Claire Brooks
I began my career in luxury fashion and I spent almost two decades in various roles across the industry, from the shop floor to the heart of operations. My most recent position was as an Operations Director specialising in projects and people. Over the years, it became evident to me that my energy was driven by people and more importantly their success and accomplishments. With an HR background, experience in managing teams as well as individuals, and direct experience of both coaching and mentoring within the corporate sector, my next step became obvious. I began my formal coaching business in 2020 working independently. I coach across a wide range of topics and I work with clients both personally and within business. My work is always led by the individual and what they are looking to achieve. My specialism is working with clients based in creative industries such as fashion, PR, music and design. Within coaching I felt I could add value and perspective to people who, want change and development but don’t know where to start. My experience within diverse, fast paced, creative environments has allowed me to hone both my instincts and skills. I have seen first-hand how impactful coaching can be to an individual’s personal growth and in turn how it can add incredible value within businesses. I have combined this experience with my own set of values that serve as my guiding principles. I approach coaching with honesty, integrity, kindness and respect, all thrown in with a healthy dose of joy. In addition I offer my services to small and medium sized businesses as a consultant within luxury fashion, specialising in operations and HR. I am a lifelong learner with both a BA and MSc, I have trained with Animas and hold a qualification in Transformational Coaching accredited by the International Coaching Federation.
During my time of working with Claire at Rainbowwave I was continually impressed by the way she leads individuals and teams with understanding, strength and encouragement. Under her mentorship, team members were able to freely come with any questions or concerns and always leave reassured and motivated knowing that they have been heard and a resolution will be forthcoming. Claire is astute when in comes to both contractual and legal advice and has personally guided me through both HR and wider client/business related issues. Calm under pressure and always cheerfully available, Claire is a huge asset and a pleasure to work with.
Claire was my manager for 7 years but in truth was so much more than that. Claire has an incredible ability to seek out the best in people, nurture their potential, guide them towards improvements without telling them what to do. She actively listens and can interpret unspoken language and signals to deeply understand a person. She challenged me in a positive way, gave me confidence in my work and personal life and helped me achieve things I didn't think I was capable of. I owe so much of my growth to Claire's management, coaching and mentoring. Claire offers sound and unbiased feedback. She manages with care, really takes time to understand people and can pair compassion with professionalism. I learnt so much from her as I went on to manage my own team and continue to turn to Claire for advice and support.