Level Seven

About Level Seven

Experiential action-based learning and facilitation is at the core of what we do.  Our pragmatic and contemporary approach to personal and organisational development is underpinned by an academic rigour and practical experience gained over many years.

 A founding director of Level Seven, Dorothy Foote brings significant experience as a senior manager and academic. Her specific interests and expertise lie in coaching, mentoring, action learning and mediation and she uses these to support clients in addressing issues of talent development, employee engagement and conflict resolution. Dorothy’s background in HR management, academia and commercial consultancy, combined with her current tutor role on the Undergraduate Diploma and Certificate in Coaching programmes at the University of Cambridge, enable her to adopt a practical approach to coaching that is underpinned with rigorous knowledge and understanding of coaching in a global business context.

‘As a coach and facilitator of leadership development programmes, I work with a wide range of organisations from the public and private sectors. My coaching style is both supportive and challenging. Executives can sometimes feel isolated and need the space to be open and honest and to be challenged within that safe space. My experience of working at executive level myself enables me to bring empathy in my coaching style and at the same time an awareness of the scope for challenge.

In particular I focus upon:

• Assessment and development of leadership capability
• Working with strengths as a positive basis for coaching
• Supporting succession planning through coaching aspiring leaders in transition from specialist roles to senior leadership
• Developing coaching skills in managers to support a coaching culture

Clients regularly feed back positively about the environment that I  facilitate for them to reflect safely, explore feelings and experiences and make significant shifts in their thinking and behaviours to support and sustain change.

Prior to setting up Level Seven, I was a principal lecturer in a university business school managing the academic division of HRM and OD. I was involved in the management and delivery of the CIPD programme for over 15 years. This brought me into close contact with key HR professionals giving me insight into the issues faced by organisations in developing and delivering people focused strategies and solutions. I have also worked with a range of commercial clients from the public and private sectors to deliver bespoke skills development and accredited masters level programmes. Some of my past clients have included Rank Gaming, Medical Research Council, Park Resorts, Wärtsilä, Tata Consultancy Services and Northamptonshire Borough Council.

Before entering academia, I worked as an HR Manager in the public and private sectors including BAA, Grant Thornton Chartered Accountants and the NHS.

I am a member of the Association for Coaching, and the Professional Mediators’ Association.

In my free time, I am an enthusiastic walker and ‘Scandi Noir’ fan’.

A founding director of Level Seven, Gill Stevens is a key player in delivering coaching for different client organisations. Her specific interest focuses on merging coaching with design thinking methodology as a way to support innovation and team productivity. Gill’s passion lies in supporting the development of creativity and innovative thinking in organisations via coaching interventions.

‘Two years ago, I returned to the UK from Asia to re-establish myself as an Executive Coach within the corporate environment.  Whilst working as an Assistant Professor and teaching Human Behaviour in Organisations at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Manila, the Philippines, I was introduced to the concept of Design Thinking and taught the concept and principles to a range of students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. Now on my return to the UK, I can see the possibilities that aligning coaching and design thinking offer to transformation programmes and for designing human-centred products and processes.

Amongst the roles I held whilst at AIM was the Head of the School of Executive Education where I designed and delivered executive development leadership programs for a range of corporate clients within the Telecoms, Fast Food, Construction and Banking industries.

My specific expertise lies in facilitating, collaborative learning and development and a passion for innovation, design thinking and coaching.

I am a qualified workplace coach and workplace mediator. My earlier career spanned business and education working with a variety of industries and sectors including Business Consultancy, IT, Charities, Local and Central Government Departments.

Along with my Level Seven Work, I am also currently the Course Director for the Diploma in Coaching at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.

In my free time I enjoy learning to play the violin, walking and dancing the Argentine tango!’