Client Testimonials & Recommendations

	“Melinda supported our Executive Development programme at Asda with specific focus on our high potential leaders. She designed a range of assessment activities tailored to our needs & coached a number of our Senior Leaders with the key aims of raising self awareness, creating career development plans and preparing them for promotion.
Feedback from her coachees was consistently positive - Melinda builds trust, is incredibly insightful, constructively challenging and supportive. I always found Melinda to be highly professional, values driven and I thoroughly enjoyed working and learning from her. I wish her continued success with her new business ventures.” Dorothy Matthew – Head of Exec Development

	“Melinda worked as an executive coach with talented senior managers in Asda who would progress to director level. She achieved great results through her knowledge and understanding of the retail sector and the cultural challenges this gave combined with an ability to build great rapport with the coachees. She is great fun to work with and always brings an innovative perspective to business problems.”
Karen Powell FCIPD – HR Director George@AsdaWalmart
	“I have known Melinda for at least 10 years. She has boundless energy, determination and focus. She also is great fun to be with. Her zest for life, her enthusiasm, her resourcefulness and her positive outlook all combine to make her a hugely effective and inspiring operator.
Melinda has tackled many tough challenges and these have equipped her to relate to her clients facing tough challenges of their own. She knows what it feels like to be at the top of the mountain and also on the cliff edge. Melinda brings passion, drive and a strong set of personal values to her work. Frankly, it is no surprise that she is always in such demand and I recommend her highly.” Ed Williams, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility
	“I've known Melinda professionally for over 25 years now, throughout the start up and establishment of Portland International. She has also undertaken business consultancy and executive coaching projects within our organisation over the years. Melinda is special - she understands business - she understands people and what make them fly - she understands how life fits together. Her experience is wide and deep, coloured and textured by her own many talents.
Her new business "Ayuda" will no doubt provide a huge opportunity for her and her partners to contribute to planning and delivering change - both for businesses and lifestyles. I wish her every success !” Marie Gill – IR Director
	“Melinda is enthusiastic, and committed to running an ethical business. While on the Community Foundation Board her insights added real value to the Board.” John Sandford - Treasurer/Trustee

	“I worked with Melinda whilst Head of Development at a large UK Financial Services business. Melinda was one of only two executive coaches hired to provide coaching for the middle to senior executives. Each coaching intervention was unique, being tailored to the needs of the executive and their performance within the business.
I found Melinda to be highly focussed, flexible and creative. Her personal and professional integrity is clear and unshakeable.” Tony Nicholls – Head of Learning and Development
	“Melinda presents an extremely broad set of skills from personal coaching where I have seen her operate with the most senior clientele to generic business advice. Her input is always measured and constructive and she has a warm personal manner which engenders trust and confidence.” Karen Tyler – Trading Director

	“Melinda is an expert Business Coach, insightful, challenging and supportive. Gets to the heart of the matter quickly. Highly recommended!” Peter Craddock – Head of Operations

	‘Coaching has made me more aware of myself, in terms of style, personal interaction and business awareness. It takes you from your comfort zone and makes you challenge yourself and your performance to raise the standard and achieve the next level. It makes you analyse the situations you find yourself in, examine how you performed or behaved and consider how you would behave or act differently in the future.’ Peter Pritchard, Business Unit Director

	‘It's what I've dreamed of for the last five years Melinda, it's a kind of life holiday. I can't thank you enough for the help you gave me in understanding what I wanted to do with myself. I think fondly of that session we had in the Midland Hotel when you managed to get me to say what I would like to happen. From that moment it was easy and I haven't had an iota of regret.’ John Melling, Director of IT

	‘Overall, the programme was most useful at an important stage of my personal development. The sessions provided a highly valuable neutral focus for my development priorities and future career aspirations.’ Rob Goldsmith, Managing Director

	“I have increased confidence in a business context, using the ability to relate to my team in a more effective manner i.e. flexing my style more rather than being so direct. I adopted much more of a coaching style, which meant that I could delegate more and clear some of my own fog.” Sally H, Head of People Development

	“As part of my coaching I have undertaken a number of personality, behavioural, career tactic and feedback assessments. My coach has helped me interpret and make sense of the findings whilst I have developed appropriate action plans to aid my personal development. Progress towards achievement has then been monitored and my coach has encouraged me to think more broadly, to stretch the action plan and consequently maximise personal development.
This is not always a comfortable experience particularly when the focus of your work is on task/achievement. One of the most important things I have got out of my coaching programme is space and time to reflect. Importantly though the reflections have been expertly guided into key areas and what hitherto were unthinkable concepts. Through this process I know I have grown as an individual.” UK Police Chief Superintendent on a nine month programme
	“Melinda is a sensitive and knowledgeable executive coach, who is in tune with people-centred values alongside being focused on business and personal career objectives. Her approach enabled me to develop insights into the right senior career path for me and included useful insights into issues such as diversity, development and work-life balance.
Anything which Melinda undertakes is done with high personal and ethical standards and a tremendous enthusiasm for achievement.” Colette Booth, Corporate Communications Director/Change Director
	“Melinda and I are both corporate coaches with 20 years’ plus years of experience and I can, with confidence, endorse Melinda as a excellent coach. She is smart and holds herself to high standards. She is available and dedicated to her clients.” Katrina Burrus, PhD, MCC - CEO, MKB Conseil & Coaching

“I would recommend that everyone should meet Melinda. She rapidly helped me understand who I am and in a remarkably short time became a trusting confidante to share my hopes and fears through working with me in identifying my blend of skills and talents. In all a great, friendly and trusting experience” David Guest – Senior Manager, Property Sector

“Melinda is a five star professional with an eye for detail and a finely honed strategic approach to management, career development, change and lifestyle coaching. Melinda is like an exocet at discerning your USP and clearing away the clutter to make you and your business soar and plan for the future establishing high but realistic achievable goals with inspirational clarity. I highly recommend Melinda.” Caroline Clegg - Owner, The Performance Factor

“I have worked with Melinda on several coaching and leadership programmes and have found her to be both personable and highly professinal. She is an excellent communicator and can immediately create rapport with people at all levels. She has great integrity and is fun and stimulating to work with." Jackie Arnold - Executive Coach and Coach Supervisor, Coach 4 Executives

“Melinda is a very focused person who knows what she wants to achieve for her clients and always works hard to address the client's needs.” Bob Griffiths - Owner, RGA Services

“I recommend Melinda Beckett-Hughes without hesitation. She is a consummate professional who takes great pride in the quality of her work. Her honesty, integrity, pleasing personality ensures a positive working relationship.” Kath Robinson DL - Kath Robinson and Associates.

“I have known and worked alongside Melinda for over 20 years and never, in that time, have I heard or seen any criticism of her, in fact all I have ever heard is praise for her diligence and particularly for the quality of her work and her honesty in all she does. She is generous of heart and has a real empathy for people with problems and is driven to help. I would recommend any company that she was in to any of my clients.” Laurence Mintz - Chairman, NCC Asset Management

“Melinda is an amazing person and a superb professional. Her energy, clarity of thought and coaching skills allowed her to grow in the face of adversity. She is definitely a person to know and have around to support your own development.” Christian Worth - Personal and Business Coach, Christian Worth

“Melinda is an honest, reliable and highly professional executive coach with integrity and passion for what she does. She is always true to her values and is great fun to work with. She inspires people to reach for their dreams. I'm delighted to recommend her.” Jacqui Pownall - Personal branding Director, Unique Style and Image

“‘I really couldn’t have asked for a better outcome – everything fell into place!’ ‘Melinda’s approach worked very well for me because I really wanted to find out about me and understand how I could perform better.” Coaching client on completion of a four month programme, Merchandise Controller, UK Plc Retailer

“Overall I thought the programme and Melinda’s coaching were very good. I found Melinda very easy to discuss things with and found most of her suggestions very constructive as well as some of her questions thought provoking.” Coaching client on completion of a six month coaching programme Financial Controller, UK Plc Retailer

“Melinda has been a fantastic support for me both on a personal and professional level. She has demonstrated excellent patience and understanding and at the same time has been able to challenge some of my thinking and perceptions in a constructive and challenging way. She has also been able to offer some very different approaches, which has been refreshing and stimulating. Her breadth of knowledge and experience was very helpful and her ability to respond to a moving range of topics fantastic. Extremely pleased with the progress I have made during my coaching programme, which embraced a wide range of ideas and techniques.” Coaching client on completion of a six month programme Performance Manager, UK Plc Retailer

“Melinda is an accomplished and professional coach. I have no hesitation in recommending her to others and hope myself to maintain contact.” Coaching client on completion of a six month programme Head of Corporate Investment, UK Financial Services

“Overall, I was delighted with the coaching programme. It worked very well for me during a critical period of my career. At times it was my life support. I had an excellent coach and would thoroughly recommend it. I feel that the level of service from Portland International has been of a very high standard and it has been a pleasure working together.” Coaching client on completion of a six month programme Head of Corporate PR, UK plc Retailer

"It's what I've dreamed of for the last five years Melinda, it's a kind of life holiday. I can't thank you enough for the help you gave me in understanding what I wanted to do with myself. I think fondly of that session we had in the Midland Hotel when you managed to get me to say what I would like to happen. From that moment it was easy and I haven't had an iota of regret.’ Coaching client on completion of a six month programme Director of IT, UK Financial Services
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