that wealth of understanding about the day-to-day activities of executive roles in the sector to the meetings. Her approach to coaching is informed and outcomes driven”

I can honestly say that the methods Caroline taught me around guided self-reflection and mindful action planning resulted in me feeling more empowered and self-believing.

Professor Rebecca Ford – Dean Griffith Graduate Research School, Griffith University

“Caroline was a breath of fresh air as a coach. She acted as a critical friend, held me accountable, and allowed me to explore professional challenges and contexts in a safe, non-judgmental and supportive environment”

I was reaching the end of the first year being in a significantly expanded role and I have been able to reflect on my role and purpose as a leader, and as a result of planning some key engagement events with my Management team, I've been able to put in place some new approaches and ways of working.

Roscoe Hastings, Director of Teaching Excellence and Student Experience, University of Exeter

“I would absolutely recommend Caroline Dunne to any team looking at strengthening teamwork and lifting their collective performance. This was a meaningful investment, one that has already made a difference and I’d welcome the chance to bring Caroline back again”

Caroline created a high-energy, deeply reflective environment where every voice was heard and she did this with clarity, warmth and respect. She created an environment where our team could be more open, more confident to share and more willing to push beyond their comfort zones. What stood out most was Caroline’s ability to build trust so quickly. She encouraged honest dialogue and balanced empathy with genuine insight.

Jenny Sutton – Partner, Odgers, Australian Education Team

“I would recommend Caroline to anyone looking to support leaders in navigating change. She clearly understood the higher education sector, and had a warm, engaging style that enabled senior leaders to be candid and reflective”

Caroline combined a clear, research-informed framework when considering change leadership in universities with her own honest reflections of leading complex transformations. In addition she really engaged her audience with interactive activities which encouraged participants to explore their own lived experience of leading through change in a safe, reflective environment.

Lizzie Burrows, Chief Marketing and Recruitment Officer, Imperial College London

Want to Talk Things Over?

In our 30-minute discovery call, we'll talk through your current challenges and what you're hoping to achieve. It's an informal conversation where we can explore whether my coaching approach aligns with what you need right now.

There's no commitment required – the call is simply an opportunity for us both to see if working together feels like the right next step for you.

BOOK A 30 MINUTE CALL