Global strategic advisory, leadership development, and executive coaching service

At Athene Leadership, everything we do is about helping you to navigate volatility and complexity:

• We help strategic advisory firms to build trust with government clients in the Middle East – through hands-on national security and critical infrastructure expertise
• We help senior executives to lead successfully and confidently within high-pressure environments – through 1:1 executive coaching
• We help leadership teams to communicate better, manage relationships, engage stakeholders, and build resilience – through leadership team training and development

We draw on 20 years’ experience delivering geopolitical, reputational and regulatory risk analysis, advice and mitigation for senior decision-makers in government and financial services, operating in the UK, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Who we work with

Our clients are partners in strategic advisory firms, and leaders operating across business, government and geopolitics. They are strategically minded, politically astute, and accustomed to making consequential decisions at pace. They lead organisations where the stakes are high, the scrutiny is intense, and the margin for error is small.

Where we can help you

Are you a partner at a strategic advisory firm, advising government clients in the Middle East on defence, security and resilience? Do you worry that your team’s advice – drawing on research more than direct experience – might seem theoretical or flat? Are you concerned that your team lacks the real-world experience in government, national security and critical infrastructure, and the professional gravitas, to win your clients’ trust?

Or perhaps you’re a senior leader in a high-pressured environment? Do you feel the pressures of operating at the top, with fewer peers, less candid feedback, and less time for the kind of reflection that good decision-making requires? Do you worry about needing to act decisively on incomplete information – amidst geopolitical volatility, regulatory flux, and reputational risk – and without an independent sounding board? Does your leadership team face challenging dynamics such as misaligned priorities and the cumulative toll of sustained high performance?

With 20+ years of experience in exactly these environments, Athene helps strategic advisory firms supporting government clients in the Middle East who are developing their national security apparatus and critical infrastructure. We bring the real-world expertise that makes their firm’s advice credible and their relationships stronger.

And we help leaders to navigate high-pressure environments successfully – through 1:1 executive coaching and leadership team development, focused on communication, relationship management, stakeholder engagement, and resilience.

Julia (founder and director of Athene) spent 12 years in international security, leading geopolitical intelligence analysis and strategic advisory/delivery teams across UK government. She then spent 9 years in critical infrastructure, leading strategy, transformation and risk mitigation, at FTSE 100 level and with regulators.

She’s led teams in high-stakes, pressurised situations including military operations and diplomatic crises. She was commended by Prime Minister David Cameron for leadership during COBR’s 24/7 crisis response resulting in successful hostage rescue.

She’s advised Cabinet ministers on operational and reputational risk. And she’s represented the UK internationally in intelligence and security discussions.

With her experience of how government departments, international organisations and regulators interact, and having advised senior decision-makers across government and industry, she can support your advisory team, and engage credibly with your clients on the topics that matter to them.

Equally, if you are a senior executive, she can help you to find a path through complex environments – and to avoid the financial, regulatory, and reputational consequences of making a mis-step.

What we offer

We provide three integrated services, designed to operate independently or in combination: Global strategic advisory, 1:1 executive coaching, and leadership team development.

Why now

The operating environment for senior leaders has rarely been more demanding. Geopolitical realignment, shifting regulatory landscapes, and heightened reputational scrutiny are reshaping the conditions in which consequential decisions get made. Clients need advice and reassurance that’s grounded in experience, not just research. And teams need thoughtful leadership that holds up under pressure.

Leaders who invest in the quality of their judgement – and in the structures that support it – will be better placed to act decisively and lead with authority when it matters most.

The difference it makes

Clients make better decisions, faster. They lead with greater clarity and composure under pressure. They are better equipped to anticipate risk, manage ambiguity and uncertainty, and project authority to the stakeholders who matter.

Organisations benefit from more coherent strategy, stronger leadership alignment, and reduced exposure to the risks which most often catch senior teams off guard.