Hugh Coppen

Hugh’s coaching expertise is built on 30 years of increasingly senior business leadership experience leading up to his roles as CEO of three different private and public companies.  With a deeply held conviction drawn from his extensive career that personal values and authenticity are at the heart of true leadership, Hugh focuses his work with his clients on helping them become both the best individuals and the best leaders they can be. 

Highly pragmatic in pursuit of delivering successful coaching outcomes, Hugh customizes his coaching approach so that it aligns most effectively with the realities of the business situation in which his clients are operating. 

Hugh’s rich professional experiences are drawn from doing business in the UK, Canada the US and Africa.  His early career in marketing in global consumer packaged goods companies Colgate-Palmolive and General Foods/Kraft expanded into more senior roles in the energy, brewing and communications industries. 

Hired to run a fast-growing contract manufacturer of video media (VHS then DVD) serving the major motion picture studios in Hollywood, over the next 10 years Hugh led three different companies through the challenges of exponential industry growth.

Since 2001, he has worked internationally as an executive coach and organisational development facilitator with a wide range of global clients including Walt Disney Studio, JP Morgan Chase, Qualcomm, CareFusion (medical devices), Standard Bank (South Africa), LSG Sky Chefs, GKN Aerospace and Prudential.  

In 2016, aligning his ongoing goal of helping leaders and individuals achieve optimal personal growth with his passion for the wilderness, Hugh founded Tasimba, a deeply immersive, life-changing safari experience in Africa.

Hugh grew up in Southern Africa and graduated with a B.A. (Law) from the University of Cape Town.  For the past 25 years he has lived in San Francisco, California.