Nicky Bright

Founder and Director of Bright Lead

I have a 30+ year background in leadership, people development and coaching.  My focus has always been on the learning and development of individuals, teams and organisations to support and enable excellent personal and professional outcomes.  Although much of my career has been in educational leadership, more recently I’ve worked over a number of years with a wide variety of games development studios and publishers to successfully develop leadership teams.  I run leadership development programmes and coach many leaders across the industry.  I also work with corporates, including an internationally acclaimed engineering company, and with school leaders of all levels.  

Supporting professional development for staff has been a ‘golden thread’ running through my career.  Right from the start as a newly qualified teacher I was co-opted onto the In-Service Training Committee (as it was called then!), to this subsequently being a key responsibility in all my leadership roles.  Before setting up Bright Lead, I was Headmistress of Bruton School for Girls, Chair of the Girls' Schools’ Association's (GSA) Professional Development committee and a GSA Council member.  I was also the GSA national Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel representative, which has oversight of the induction and development of newly qualified teachers.  I was an Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspector for almost two decades, and am a member of the Boarding Schools Association’s (BSA) expert panel.  I am also a Fellow of the RSA and of the Royal Geographical Society.

I am also passionate about raising awareness of the perimenopause, again supporting others to be their best-selves by being more aware of this stage of life and signposting lifestyle and other changes to make it the most positive transition possible for all. I baulk at the statistics showing women’s pension pots being 55% lower than mens and want to tackle poverty in old age by helping women feel able to continue sharing their wisdom and experience in the workplace, rather than going part-time or retiring early.

Aside from all this, I enjoy walking, and have trekked in many places around the globe. Rob and I are about 2/3 of the way through the Camino de Santiago Northern route, taking a week or so at a time every year before the pandemic to get a little further and enjoy the beautiful countryside there. This formed the inspiration for the company logo, with the pink dots forming the Camino shell signifying us making a journey of significance as we develop as leaders. Art appreciation, crafts, theatre and spending time with my family are also ways in which I rest, renew and reenergise, and Pilates keeps me sane!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickybrightlead/

Bright Lead’s coaching, mentoring, facilitation of leadership development programmes and bespoke training supports individuals and organisations to develop people to maximise their potential and be their ‘best selves’.  In education this creates transformational learning experiences for the young people we serve, engendering a lifelong love of learning, creativity and curiosity.  This development work has a similar positive impact upon productivity and profitability in other industries, as well as making them better places in which to work, engendering loyalty and commitment.