Anya Smirnova

Anya supports senior professionals – particularly women – in law, finance, management consulting, tech and marketing sectors. A former private practice lawyer, board member and entrepreneur, Anya combines person-focused coaching with a commercially grounded approach. She coaches in English and Russian, and brings a cross-cultural lens shaped by living and working in Russia, France, Singapore and the UK.

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Her clients often face critical transitions: stepping up from expert to leader to equity partner, board or C-level; developing authentic leadership styles; or looking to re-energise a career that feels ‘stuck’. Many are female leaders in male-dominated environments or professionals who have built their success ‘with an accent’. Others seek space for reflective thinking in what can be a lonely leadership journey.

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Anya’s coaching goes beyond skills and techniques. She helps clients develop a practice of self-awareness that supports leading themselves, their teams and the wider business. Her approach combines developmental coaching—addressing mindset, emotional intelligence, confidence, resilience, vulnerability and blind spots – with practical strategies, tools and diagnostics. Clients describe Anya’s style as thoughtful and purposeful, nurturing and challenging.

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She holds a Professional Certified Coach accreditation with the International Coaching Federation. She works in 1-1 and group coaching formats.

Before coaching, Anya was a dual-qualified lawyer at a top global firm, familiar with the pressures of a high-performing culture and the challenge of leadership without formal training. Her entrepreneurial and board experience adds commercial and strategic depth to her coaching. She is based in London with her husband and two sons.