What my clients say
Advisory and Consultancy
Jamie Bettles, Founder Pagoda Projects
“Abigail’s work at Pagoda was nothing short of transformational. She supported me directly in an advisory role in leading the organisation, coached members of our team, developed an academic strategy and contributed to programme design…Abigail is an exemplary leader, coach and advocate for diversity. Her legacy of fostering growth, innovation and inclusivity will continue to have a profound impact on the sector for years to come.”
Vicky Hayhurst, CEO and Founder, Hayhurst & Co
“I first had the pleasure of working with Abigail when she was the Deputy Head of the School of Languages and Associate Head (Marketing and Recruitment) at the University of Salford and I had a central marketing and student recruitment role, back in 2005. From the very beginning, I found Abigail to be approachable, pragmatic, committed and incredibly knowledgeable. Fast forward 20 years and we now work alongside each other in consultancy and coaching projects at Hayhurst & Co. We recently conducted a prospective international student journey mapping project for a client where Abigail was our specialist consultant and critical friend to ensure that our recommendations were robust as well as being actionable from an academic perspective. During this project Abigail continued to share her knowledge and gave us additional insight and perspective to strengthen the impact of the project. As always, she was reliable, hardworking and a really positive energy. I’m delighted that she is an Associate at Hayhurst & Co, and I look forward to doing more work with her.”
Christina Ke, UK Managing Director, UOffer Global
“I first had the pleasure of working with Abigail during one of our offline events which are focused to support female international students to grow in the UK.
She later supported both the company and me directly in an advisory role during a crucial phase of our organisation’s transition, bringing wisdom and her distinctive academic and professional perspective to a diverse range of new initiatives, including internationalisation, TNE, and the use of AI in international student recruitment.
Abigail is a warm, approachable, knowledgeable, and visionary leader. We had monthly consultancy meetings, and each session she led was meticulously prepared, well-organised, purposeful, and genuinely helpful. Working with Abigail isn’t just consultancy; it’s an opportunity to see complex challenges clarified with focus, care, and an inspiring sense of possibility.”
Executive Coaching and/or Mentoring
Helen da Silva Wood, CEO Rendez-Vous Charity
“When I think back to the early meetings and how hard I was on myself, the change is immense. Somehow, you’ve managed to help me join my head to my heart/instinct, and to value me for myself. I really have a much better sense of myself, my strengths, weaknesses and foibles. I own my achievements and, despite the ongoing challenges and ups and downs, feel far more confident and much happier.”
Headteacher, St Teresa of Calcutta, Multi Academy Company
“Thank you for your support over a difficult year, the opportunity to talk, to reflect and to decide on actions with insight into tools and research available has enabled me to continue in a profession I love. I feel equipped with tools that will support my professional life, and I will be availing of your support to continue this journey.”
Stuart Wells, Executive Director of Client Relations, Alliance Business School, University of Manchester
“I had the privilege of working with Abigail in 2023. This was during an important phase of my career, as we had just launched a new business. She played an instrumental role as my executive coach, profoundly impacting my approach and outlook. Her coaching style is exceptional. She brings a good blend of support and challenge. She possesses an innate ability to delve deep into her coachees’ thinking process…encouraging a level of introspection that helps transform your thinking.”
Professional Services Manager, Loughborough University
“From our very first session, you created a safe and supportive space that encouraged me to share my thoughts and experiences openly and honestly. Your expert ability to engage and challenge me has pushed me to grow, and your personal insights have provided both inspiration and practical wisdom. You balanced this masterfully with thoughtful actionable feedback that has provided me with a personalised toolkit that I will continually refer to and use… Working with you has been a transformative experience and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with you – thank you.”
Ciaran Clinton, Headteacher, Archbishop Isley Catholic School
“The mental load of being ultimately responsible for the education, safety, well-being and personal spiritual development of 1173 children and 152 staff weighs incredibly heavy on my shoulders… However, the impact of Professor Abigail’s words and techniques cannot be underestimated. Meeting her online for just one hour a week has had a dramatic effect on my stress levels, well-being and job satisfaction.
Professor Abigail uses a mixture of evidence informed strategies, academic research and practical advice. This helps me reflect on improvements and successes at work (that maybe I had overlooked) and gain perspective. In short, I find her sessions incredibly helpful, and I would recommend that all headteachers in the MAC make use of her service.”
Dr Emma Elkington, Head of School of Finance and Accounting, University of Wolverhampton
“A combination of the ability to discuss things, exercises to do and think about outside of the sessions, and the insights that you brought to my thinking and sense-making was invaluable. At no point did I feel ‘led’; but rather that the conversations and work outside of the sessions blended to always make me feel like we were moving forwards. I feel extremely pleased and grateful to have done this and with you. I would strongly recommend to any colleagues who are at a crossroads of some kind to consider coaching/mentoring, and I would have no hesitation in recommending you.”
Specialist Training and Development
Clare Schofield, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences, Wolverhampton University.
“Thank you very much for preparing and facilitating such a purposeful, targeted and helpful session on Friday. We had a feedback session at our Executive Board today and the feedback was unanimously positive. You met our brief so perfectly and have given us new tools to support the next phase of our growth. Everyone wanted your slides to support their development and reflection.”
Daniel Hinkley, Co-Founder & Director, CampusConnect
“Professor Abigail Gregory delivered a fully tailored HE strategy workshop to the CampusConnect team in December 2022. Her deep sector knowledge, sharp insights, and ability to contextualise complex sector challenges and opportunities made for an engaging and highly valuable session. The workshop broadened our understanding of strategic priorities in UK Higher Education and also directly upskilled team members working with HEI partner colleagues. Abigail’s experience and knowledge ensured the session was enjoyable, thought-provoking and provided practical, actionable takeaways.”