About The Talent Keeper Specialists

Shiobhaun is a specialist in coaching through maternity leave, redundancy, and career change, bringing both personal experience and MCIPD accreditation from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. With 15 years in HR at Barclays and BAE Systems, spanning talent and leadership development to senior international HR management, Shiobhaun became a qualified career and executive coach in 2008 and has worked extensively with senior leaders. Shiobhaun holds the EMCC’s Global Individual Accreditation (IEA) to senior practitioner coach status and is a member of the EMCC.

Shiobhaun lives in West Sussex with her husband and three boys, and enjoys running, playing hockey and cycling in the countryside.

With 10 years’ experience as a management consultant in operational change, Ian worked with major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and B&Q, and food manufacturers such as Uniq, United Biscuits, and Samworth Brothers. After two stints as a stay-at-home dad, gaining a coaching qualification and becoming a school-run dad, he founded Inspiring Dads in 2018.

Married to Lisa, a funds partner in a major London law firm, they have two secondary school children. Ian balances work and family life with coaching, public speaking, and umpiring top-level field hockey, where clarity and conflict management are key. He is a contributor to the Talent Keeper Specialists’ Comeback Community™ and has spoken at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood, Institute of Government & Public Policy and Westminster Insight’s Women in Leadership Conferences. Beyond Ian’s coaching he is the creator of an extensive, free to access database of UK parental leave offers. 

In a world that is slowly recognising the desire and importance of a new generation of men who want to combine caregiving and breadwinning responsibilities, Ian specialises in supporting dads through the parental transition, helping them navigate the challenges of “how to be a great dad, without sacrificing a great career.” Ian is a strong believer that ‘equality starts at home’ and that supporting new dads is the route to gender equalit.

Laura Garwood is a Coaching Psychologist and accredited Business Psychologist who helps high-performing professionals and leaders regain clarity, confidence and impact during pivotal moments in their careers.

With over 25 years’ experience across corporate leadership, entrepreneurship and social impact, Laura combines psychological depth with commercial understanding to deliver measurable results fast. Her approach supports individuals returning from extended leave or career breaks, stepping into challenging roles, or navigating complex career transitions. Her empathetic, evidence-based approach creates the space for meaningful reflection, sustainable change and personal fulfilment.

Laura holds an MSc in Coaching Psychology and postgraduate qualifications in Psychology and Coaching from Birkbeck, University of London, and The Open University. Laura’s research on coaching women returning to work after career breaks was recognised by the British Psychological Society, receiving Best Research Paper (2025) at the Division of Coaching Psychology Conference.

At Zurich Insurance (Middle East), Laura led regional learning, development and talent initiatives, building leadership capability across multiple markets and strengthening organisational performance and succession readiness. Earlier in her career, Laura gained hands-on experience in high-growth and international settings that shaped her entrepreneurial and pragmatic approach to leadership.  

Married with two school aged children, Laura understands the realities of balancing career and family aspirations. 

SJ coaches on London Business School’s Executive Education and Executive MBA programmes and has 15 years’ experience as a leader in international conglomerates, at the Guardian newspaper and as a management consultant with EY.

SJ holds the EMCC’s Global Individual Accreditation (IEA) at Senior Practitioner level and is a member of the EMCC.

SJ coaches women at all stages of their career – up and down organisations and across cultures and is particularly drawn to the transition to parenthood. She says “too often women don’t have access to the professional support that can transform this transition from a career pinch point to an opportunity for growth. It’s an area close to my heart. I was living in a desert (literally and metaphorically!) experimenting with new careers when my kids were born. Setting myself up with decent support is the one thing I’d change if I did it all again.”

Exploration has always been SJ’s default setting – from nine years living and working throughout the Middle East to serving as a school governor across four countries. These days, she channels that same spirit into her volunteer work with Breast Cancer Now; keeping up with her teen, tween and energetic whippet; and stepping onto the stage to try her hand at stand-up comedy. Clients value the can-do energy and warmth she brings to her work.

Caroline is an Executive Coach, former Management Consultant, fluent French speaker and mother of 3 school-aged children.

She spent many years working in Change Management at Accenture for a large variety of Private and Public sector clients before taking a career break and moving abroad with her family for 5 years.

Whilst living abroad, Caroline discovered a passion for coaching and completed her coach training; she is an accredited ACC coach with the ICF (International Coaching Federation).

Having directly experienced the challenges of juggling career ambition with a challenging role and young family, she is particularly passionate about supporting working mothers during periods of transition, whether it is returning to work after a period of leave, aiming for a promotion, or changing roles.