Matt Lock
Matt partners with organisations to build leadership capability at every tier, from the executive team to emerging leaders. He works through coaching, senior leadership team builds, team development, facilitation, training and leadership programmes, each shaped around your business and what it is trying to achieve.
Leadership development is Matt’s fourth career, following teaching, sport business management and strategic communications. Each shaped how he works: how people learn, what it takes to run an organisation and deliver results, and how leaders influence under pressure. Before working on leadership, he works to understand the business: its strategy, its pressures and the real challenges its leaders face. That grounding comes from more than 15 years at executive level, including the Executive Leadership Team at the Scottish Institute of Sport, and Head of Communications at sportscotland through the London Olympics and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
His work is built on The Choice Point framework, the result of 25 years of leading, learning and consulting. It helps leaders relate productively, communicate effectively and navigate challenge, change and complexity with confidence, and lead above the line, where high performance thrives.
What separates Matt from others is his realness and genuine partnership style. There is something magical about working with Matt - you get results and you get a memorable experience.
Matt is an exceptional coach with amazing experiences. His style and support for me was second to none. Matt is a genuine, heartfelt and courageous coach.
We all have beliefs and behaviours which in some way hold us back. Matt has a talent for helping people to identify, understand and overcome these.
More than 25 years leading people and helping to lead organisations
More than 15 years at executive level
More than 10 years as a consultant, coach and trainer
Corporate, public sector and sport leadership environments
Based in Northland and Hawke’s Bay, working across NZ and the UK
BA, English Literature (Victoria University of Wellington)
Diploma in Teaching (Wellington College of Education)
Diploma of Business Studies (Massey University)
Diploma of Executive Coaching, AoEC (2012)
International Systemic Team Coaching Certificate, AoEC (2014)
UK Sport Endorsed Mentor (2012–21)
Interpersonal Neurobiology, Mindsight Institute (2020–21)
The 5 Personality Patterns, Practitioner Training, Kessler (2019)
Human Potential Movement Psychology, Neish (2014–16)
Insights Practitioner Accreditation (2011)
Matt is a former national age group triathlete and Ironman. When he isn’t working you’ll find him near or on the ocean, or on a bike, preferably with others. He’s a part-time yogi and a lover of music, and is involved in a variety of pro bono work. He has lived the relational side of life too: divorce, new partnership and the everyday work of a blended family. He doesn’t pretend life or leadership is tidy, and that honesty shapes how he coaches.
Leadership development begins with understanding your organisation, your leaders, and the leadership challenges you are navigating. A conversation allows us to explore:
Your current leadership environment
Where leadership is working, and where it is not
What stronger leadership capability would change
Whether this work is a good fit for your organisation