Mike Buchanan is the Founder of Positively Leading, a bespoke coaching consultancy focused on understanding, improvement and fulfilment. He is also the Executive Head of Apex2100, the world’s leading school for elite skiers, and was Executive Director of HMC, the English-speaking world’s oldest association of Head Teachers. He is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching and a former school principal. As Head of Ashford School he oversaw its transformation from a small girls’ school to a thriving all-age, co-educational day/boarding independent school for over 1,000 children and young people. He has been supporting school and college leaders for more than a decade as well as acting as a reviewer, improvement partner and leadership developer.

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Mike’s interests and experiences are in organisational culture and climate, coaching for improved performance, leadership, inspection, character development, the use of positive psychology to promote well-being in education and the role of independent schools within the worldwide educational landscape.

 

Mike has experience in secondary education, all-through schools and boarding, and has held a variety of leadership posts in London and elsewhere. He helped to establish three state-funded schools in London and Kent. He is or has been a trustee of several independent and state schools in the UK and internationally; a trustee of a children’s charity; a Reporting Inspector; a UK National Leader of Education and a qualified Executive Coach. He is a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Born and partially educated in Australia, he fell in love with an Englishwoman but regularly returns to God's own country.